Private Forging the Sword

[Valery Noble]

Kestri
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

A new era has begun.

After the NJO Council unanimously elected her as the new Sword of the Jedi, Valery began a journey to discover its true meaning. Much of what it represented was firmly established through those who held the title before, and through what it meant to the New Jedi Order. But this path was about discovering what it meant to her, and after reading through available files on Jaina Solo, in particular, the woman who first held the title, she began to understand a lot more. When she was first given the title, Luke Skywalker didn't truly know what it meant, but a quote from her research stood out to her.

Yours is a restless life, and never shall you know peace, though you shall be blessed for the peace that you bring to others. Take comfort in the fact that, though you stand tall and alone, others take shelter in the shadow that you cast.​

Having spent so much of her life at the front in the war against the Maw and other forces of the Dark Side, the statement resonated with her, and further strengthened her will to cast this shadow. But to do so, she knew it was crucial that she developed herself even more. At one point in Jaina Solo's life, she was on a mission to take down her fallen twin brother, who had changed into Darth Caedus. To prepare for this battle, she turned to Boba Fett and other Mandalorians for training, so she could learn what all-out-war really meant, and she needed this when fighting the fallen sibling. While Valery wasn't out to fight a relative, she had clashed with the Maw's new Dark Lord, and she felt destiny would bring them together again for another battle.

She had to do everything in her power to be as strong as she could, and so she decided her first training as Sword of the Jedi would be with the Mandalorians of the Enclave.

Arrival on Kestri...

With a few contacts there, Valery had first reached out to Kranak Vizsla , a man she had developed a lot of respect for after a mission between the Enclave and Galactic Alliance. There was still much to do for a strong relationship, but that was the added benefit to this journey. Not only could she prepare herself for future battles through a type of training entirely new to her, but she could also work on strengthening the relationship with the Mandalorians. To win a war, one has to understand their enemy, understand themselves, and train to be at their best, but maintaining good relationships with allies was just as crucial.

Kranak had accepted her proposal, and even arranged another to join their training — a Mandalorian she was familiar with for very different reasons. The last time she met Shai Maji , the woman had been twisted by the Maw, and they had clashed on Empress Teta. It had been a battle with high emotions, as both Valery and her husband were affected by what had happened to their daughter, and only a heavy bombing run cut it all short and blew them apart. She hoped this would give her an opportunity to talk to Shai about it.

There it is, the Cin'ciri mountains... Valery thought to herself, as she left behind her ship and began the path to the fortress known as the Kom'rk. She was in her usual attire, with lightsabers clipped to her belt, a heavy backpack with supplies on her back, and other items strapped to her body. She wanted to learn how the Mandalorians fought, so she was likely not going to use her lightsabers too much at first. But only time would tell. Either way, she knew this was going to become some of the toughest training of her life, and she was looking forward to it.

Finally, after a long journey up, Valery arrived at the entrance and waited there until she was given access and this new journey could begin.

Kranak Vizsla | Shai Maji ​

 

[Shai Maji]

Marching towards the Kom'rk with a deep frown and a cigarette between her lips, Shai wasn't looking forward to the little trip at all. Helping a Jedi to train was no big deal, but deciding to do that in the heart of the Siks headquarters was something Shai was not happy about. She made it abundantly clear over the comms in her chat with Kranak, though she never got around to finding out who she was training. Probably a big deal if they decided to come get Mando training.

In both hands hung two large duffle bags, clanking with each frustrated step she took. She didn't even bother to acknowledge the other soldiers that glared at her as she approached a more restricted back entrance, swiping an access card Kran had given her to get inside. She received even more glares, threats and foul comments inside, but she pushed them aside as she marched in towards the training ground Kranak suggested they meet in. Only... the Jedi wasn't there yet. But the giant certainly was. "Kranak Vizsla, I will suck every ounce of blood out of you, you karkin' moof milker! You want me to get karkin' shot?!" She shouted as she dropped her bags on a table, flicked the bud of her cigarette away and marched up to the man. "You can be glad I didn't get a karkin' gut shot on the way here." She grumbled as she looked around. "Jedi ain't here yet." She muttered, walking back to her bags.

A voice over the comms let their officer know the Jedi was being escorted towards them, though Shai easily listened in on the message. "Kinda missed it when you said who it is. But it's cool. Introductions will be happening anyway, I guess. So no biggie." She remarked as she pulled a flask from one duffle bag and took a long sip. Luckily the space around the Enclave had no shortage of criminals and scum to help her stay full.

But when the Jedi finally arrived at the training grounds, Shai's eyes went wide. "Valery kriffin' Noble." She muttered, setting her flask aside and wiping the blood off her lips. This became very awkward, very quickly. Though it didn't stop the Shistavanen from thinking of a terrible joke. "Yo, fingers! Been a while, huh? By the way, a little voice told me that I better apologize before and after I pop a cap in ya. They're great advice!" She teased with a cackling laugh. The last time they saw each other, it wasn't a good day for anyone. She nearly tore her and her husband apart... and she was a lot more cybernetic. The Jedi would likely pick up on the drastic lack of cybernetics as she Mandalorian crossed her arms and leaned against the table with a smirk.

Kranak Vizsla Valery Noble

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

Tags: Shai Maji | Valery Noble

​

Blaster fire echoed inside what would appear to be a large simulation room, set in an abandoned, densely urban environment in the depths of The Citadel of the Kom’rk, the house of the Si’kahya; the occasional thundering crack of a power hammer that shook the simulation room to its foundations would drown out the sharp bark and whine of the blaster fire with each hammer blow. With each thundering slam of the power hammer, the intensity of the blaster fire from the droids dwindled, from a hailstorm of blaster bolts to almost a light drizzle.

Soaring in the air over the debris strewn streets and between the ruins with a jetpack and a massive two handed Powerhammer in his hands, the giant of a Mandalorian, clad in a set of jet-black beskar’gam, was warming up in preparation for the training to be had today with a venerable Jedi of the New Jedi Order, an individual he had the opportunity to meet briefly during a mission over V’shar.

It felt like it was one lifetime ago, after everything that occured from that point onwards.

The ground underneath shook violently as the giant swooped down from the air and brought down the power hammer to the ground amidst a group of training droids; the last of the bunch. A shockwave of energy rippled as the blow created a small crater on the ground the giant had slammed the hammer. Coupled with the Vizsla’s initial speed, the giant’s strength behind the blow and the nature of the weapon he wielded, the droids surrounding him in his close proximity tore apart from the thunderous slam with ease; mechanical parts and limbs of all sizes were sent clattering to the ground, thrown several yards to all directions.

His broad chest plate rose and fell with each heave of breath as he scanned his surroundings inside the simulation room, searching for more targets as he freed the head of the power hammer from the crater with a stern, precise tug with both his hands.

Faced with opposition no more, as a brief sharp beep resounded in the simulation ground indicating the scenario was finished, the giant leaned the hammer over his left shoulder with ease as he made his way to simulation room’s exit at a slow pace.

Setting the hammer beside other various weapons, equipment and ammunition on the table outside the simulation room, the giant reached and pulled free the jetpack magnetized to his backplate as he heard a very familiar set of footsteps approaching him from his right.

