Private I Want To Be Strong

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

N O T - T H I S - T I M E​

She stood in the center of the cavern courtyard. Artificial light lit up the carved cavern. The cold of Kestri was warded off by the heating in her own beskar'gam, fully equipped on her frame. She turned her head. Two targets approaching from behind.

She pulled a pistol out, shot at one, then another. The two fell as the final approached. The third rushed forward, vibroblade glistening in the lighting. But she moved faster. She stepped to the side, grappling the arm with one hand while activating the blade on her opposite vambrace. In one clean move, the throat was slit and the opponent fell. The blade neatly retracted as the frame hit the floor.

Her buy'ce let her know that more were coming. One from the alley to the right, another from the gateway north. The alley opponent was farther. She lifted her vambrace and shot an explosive from her vambrace to the attacker. As the explosion rang out, she turned to the other opponent and engaged in Mandalorian Core. A solid kick with her left leg off balanced the opponent, but two more were rushing in too close. She pulled a magnetic detonator off her belt and tossed it at the dazed target before turning to the other two. She jumped, not even using the jetpack, but Force Augmentation, over the two and Force pushed them into the now recovering opponent that had been franticly trying to remove the explosive. She detonated the bomb in a flash, killing all three. As metallic armor showered the ground, she turned around and walked away. When a visor flew towards her from behind, the flick of a wrist redirected its course.

Meanwhile, more were coming.

She pulled out another pistol and started firing. One down. Two down. Three, four five... Then the sixth once again drew close. Furthermore, another mob was approaching from all sides.

She remained calm, using her jetpack to lift off the ground as she activated her wrist mounted flamethrower and turned. All around, the fire burned. Her opponents stepped back in the chaos. She flew upwards, stopping the flames and pulling out a second pistol. Six, seven, eight, nine.

With only the tenth left, she put her pistols away. The jetpack stopped and she free fell to the ground. But she was in control. As the opponent aimed and fired, a glowing white light extended out from the woman, blocking the blaster bolt. A lightsaber. As she came down, she sliced off the arm before aiming a rapid, second swing. The head flew clean off and landed in a thud behind her.

She had landed on her feet with grace. The lightsaber blade was swiftly deactivated and placed on her belt. She stood, alone, and looked around. Training droid parts littered the courtyard.

Another bout of promising training.

She pulled her buy'ce off. White hair fell and flowed as she tucked the helmet under her arm. She kicked a dismembered droid, frowning, "I should order better droids..."

She turned to leave the courtyard. Yet, as she walked, she was surprised to see that one final droid was rushing in late. She sighed, pulling her pistol out to finish it. Then - then she saw the weapon it was weilding.

Electrostaff.

In an instance, she was somewhere else. Strapped to a table, or dangling from the air in a containment device. Electrostavs were beaten into her, slammed into her frame with brute force. And of course, the electricity. The electricity hurt even more. Tears in her eyes, she cried out as she looked beyond the torture to her biological father, adorned in a white lab coat. The Arkanian was smirking in glee.

Present day, the girl panicked. She extended her hand and Force pushed the droid back. "Stay away from me!"

She opened fire with her twin M.I. Pistols, shooting over and over again. Even when the droid was demolished, she kept firing. She fired blindly, fearful and pale, until she ran out of ammunition. Even then, the triggers were blindly clicked for a couple long seconds until she started panting heavily. Finally seeing that the droid was not only dead, but had holes like swiss cheese, she lowered her pistols and fell to her knees. As she shook, her death grip on her pistols did not cease. Meanwhile, her dropped buy'ce laid several paces behind her.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Even a shamelessly evil Twi'lek needed to train so she didn't get rusty. Not that Zlova unleashed her full might even in a training room on Kestri, of course. The place hadn't been built with a Sith Lord in mind. Oh, yes, the Mandalorians had their explosives and the walls were quite suited for that. Quite suited indeed. Such destructive power paled in comparison to the Dark Side of the Force. Not that many demonstrated such power openly. Few were ever worthy of the trouble.

Besides, Zlova would rather get drunk and party than go on some fool crusade against Order or Light or whatever it was 'Sith' did these days. Life was short, so unless she was butchering people that could entertain her partying and dungeon delving was far more fun.

Even so, Zlova had her pride. One was not a