"Kranak Vizsla,"

Setting the jetpack on the table, the giant’s armored visage turned to meet his friend’s gaze as she walked closer.

"I will suck every ounce of blood out of you, you karkin' moof milker! You want me to get karkin' shot?!"

The giant chuckled in response to her angry retort. <”Only when you push my buttons relentlessly, old friend,”> he quipped at her as the Wardog angrily dropped the pair of duffel bags on an empty table nearby. Turning around to face her, he’d listen to her short rant as she walked up to him.

"You can be glad I didn't get a karkin' gut shot on the way here."

<”Relaaax,”> the giant muttered to her in response. Though he understood, still. Roughly a week or so had passed since her return. People hadn’t gotten used to her yet, but they would over time, the more the Wardog showed her face around, they would come to accept the facts and perhaps even begin to extend their forgiveness to her. It would not be easy however, that much he knew. But with perseverance, he had faith she would make it through it all.

"Jedi ain't here yet." She muttered, walking back to her bags.

The Vizsla gave a nod of his head. <”She’ll be here soon,”> he said as he turned and reached for his Paranaor blaster rifle from the assortment of weapons lying on the table. Leaning his back against the table, the giant went about inspecting the rifle in his hands in silence as his helmet comlink crackled to life, informing him and the Wardog that their guest was on her way down. With an acknowledging nod of his head, the giant continued to check his rifle as the Wardog spoke.

"Kinda missed it when you said who it is. But it's cool. Introductions will be happening anyway, I guess. So no biggie." She remarked as she pulled a flask from one duffle bag and took a long sip.

Brows slightly furrowed in a moment’s confusion underneath his armored visage, he turned his gaze from the rifle in his hands and looked at the Wardog’s visage <”I thought I had told you,”> the giant said before turning his gaze back to the rifle. <”Hmm,”> he shrugged as he went about calibrating and accurately zeroing the scope of his rifle.

Not long after the officer had informed them, the giant would look up from the blaster lowered to his lap at the sound of the footsteps echoing down the corridor before him.

She was here.

With a faint whistle to get the Wardog’s attention from whatever she was busy doing, the giant would give a curt nod of his head towards the Master Jedi. <”Look who it is,”> the man muttered to the Wardog; his gaze wavered not away from the Jedi’s visage.

"Valery kriffin' Noble." She muttered, setting her flask aside and wiping the blood off her lips. This became very awkward, very quickly. Though it didn't stop the Shistavanen from thinking of a terrible joke. "Yo, fingers! Been a while, huh? By the way, a little voice told me that I better apologize before and after I pop a cap in ya. They're great advice!" She teased with a cackling laugh.

A muffled chuckle escaped the man’s helmet annunciator in response to the Wardog’s teasing quip thrown at the Master Jetii. Shaking his head slowly as he chuckled, the giant stood up and slung the rifle over his chest plate, having finished with last minute inspections of his blaster rifle. <”Welcome to Kestri, Master Noble,”> the giant of a Mandalorian said in a cordially in a deferential tone, extending his left hand to greet the Jetii the Mandalorian way. Upon accepting the kind gesture extended by the giant, the man would grasp her forearm extended towards him firmly and bring down the dome of his head crashing against her brow, greeting the Jetii.

A faint smile would emerge underneath the armored, featureless visage of his helm as he pulled back afterwards. Glancing at the Wardog beside him, the giant gave a curt nod of his head to the woman standing before him afterwards. <”I’ll get things set up here. Got training droids to clear up. Shouldn’t take too long,”> The giant said as he turned around and walked towards a terminal beside the entrance to the simulation room.

Having read the reports regarding the battle waged over Empress Theta not long before the Maw’s incursion over Tython, he was aware of who exactly the Wardog had fought while she waged war under the enemy’s banner. Setting up the parameters for the simulation to be had for training, and clearing the simulated battlefield from the destroyed and torn bodies of the training droids, the giant would allow the Wardog and the Master Jetii to have a moment alone, before today’s training eventually commenced.

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Kestri
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

"Yo, fingers! Been a while, huh? By the way, a little voice told me that I better apologize before and after I pop a cap in ya. They're great advice!"

From the moment she heard that Shai would be here as well, Valery knew this was going to happen, and she wasn't bothered by it at all. She just met the woman with a smirk, "The voices making you claim the work of the bombers now, too?" she raised her hand and wiggled the fingers that had been blown off, showing they were fine now. This training was going to give them a chance for some more serious sparring, although Valery would be at a huge disadvantage trying to fight like a Mandalorian. It would be a humbling experience and one any proud warrior wanting to improve should eagerly accept.

"But I feel there's an apology to be made from my side as well. I wasn't myself that day, and neither was my husband. During the training here, we'll get to fight properly, although it might take me some time to adjust. Either way, I look forward to it." She was expecting a lot of injuries, trips to bacta tanks, and field treatment because no matter what, she wanted the two Mandalorians to be hard and unforgiving when it came to making mistakes.

There was no room for error in battle.

<"Welcome to Kestri, Master Noble,">

Valery's eyes shifted to Kranak, who she greeted with a respectful dip of her head. But when he extended his hand, she reached for it and firmly shook it in return... only for him to suddenly pull her closer. With all the heavy equipment strapped to her body, she had no balance and was tugged straight into the headbutt that followed. She had read about this type of greeting, but clearly wasn't expecting it at all. She staggered back, looking a tad dazed, but tried her best to shrug it off, "Heh... thank you for the uh, warm welcome."

<"I'll get things set up here. Got training droids to clear up. Shouldn't take too long,">

"Alright, we'll be there shortly." She offered a faint smile and after he left, her eyes returned to Shai, "It has been a while since Empress Teta and I'm sure a lot has happened since. But it's good to see you back with your people," she said with a respectful dip of her body. As fun as it was to throw quips back and forth, she was quite happy to see that things had turned out alright.

Kranak Vizsla | Shai Maji ​

 

[Shai Maji]

Crossing her arms, the Wardog huffed with annoyance at Kranak's casual attitude around the whole situation. But she knew better than to press the matter. Especially after Valery stepped into the room and dropped a remark that quickly switched Shai's entire demeanour. A smile remained, but her eyes betrayed the boiling anger within her. "I'd suggest keeping those kinda jokes to yourself, sis. Between the sweat and blood I'm gettin' from ya, dinner's smelling mighty pleasant." She spoke up, a growl rolling with each word escaping her mouth.

Valery went on to make an apology for what happened on Empress Teta, but the Shistavanen merely waved it off. "Listen, modesty ain't a thing for people like me and you. So rather leave it to the Jedi who can actually make it work." She commented, her crimson eyes locked onto the woman. Kranak managed to break the ice with a typical Mandalorian welcome, though Shai merely scoffed at the action. "Hey, how come you get to keep the helmet on. I ain't wearin' mine over here." She spoke up as she eyed him, though a smirk soon crept up as she flashed him a wink.

<”I’ll get things set up here. Got training droids to clear up. Shouldn’t take too long,”>

The Wardog watched him as he left her to talk to the Jedi. She couldn't help but wonder if he knew she would most likely want to make things right with her as well. Her gaze lingered on the giant for a long moment before her thoughts were interrupted by Valery speaking up again. With a shake of her head, she looked back at Valery as she slipped a cigarette between her lips. "I wasn't jokin' Val. Real talk here. Cut the bantha crap." A plume of smoke rolled from her nostrils as she closed the distance between them, her eyes avoiding hers for a few long moments.

"I'd like to say I wasn't in control, but I was. If I wasn't, we wouldn't be here talking. You and your hubby's lightsabers would be hangin' from my belt right now. Through all the hate and anger at everyone, I recognized one thing as I looked at you and your man. I got punished for what I did on Teta, helpin' y'all and all... but I don't regret it." Her glowing, crimson eyes stared into Valery's soul as she let her words sink in. "Robbing a kid from a warm home and loving parents is something I know way too well. I don't wanna have anyone else suffer that pain. Especially after finally sealing the deal with my hubby. So... I'm sorry. For what I've done to you and yours. The hundreds of people I slaughtered on Teta... that ship has taken off. But I got a chance to make it right with people like you. People who I owe. So... I hope I can make it up to you and your kid." She spoke with a hushed, sincere tone as she blew her smoke away from the two of them. She reached out to clasp her arm, as one warrior to another, with a face devoid of humour or lies.

Valery Noble Kranak Vizsla

 

[Valery Noble]

Kestri
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

"I'd suggest keeping those kinda jokes to yourself, sis. Between the sweat and blood I'm gettin' from ya, dinner's smelling mighty pleasant."

Valery's eyes narrowed, but again, the comment didn't bother her at all. Perhaps Shai was right about the more modest comments not fitting them, as both of them were renowned warriors, but a few quips and challenges definitely were part of that culture. But she agreed that this was no time to be kind and cheerful — this training was going to be brutal, and they were all going to be focused on giving it their all. It was the only way it could work.

After Kranak left, following a rather unexpected greeting, there was a strange mixture of tension and regret that lingered between her and the Wardog. They both weren't happy with what happened on Empress Teta, but the rivalry between two great warriors was very much present as well, "I highly doubt it," Valery said after the comment about her lightsabers hanging from her belt. She decided against mentioning how many Mandalorians she had fought in the past, believing it wouldn't make for good introductions, but she wasn't going to let Shai talk tough and just take it. "But let's keep the tough attitudes for where it matters, the training rings." She wasn't here as some novice looking to learn something — she was the best of the best of her own kind, and so was Shai. This was about her learning to fight in different ways, and while she knew it was going to be quite painful and humbling with her lack of experience fighting like them, she was very much ready to try.

The conversation did shift a little in tone when Shai continued her apology and expressed her desire to make up for what happened. Valery's expression softened a little as a result, and without hesitation, she clasped arms with the woman, "I'm sure you can," Valery said as she met her gaze with the same serious tone. "I know what I've signed up for here, and I know neither of you will hold back. I need it, as this perspective I can gain will help me make things right as well." That's all she could ever ask for from the Mandalorians and in return, she was more than willing to help on Kestri or with missions they had going.

Finally, her eyes shifted to the structure ahead, and briefly to all the gear around her that made for an almost ridiculous sight, "Any idea where I can drop all of this off?"

Kranak Vizsla | Shai Maji ​

 

[Shai Maji]

As they clasped arms and the Jedi spoke up, a genuine, hopeful smile spread along the Shistavanen's maw as she looked at the woman. Hope emanated from her, the thought of her being able to make things right swelling within her. While her own people would likely never be able to forgive her, at least she could make up for what she did to the people outside of the Enclave.

But in this position, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

With a lot more force and a lot less effort, Shai repeated Kranak's gesture by yanking Valery towards her and heaving forward to slam her forehead against hers. At least she made sure to grab hold of the Jedi to make sure she remained anchored on her feet. "Welcome to the Mando'ade, sis!" Shai cheered as she let go and motioned for Valery to follow her. "You better get used to that, 'cause in these walls..." She glanced over her shoulder with a menacing grin. "... Pain's gonna be as normal as breathin' for ya." She quipped, tossing her cigarette aside before zipping open one of the duffel bags. "Come on, lose the threads. I brought something along for ya. Just drop your stuff anywhere." She heaved out her own freshly reforged armour as well as a second set for Valery.

The Krayt Dragon emblem on the pauldron made no mistake of signifying to which clan the armour belonged. It was bulky, solid and heavy, designed primarily for intense close quarters combat. But without any functions on the vambraces or in the helmet, and no jetpack, it was little more than a glorified paperweight. Horrible for prolonged use, cumbersome and prone to tiring out those who were not used to the weight of it. "If you brought a body glove along, suit up. Otherwise just use the one in the bag. I'll help you with the plates." She commented as she casually stripped down and zipped up her own body glove before applying each piece as naturally as breathing. With her helmet clipped to her belt, she helped Valery to suit up as well for the training. They could take away the armour after a few rounds...

"Yo, Kran!" Shai hollered as she took a sip of her flask. She offered the flask to Valery, but quickly realized the mistake with a guilty laugh. "Sorry, force of habit. Don't think blood is your kind of poison... long story, by the way." With one final sip she set the flask aside and emptied the second bag on the table. "I brought just about every boomstick in the Ironworks Manifest! You need anything? By the way, we goin' lethal or non-lethal for this round?" She called out to the man as she casually holstered two pistols, a beskad, and slotted a rifle to her jetpack. With the familiar weight on her body, she winked at the Jedi and rested another rifle on her shoulder.

Valery Noble Kranak Vizsla

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

Tags: Shai Maji | Valery Noble

​

The giant’s fingers tapped on the terminal’s touch pad rapidly as he entered a set of commands to set up the parameters for today’s training session, and activated the small clean-up crew of droids to remove the destroyed training droids from the simulation room inside, all the while listening to the back and forth between the Wardog and the Master Jetii; his face underneath his armored visage remained mostly emotionless, and his gaze wavered not away from the screen of the console before him as he listened.

He was trying to help her make things right, as best as he could anyway; all the while refraining from overstepping his boundaries. The Wardog’s path towards salvation was hers to make. He was there to be at her side as a friend when almost everybody she had fought for had forsaken her for her wrongdoings; he was by her side to aid her in her path of salvation, not take lead in it. Hearing of her attempts to make things right with a number of people who had regarded her as family on Kestri, he had taken an educated guess and assumed the Wardog also wanted to make things right with those who were affected by her rampage that remained outside the Enclave. It was just one of the reasons he had contacted Shai and pitched the idea to her.

"Welcome to the Mando'ade, sis!"

A faint smile emerged from the otherwise stern facial expression of the giant in silent response to the warm, welcoming notion following the Mandalorian greeting from the Wardog in the form of a kov’nyn.

"Yo, Kran!" Shai hollered as she took a sip of her flask.

<”Hmm?”> an inquiring, wordless grunt escaped the giant’s annunciator in response to his comrade. Almost finished with the terminal, the giant briefly looked over his right shoulder at Shai. A faint, buzzing beep from the console would force his attention back on the console however, as she talked to the Master Jetii beside her. The parameters were set, and the simulation was ready to begin. Satisfied, the giant turned away from the console as Shai gave him a remark of the guns and ammunition she had brought along with her.

"I brought just about every boomstick in the Ironworks Manifest! You need anything?"

She was not kidding when she said she brought almost every boomstick she had in her manifest. She had brought enough weapons and ammunition to fully arm a squad of Si’kahya. How she had managed to stuff all of that into a mere duffel bag was… impressive.

<”Well I’ll be damned...”> the giant said with noticeable mirth and admiration as he walked towards the two, getting prepared for the training by the table. <”Looks like Solstice came early this year.”> He said as his left cybernetic hand gently and affectionately swept over the weapons Shai had brought, as if he was petting a strill. Reaching for one of the weapons from the pile, the giant inspected the gun up close in his hands as he answered the Wardog’s inquiry.

<”I’m good for now... However,”> the giant’s interest had shifted towards a specific weapon from the bunch. Setting aside the M5 CBC back on the pile, the giant reached for a shotgun. <”I’ve been meaning to find a replacement for my Scatter Gun. I’ll give this a shot later on, see how it fares in battle,”> the giant answered her question as he inspected the M7 Shotgun in his hands. Giving a satisfactory nod of his head at the gun in his hand, liking the craftsmanship it had going for it, the man set the gun aside and reached for his Paranaor hanging over his chest plate by its sling.

His right hand grasping the rifle’s pistol grip, the giant pressed its buttstock firmly towards his hip, and reached for the underbarrel grenade launcher attached below the handguard by its modular hardpoint. He slid the empty breech open as the Wardog asked another question.

By the way, we goin' lethal or non-lethal for this round?" She called out to the man as she casually holstered two pistols, a beskad, and slotted a rifle to her jetpack.

Coming to an abrupt pause for a moment, the glowing visor of the giant’s helmet turned towards the Wardog in silent response; a faint smile emerged from his features underneath his faceplate. Reaching for a standard, live forty millimeter grenade launcher munition from a pouch from his chest rig with his left hand, the giant inserted the grenade into the empty tube and slid back the barrel in silent response to the Wardog, hoping the silent motion was enough of an answer to her question.

The giant’s armored visage would turn towards Valery afterwards. <”Simulation’s ready and scenario parameters set for Search and Destroy. Urban terrain, lots of close quarters environments as well as spots allowing for ranged engagements,”> the giant explained. <”Pretty straight forward. You are to make yourself scarce once you walk in. We’ll follow after once your preparation phase of one minute runs its course, and kick this off.”> the man grasped the hand grip of the UGL attached to the rifle, and shifted the weapon to a more comfortable position in his hands as he spoke. <”Gotta break you down like a Paranaor and get a good measure of you first before we continue,”> the giant quipped as he shot a glance at the Wardog beside him with a faint smile. Although he joked, he spoke the truth. Getting a good measure of her strong suits and weaknesses were necessary to gauge where they could improve her fighting capabilities through training.

<”Head on inside once you’re prepared,”> he said as he turned his visage back at the Master Jetii. <”A short series of brief yet sharp whines from the speakers inside will indicate the simulation’s hot. That’s the signal for it to kick off after we walk in.”> The giant said, finished briefing them of the scenario. <”Any questions?”> He asked them as he turned around, reaching for several hand grenades from a box on the table, attaching them to his grenade bandolier over his chest plate while he waited for an inquiry from either of them.

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Kestri
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

After the warriors' greeting, Valery felt Shai taking hold of her and this time, she knew what was coming. She braced herself a little and stood dazed in Shai's grip after the hit. While it still hurt, she was at least glad that there was no metal helmet involved this time, and Shai made sure she wouldn't just fall over. "Thanks... and it's not the pain that's the problem," she said before she watched Shai open one of the bags to retrieve armor and clothing.

"Come on, lose the threads. I brought something along for ya. Just drop your stuff anywhere."

Wait what, here? Valery thought before she looked around, noting nobody else was here to see it except for Kranak, who was not even looking their way. So after a short sigh, she stripped down to her underwear and reached for the body glove inside the bag. She put it on, and with a little help from Shai, she armored up quickly enough. Valery had experience wearing Jedi Battle Armor, but it was lighter and not as strong, so this still felt very different. Her fighting style also heavily focused on mobility and speed, so while this would help a great deal with endurance training and learning something new, she knew this was going to force her to fight in ways she tended to avoid.

It was going to hurt.

"Yeah, I'll pass on the blood," She told Shai before a grin appeared, "But I have a feeling I'll be able to fill that flask up again soon for you." Not that she was going to let Shai drink her blood... but the joke was there.

Valery then watched and listened to them going over the weapons, which she felt less passionate about. She had always just focused on using lightsabers, and never cared much for blasters or explosives. But not that long ago, her husband did teach her how to shoot, so she was starting to appreciate it a little more. Not enough to really keep up with the conversation, though. After a moment, Shai asked about whether or not it was lethal training, and a single glance in Kranak's direction already gave her the answer she was expecting.

This was going to be real.

"In this armor and without falling back on my usual tricks... it's going to be very interesting and challenging. Probably painful. I won't make breaking me that easy, though," she winked and adjusted her chest plate a little, as it seemed to bother her. Was this armor supposed to be so tight? "But I have no questions, so let's get this started." She took a small breath and headed into the simulation room, where she quickly found herself immersed in an urban environment. For now, she decided to stay close to one side of the street, where she practically hugged the side of the buildings and kept her eyes focused on any high-ground positions they could take on the opposite side.

Her hand was close to the hilt of her lightsaber, and she was ready to fight at any moment, but not as her usual self.

Ugh, this armor was not made for me...

Kranak Vizsla | Shai Maji ​

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai watched with a smug look as Kranak inspected the weapons, taking a fancy in the scattergun laid out on the table. "I'll even give you a discount, you can pay it off on a monthly installment. Just don't break it." She quipped, sparing a glance at Valery as she fiddled with the breastplate of her cuirass. A snort escaped as she looked back at Kranak loading his grenade launcher with a very lethal grenade. "You got it." She looked back at Valery with a menacing grin. "Hope you packed perfume. I like my food seasoned." She teased as a growl brewed in her throat.

Giving Valery one last slap on the back for good luck, she looked at Kranak as she loaded up a few grenades and other useful items. "Start at range and move in on her? Put the squeeze on her?" Shai asked him once Valery was out of range. She calmly pulled the massive rifle from her shoulder and rested it in her arms as she started the approach to the simulation area. "Theoretically the armour should be able to stop a laser cannon. But, uh... in case it don't... you did order a really nice casket to send her back, right?" She snickered away before taking off with her jetpack to get some high ground.

She took residence in a blown out apartment complex, laying down with the massive rifle scanning the entire area for a nearly perfect view. :: You should see the view up here, it's amazing. By the way, this thing can go places, so if you see her, gimme a pin on her position. :: She spoke over the comms, making sure her annunciator was turned off. Flipping through her vision modes, she scoured the area for the woman's heat signature. While the Jedi had the Force to help her in this fight, the Mandalorians had a host of tricks to level the playing field.

Valery Noble Kranak Vizsla

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

Tags: Shai Maji | Valery Noble

​

"In this armor and without falling back on my usual tricks... it's going to be very interesting and challenging. Probably painful. I won't make breaking me that easy, though,"

As the Master Jetii spoke, expecting an inquiry or two from her or the Wardog, the giant remained silent as he went about his own last minute preparations and equipment checks. Done with resupplying on ammunition and grenades, the giant reached and tucked his tactical hatchet under his warbelt’s buckle; grasping the sheathed relic, the giant quickly went about tying the sheath to his warbelt over his left hip and left kama pistol holster.

Finished donning his usual Rekr, Order of the Wolf loadout, the giant gave his the pouches attached to his chest rig and warbelt a pat down, making sure his weapons, gear and pouches were all firmly in place and he had everything he’d need for the upcoming training scenario.

Satisfied with the state of his weapons, armor and gear, the giant’s hand grasped the blaster rifle hanging over his chest plate as his gaze returned to the Master Jetii’s visage.

"But I have no questions, so let's get this started."

Giving her a silent nod of his head, the giant glanced at his old friend beside him. Seeing the Wardog also did not have any more questions, the giant’s gaze turned back at Valery again. <”Let’s get this started,”> the giant echoed her words; his gaze remaining over her visage, the giant gently nodded his head towards the entrance to the simulation room, motioning her to enter.

The man’s gaze trailed behind her until she disappeared through the automated doors. Closing shut behind her a mere moment after stepping inside, the timer for her preparation phase had begun. Leaning his back against the table, his gaze shifted from the closed door and onto the visage of his friend standing beside him. The Wardog spoke her mind to him of a game plan to follow not a moment after.

"Start at range and move in on her? Put the squeeze on her?" Shai asked him once Valery was out of range. She calmly pulled the massive rifle from her shoulder and rested it in her arms as she started the approach to the simulation area.

<”Mm-hmm,”> an acknowledging grunt came out the man’s helmet annunciator at her words. The giant gave a nod of his head to the massive anti-material rifle she was holding in her hands as she made his way slowly towards the simulation’s entrance. The Jetii’s time was running out. The giant stood up from the table and joined the Wardog, standing by her side in front of the automated doors closed shut . <”I’ll draw her out from hiding for you, playing bait,”> the giant said, answering her question fully now.

"Theoretically the armour should be able to stop a laser cannon. But, uh... in case it don't... you did order a really nice casket to send her back, right?"

<”She’ll be fine,”> the Vizsla said nonchalantly. Although he assumed the Jetii would tough through the training, he knew very well that when training with live rounds, Death was always ever present; albeit low, the Si’kahya had a mortality rate of those who were killed during training in their tryout phase to join up. Training with live rounds were dangerous even if they were used with utmost responsibility.

The giant’s gaze momentarily shifted from the doors before him after a moment. <” But… in any case, let’s hope we don’t have to send her home in a box,”>

Not a moment after the giant had finished his sentence, the doors before the two of them opened with a mechanical hiss, as the aforementioned whines from the speakers inside began to howl in short intervals as the two of them swiftly moved in. The sharp whine of the Wardog’s jetpack reached to his ears as he could see her take it to the skies from the corner of his eye as he sprinted down a street in front of him.

:: You should see the view up here, it's amazing. By the way, this thing can go places, so if you see her, gimme a pin on her position. ::

Sliding to a halt by a wrecked speeder, the giant lowered himself to a crouch as he reached for his probe droid from the buttpack at the back of his warbelt. Chucking it in the air, the giant toggled his helmet annunciator off with a wordless command to his heads-up display before speaking to the Wardog over their secure, private comlink channel. <”Roger that. Deploying probe,”> Switching his speaker off from the net he shared with his friend, the giant gave a verbal command to his probe droid hovering in the air shortly afterwards. <”Oya’karir,”> Engaging the probe’s search and destroy parameters, the probe would identify the Master Jetii as a hostile contact, and home in on her at a kamikaze dive upon detecting her, self destructing in her close proximity with the small yield detonation charge inside itself.

Switching his speaker back on with the Wardog, the giant stood up from the wreckage of an airspeeder he took cover behind, and began moving from cover to cover deeper into the street at a combat pace. <”Watch your back up there. She might have picked up your movement from the noise of your jetpack,”> he warned, but his voice did not carry an ounce of concern towards the well being of his friend. The giant knew of her combat capabilities and her heightened senses; she'd more than likely sense her approach before the Jetii even realised she was spotted if she attempted to go for the Wardog instead.

The rifle in his hands swept from angle to angle as he looked for the Master Jetii while making his way down the street; senses sharpened, and muscles tensed, he prepared himself for Valery to ambush her at any given moment; he was attempting to draw her out, making himself out to be a bait, all the while not making that intention too obvious for the woman to uncover their intent as he began clearing out the small ruins nearby, in search of her.

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Kestri
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

At first, Valery moved at a relatively quick pace, trying to take advantage of the preparation time she was given. She first prioritized distance, which would only offer her more time later, but quickly looked for concealment as well. By sticking to one side of the street, she limited the possible angles they could get on her from above, but she knew they wouldn't hesitate to come down and fight up close and personal as well. In this armor and with the way she was going to force herself to train, she knew she stood no chance trying to brawl with both of them. Her best bet was to single them out, use surprise to her advantage, and avoid prolonged engagements that could wear her out.

She had to be clever, and do her best to think about this little hunt from their perspective. What would they do to find her, and how would they likely choose to engage?

It was no secret that Mandalorians liked their jetpacks, which is why she was trying to limit their use of the high ground, but their variety of weapons made it difficult to figure out how they were going to attack when they inevitably did find her. So for a moment, she considered taking the high ground herself, but in this armor and without wanting to tap into the Force too much, she wasn't going to try and jump all the way up there. So for now, she remained close to the side of the street, used debris and vehicles for cover to move from one position to another, and waited for the signal that alerted her of their approach.

In the distance, Valery soon heard faint noises and felt their presence in the Force — they were coming.

But while she expected them to need some time to reach her, a warning signal echoed through the Force much sooner than expected, drawing her eyes up to the sky. She spotted the probe droid and instantly knew they had her location, but that wasn't all. The little droid suddenly began to accelerate towards her, and in response, she extended a hand to grip it through the Force before it could impact. Her hand balled into a fist to crush it to bits with sheer power, but a sudden explosion interrupted the connection. She turned her face away and gritted her teeth as the explosive wave knocked her back a few steps, but the armor had kept her safe from debris.

Not going to be that easy...

With a slight grin, she looked around and repositioned, choosing to enter one of the buildings that had a hole blown into its side facing the street. She hid behind the wall, close enough to the gap so she could jump whoever walked by or got too close. At least one of them would come here now that they had detected her, so the cover hopefully prevented a sniper situation from above, and set her up for an ambush. Now she just needed to wait.

Kranak Vizsla | Shai Maji ​

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai raised her hand to the side of her helmet as she listened to Kranak's warning about her Jetpack. A snicker escaped the Shistavanen as she leaned in again and watched the giant through the crosshairs of her scope. :: I hope she did. :: She quipped with a menacing grin behind her helmet. They were both the best in their class. Shai fought in dozens of battles, learning from each failure and improving with each victory. She was one of, if not the most, dangerous warriors in the Enclave, if not the Galaxy. Valery Noble was nothing short of her equal, being chosen to be the Jedi's most powerful warrior against the Dark Side. :: I wouldn't mind a rematch one bit. :: She continued over the comms. While pride played a role, the Wardog never ceased to try and improve on both her strengths, as well as her weaknesses.

Kranak launched his probe droid while he continued on with his rifle at the ready. She had half a mind to shoot it out of his hand, just out of spite. The thought quickly disappeared when a ping sprang up on her HUD, and the droid erupted in an explosion. She finally found her mark, a faint heat signature outlining her figure through the walls in the Shistavanen's X-ray vision mode. It felt surreal to realize that it wasn't her eyes this time, but her actual helmet doing the work. Perhaps sticking Kranak and Valery for a drink would be a good way to celebrate many things, including the fact that she was whole again.

But first they had to deal with tearing a new one into the Jedi Master.

"I see you..." She lined up the shot with the center mass of the heat signature, right where she knew her backplate would be. And with a deep exhale, she pulled the trigger on the massive weapon. The rifle boomed, sounding more like a capital ship's cannon than a blaster, and the crimson bolt tore ahead. Through two separate walls, leaving only gaping holes in its wake, before it would finally reach the Jedi Master's back and explode in a powerful blast.

:: Can't hide from the Wardog, Val. Did the Alliance never bother to make a report on me? :: She quipped over the open comms for the woman to hear. She made sure to at least leave the comms in her suit. :: How's the armour, by the way? It's made for warriors, not housewives. :: She continued, taunting the woman with a chuckle.

Kranak Vizsla Valery Noble

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

Tags: Shai Maji | Valery Noble

Corrupted by Design
​

:: I hope she did. I wouldn't mind a rematch one bit. :

The Wardog’s quip rang in his ears as he walked past a large mound of rubble and debris on the street; although the weapons and gear he carried on him did not make a sound, having packed them all tightly in order for them to avoid giving away his position to the Master Jetii, the rubble beneath his combat boots crunched with a muffled crackle regardless. Her Jetii senses sharp, no doubt she could hear him approach, the giant thought.

The giant grinned underneath his armored visage in response to the Wardog’s remark as he monitored the probe using his helmet’s HUD. <”I have a feeling, you will most certainly get your chance, old girl,”> he said to her over their comlink with a brief, soft chuckle.

Traversing the seemingly derelict streets inside the urban simulation room, occasionally clearing a small house reduced to nothing more than ruins, only to emerge back into the street and continue moving up from cover to cover, it wasn’t long before his probe droid pinged him on his HUD. Bringing up the live feed provided to him, recorded by the probe droid’s optical cluster, the giant watched the probe droid home in on the Master Jetii as he swiftly began making his way towards her known position.

<”Contact,”> The giant called out over the comlink out of habit, despite knowing Shai saw what he was seeing in her own helmet’s heads-up display.

Watching her hand reach out towards the droid, the probe was frozen in place for just a mere moment before he lost the visual feed he had from the droid; a muffled explosion echoed inside the large sim room from roughly to the giant’s north west, further down the road leading into a street adjacent to his. Breaking into a sprint the moment the probe had dove down to strike her in a kamikaze dive, the giant began to close the distance rapidly as he sprinted past and vaulted over burned wrecks of landspeeders and waist high debris alike that blocked his path, occasionally navigating through the ruins of a building.

Not long after he entered the adjacent street after rounding a corner, the thunderous roar of the Wardog’s anti-material rifle reached his ears. Her quips and taunts followed soon after over the open channel as the giant now began approaching at a more slower pace, foregoing some speed in exchange for caution as he walked towards Valery’s last known location in the street; a wall next to a damaged house. The latter’s frontage overlooking the street had a large hole opening into the ground floor of the house.

Viewing the structure from behind a piece of cover on the street, he could see a large, freshly created hole on the aforementioned frontage of the structure, with freshly kicked off dust settling down slowly.

:: How's the armour, by the way? It's made for warriors, not housewives. ::

He couldn’t help but let out a silent chuckle in response to his friend likening her to a housewife as he began cautiously approaching the house; the giant’s blaster rifle was raised to the fore and kept on the large opening on the house’s wall as he quickly passed the street, closing in on the building their target had taken momentary residence. <”Closing in on the target’s last known location,”> the giant reported to her over their comlink channel.

Standing behind cover alongside the wall, just a few yards away from the building, the giant reached for a Flash Grenade from his grenade bandolier as he momentarily let go of the GL’s hand grip. <”Executing a breaching maneuver; bang and clear,”> he continued to keep the Wardog in the loop even though she could see him and his movement through her sniper scope from far away. Keeping the comms up while in combat was something that was drilled into them in training, from all those years ago when they were younger.

Pressing the red plastoid cap atop the grenade, the Flash Grenade in his hands primed silently, without a distinctive whining one would hear from a Thermal Detonator. Primed, he kept it in his hand for a mere moment, letting its fuze run down slightly before throwing it in, at an attempt for reducing the likelihood of disorienting himself in case the Master Jetii was quick enough to throw it back at him with the use of the Force, even though his visor was flashguard treated, and had considerable amounts of ear protection.

Chucking the Flash Grenade into the house through the hole, the giant would move up and enter the structure without delay through the hole with his rifle raised forth upon hearing the all too familiar sound of a deafeningly loud bang and a brief blinding flash of light.

Intending to confront the Master Jetii in close quarters combat inside the building, he would intend to flush her out the building with grenades and hailstorm of blaster bolts alike upon locating her in the structure, at an attempt to enable the Wardog to get a clear shot at Valery with her anti-material rifle.

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Kestri
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

Danger.

Despite her cover and concealment, she could feel something was about to happen. In any other situation, she would have shrugged it off or been less worried about it, but the Mandalorians had already spotted her with the probe, and for all she knew they were dropping an orbital strike on her — nothing was ridiculous with these types. So as a way to prepare herself, she drew the hilt of her lightsaber into her hand and took a single step away from the wall, thinking something was about to come through the hole.

But by the time she realized what actually was fired her way, it was already too late.

The anti-material rifle's blast came straight through the wall and exploded against the plate covering her back, sending her falling forward while the impact was spread out across most of her torso. It knocked the wind out of her, and definitely bruised and burned her a bit, but slowly she got back up to her feet and bit through the pain. The armor luckily held for now, but she wasn't going to test how many more of those shots it could take.

:: How's the armour, by the way? It's made for warriors, not housewives. ::

:: Why don't you stop hiding and come down here? I'll tell you face-to-face. :: she quipped back, hoping to provoke her a little bit.

She had a feeling that with Shai taking the role of a sniper, Kranak was going to be closer, and so she quickly moved back into cover. He was approaching — she could feel his presence and the danger that grew with each step he drew closer. Then she heard the metal banging of something being thrown onto the ground and into the house, and without any time to respond, she was caught by the flashbang. Her hearing and eyesight were nullified, but unlike most, she didn't need them.

With all her focus on just the Force, she waited for Kranak to enter the house, and suddenly ignited her lightsaber while she jumped across the distance between them with explosive speed. She knew that by entering melee combat, it would be much harder for Shai to open fire without risking friendly fire, and if she could disarm Kranak, she could hold out much longer. Either way, she expected not to last forever in this situation, as it was her first time training like this, but she was going to give it her all.

A powerful sweep followed, aimed at the weapon in his hand in an attempt to destroy it or remove it from his grip, but she stood ready to follow up and maintain pressure on him. Many Jedi fought very passively, but Valery almost had the aggression of a Sith, just without the emotional fuel behind it. She was calm, precise, but relentless when it came to defeating her opponents.

Kranak Vizsla | Shai Maji ​

 

[Shai Maji]

There was no doubt that the shot impacted, judging by Valery's silhouette slamming into the ground after she fired. Shai couldn't help but smirk at the sight through her scope as she watched Kranak move in, opening with a flashbang as he breached the building. Her smirk turned into a full blown laugh at Valery's challenge. :: Alright, gimme a sec. :: She quipped as she set her rifle down and took off towards them. While it might have been more tactically sound to stick with the massive rifle, the Wardog was itching for a good brawl.

As she honed in on their location, she could already see Valery opening up with her lightsabers on Kranak. The temptation to draw her Beskad and charge in was tugging at her like a weight around her neck, but she decided against it, instead drawing her two particle pistols as she closed in on the building.

A rocket flew from her wrist towards Valery to distract her long enough for Shai to open up with a hail of particle bolts. One after the other, the pistols screamed with each pull of the trigger. She only let up when both pistols ran dry, weaving through the air as she dropped her spent cells from the grips and slammed two fresh cells in against her thighs. "What was that, Val?! Whaddya wanna say, huh?!" She cackled through the air as she fired another salvo into her hiding place. All to buy time while Kranak moved in on her.

Valery Noble Kranak Vizsla

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

Tags: Shai Maji | Valery Noble

​

:: Why don't you stop hiding and come down here? I'll tell you face-to-face. :: she quipped back, hoping to provoke her a little bit.

:: Alright, gimme a sec. ::​

He could not stifle the wide grin emerging from underneath his helmet faceplate as he listened to the brief back and forth between the Wardog and the Master Jetii in silence in the waning moments before the Flash Grenade’s fuze burned out. The Master Jetii certainly had heart, that she had made apparent; she could talk the talk.

But could she walk the walk?

They would most certainly find that out for themselves in the coming moments in a fight to the near-death, as a deafeningly loud bang and a bright, blinding flash of light accompanying the former, both of which all to familiar to the giant of a Mandalorian, had briefly erupted from inside the building, when the Flash Grenade’s fuze ran out.

Wasting not a moment, the giant quickly ran up the small ramp-like pile of rubble leading up to the hole on the wall overlooking the street, and entered the battered structure from it’s ground floor with his weapon raised to the fore; muscle’s tensed, head on a swivel and the rifle in his hands sweeping from one corner of a room to the other, the giant went about methodically clearing the rooms on the ground floor, looking for the Master Jetii and engage her in combat.

He did not have to look for her for too long after entering the structure, as the Master Jetii, as he expected, decided to attack him first.

The sharp snap-hiss of a lightsaber igniting reached his ears; emerging from a corner he had not yet cleared in the room, the Jetii quickly covered the distance between them in a swift, light-footed leap, appearing to be seemingly unhindered by the armor she wore at the time. Turning to his left to meet her in battle, the giant was fast to respond to her attack, but not fast enough to bring the rifle in his hands to bear and open fire.

She was up close and personal already.

Swiftly letting go of the hand grip of his UGL, the giant raised his left vambrace to meet the incoming lightsaber strike, intercepting the first of the many strikes of her saber, seemingly intended to sever the rifle in his hand in two. Sparks jutted out from his vambrace made of beskar; the saber burned and scratched away the paintjob coating the armor piece as she pulled the saber away at the blink of an eye in preparation to deliver another, follow-up strike.

Getting his bearings quickly after her first attack, the giant began to move rearwards slowly as he ducked, dodged and weaved away from the lethal weapon she expertly wielded in her hands, with a speed and agility that belied his gigantic stature. Although not as fast as his less bulky counterparts when it came to a sprint, especially with all the equipment weighing him down more, he could still very well keep up with them, and was certainly light on his feet, with the stamina to back that agility up.

But even then, a handful of the Master Jetii’s strikes had hit home; with glistening sparkles, the saber glancing blows over his broad chest plate singed the paint job off the armor piece in its wake. The pure beskar shone brightly under the light from the Jetii’s lightsaber after it’s paintjob was scraped.

The giant did not fare any better than the armor he wore as well. The strikes and glancing blows of her lightsaber landing over the gaps of his armor, primarily the bicep of his left cybernetic arm, was only held back from cutting into the synthflesh by the cortosisweave fabric of his flight suit, protecting him from a dismemberment from such lucky blows as that. Although he could not feel pain from the blows landing on his left arm, he could certainly feel the power behind the strikes.

This had to cease.

Quickly forming a game plan in his mind to gain the advantage in the fight, the giant quickly rolled rearwards in the rubble strewn room, exiting the roll in a crouched stance; extending his left arm forth towards the Master Jetii, the weaponized repulsor attachment on his left vambrace charged up with a sharp whine, and not a moment later, discharged with a sonic boom, intended to throw her across the room to extend the gap between them.

Quickly raising the rifle at her afterwards, the giant gently squeezed back the trigger of the rifle in his hands, sending a booming hailstorm of blue blaster bolts at her as he aimed for her center mass. The sound of the rifle was almost deafeningly loud in an enclosed environment such as that of a house; the sharp whine of a pair of particle pistols firing on automatic fire soon intertwined with the loud boom of the giant’s blaster rifle as the Wardog had taken up Valery for her challenge, followed by a wrist rocket shot at Valery’s general direction by the Shistavanen.

"What was that, Val?! Whaddya wanna say, huh?!"

With a grin in wordless response to the jolly cackle of the Wardog and the challenge she threw right back at the Jetii, the giant rose swiftly to his feet from his crouched stance, and pressed on his assault, all the while firing in short controlled bursts while moving forward in her pursuit in the hopes of foregoing neither speed nor accuracy in the fight.

This training exercise was sure to be memorable for all parties involved.

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Kestri
Appearance | Outfit | Weapons​

Strike after strike connected with Beskar along various locations of Kranak's body. She knew the material well, having fought against it many times before, and so she never lashed out with the belief she'd come through. Even with her lightsabers being able to eventually get through resistant materials because of the special crystals, she wasn't counting on it, as landing consecutive hits at the same spot felt impossible with opponents like Shai and Kranak. Especially now that she felt hindered by the armor and her more limited use of the Force as well.

Despite landing all these hits, Kranak was able to keep up — he didn't lose his balance, he didn't panic, and focused on preparing a counter-attack. It started with a sudden roll backward, which created a gap Valery wanted to quickly close, knowing Shai would otherwise be able to gun her down. But that's when the repulsor struck and knocked her back even further away to extend the gap. It was at that moment that a missile came from outside the building, and with another outstretched arm, she telekinetically redirected its path up slightly, causing it to slam into the ceiling.

The blast was intense and probably stunned both her and Kranak for a second, but it wasn't enough to stop the Mandalorians from opening fire with everything they had.

"What was that, Val?! Whaddya wanna say, huh?!"

"I thought you'd never show up!" Valery called out with a shit-eating grin as focused on using the lightsaber to deflect rifle shots, and her movements to cover herself against the particle blasts. But slowed down by her armor, and with the constant barrage from two different angles, it was only a matter of time until she was hit.

One of the blasts from Shai's pistols struck her shoulder, knocking her back and opening her up for a rifle shot to the gut. It was a strange experience to take all these hits and have some fancy metal plate keep you alive... but it still hurt like hell. She was literally target practice at this point, so she understood it was time to do something about it. A hand stretched out and after tapping into the Force, Shai would suddenly watch an entire series of her particle rounds being deflected as they approached her, and instead, they were directed straight at Kranak. She hoped that the pressure of her Force deflection would pin Kranak down just enough for her to make her move, or even blast him down to the ground.

Valery then charged him again, throwing a series of swings to keep up the pressure, but she finished her set of movements with a powerful kick aimed to disarm him that showed off her flexibility, speed, and strength even in armor.

Kranak Vizsla | Shai Maji ​

 

[Shai Maji]

While the two of them managed to put Valery on the back foot, she quickly managed to relieve some of the pressure on her by redirecting the Shistavanen's bolts towards Kranak. Shai blinked at the funky trick. She couldn't remember a time when someone actually did that with her, though she definitely heard of it.

Didn't mean she was going to let up.

With a mischievous grin she kept firing just to annoy the hell out of Kranak, before flicking over the controls of her pistols as she slotted two fresh cells in. When she opened up again, green sonic bolts screamed towards the Jedi as she tried to close in on Kranak. She only let up when Valery got too close to Kranak. She didn't want to take a gamble on his armour's ability to prevent his innards from liquifying. Holstering her pistols, the Shistavanen fired her whipcord at the woman to try and ensnare her for the giant to take down.

"You two kids have fun, I need a smoke." She quipped as she touched down on a heap of rubble and removed her helmet to light a cigarette. Calmly watching the two duke it out, she relaxed against the wall behind her with the cigarette between her lips. Though her smirk faltered somewhat as a hint of anger brewed at the sight of the hole in the ceiling. She couldn't help but think back to Coruscant, to what happened there. When it came between tanking a missile in armour like theirs, or having a building come down on them, the Wardog would gamble with the former. They didn't know the feeling. Of a broken back, destroyed limbs, eyes littered with glasteel as the debris crushed every ounce of life out of her...

The cigarette was nearly done as the Wardog practically breathed the entire thing. Her scowl fixated on the reckless Jedi Master as anger continued to brew. But with a deep breath she calmed down, reminding herself of the circumstances. This was only a training area... they would be fine. Lighting another cigarette, she raised her right vambrace and spewed freezing carbonite from her cryocaster at the distracted Jedi to at least help Kranak out a bit. The smug grin returned as she continued to watch them both.

He was definitely going to shoot her after the session...

Valery Noble Kranak Vizsla

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

Tags: Shai Maji | Valery Noble

​

Disco Inferno​

The unrelenting downpour of blaster bolts raining down upon the Master Jetii continued; a deafening crack of thunder filled the room each time the rifle howled sharply with the squeeze of its hair trigger. As the giant fired on the move, advancing towards a closer and more advantageous position in the room, the Wardog herself had joined the fray, and provided supporting fire in the form of suppression against Valery.

Blaster bolts deflected by the purple lightsaber in the Jetii’s hands snapped past the giant where he just were a moment ago as he continued moving. Although he knew a blaster rifle that was anything short of a particle blaster would not cut it when facing off against a lightsaber wielding opponent, he intended to overwhelm Valery through sheer volume of fire, as well as engaging her from an angle different than the Wardog’s in hopes of creating openings in her defense.

She dodged, weaved and deflected the incoming hailstorm with her saber, but he could see her relenting under the merciless barrage. An opening made from Shai’s angle had sent the Master Jetii stumbling back, enabling a blaster rifle round to find its mark on the Jetii’s center mass; but as he expected, the set of armor the Wardog had lent her for the training, held under fire.

But the tide of blaster bolts, as well as the fight, would be turned against them in the coming moments as the Master Jetii extended her hand forth. Tapping into the Force, the giant’s eyes widened at the sight of the blaster bolts being hurled back at them as he vaulted over a piece of debris before him. Sliding to a halt in response, as a blaster bolt struck his right upper thorax, with seeking immediate cover as his trained response when coming under fire, the giant quickly threw himself towards a door closed shut to his right leading to a hallway, in hopes of taking shelter from the incoming fire.

The wooden door groaned in protest before quickly caving under the giant’s strength. Falling on the floor along with the door, he grimaced slightly from the pain as a muffled groan escaped his lips. Quickly regaining his composure, he thrusted himself away from the remaining incoming fire with his legs, pulling himself deeper more into the hallway; although he was no longer under fire by the very rounds he shot at the Jetii, he was still coming under fire by that of the Wardog’s.

Chunks of ferroconcrete tore free from the walls with each particle bolt detonating on impact. Rising from the ground to a crouched stance, the giant leaned his back against the wall as he peaked out into the room from the door’s frame. <”You know,”> the giant said with a muffled growl over their private comlink channel. <”If I did not know you were such a lousy shot, I’d think you were trying to kill me!”> he retorted as he waited for the hailstorm of particle bolts to die down.

The clattering of a pair of spent magazines on the floor had signaled that. Raising himself from his crouched stance, the giant swiftly moved into the room again from the door with his rifle raised. Getting target acquisition of the Jetii swiftly, the giant squeezed back the trigger, but the Jetii had successfully closed the gap another time; landing a swift, powerful kick on the blaster rifle in his hands in a side sweep motion; its trigger squeezed back, the fired off rifle rounds struck the ferroconcrete floor beneath their feet as the giant stumbled to the side by the blow, the rifle grasped firmly in his hands.

But not for long. If she desperately wanted up close and personal in the form of a melee confrontation, then he’d give her that.

"You two kids have fun, I need a smoke."

As the Wardog took a step back from the fight for a quick smoke break, the man swiftly let go of the blaster rifle; the weapon hung over the giant’s broad chest plate, suspended from its one point sling. Taking a step backwards following that, the giant assumed a textbook Mandalorian Core defensive stance to meet her in melee combat; he pointed his left shoulder at the Master Jetii, minimizing his silhouette against her attacks as he tucked his elbows to his sides, and raised his forearms over his chest, right below his chin. He angled his feet at a shoulder’s width from one another to maintain a good balance as he equally distributed his weight; knees bent slightly and his back fairly straight.

Although appeared to be on the defensive, he intended to level the playing field, first. He had to try and disarm her in turn, getting that lightsaber of hers out of the equation first and foremost.

Allowing her to break her fury on him, the giant patiently waited for the opportunity to present itself; upon swinging the saber at him, giant would swiftly take a step to the side, away from the dangerous weapon, and attempt to grasp the wrist of her hand with a vice-like grip that held the weapon; as his grasp would tighten around her wrist, trying to force her to let go of her lightsaber, he would follow up with an attempt to pull her into a grapple choke hold by turning the Master Jetii’s forward momentum going into the strike against her, an endeavor at manipulating her movement.

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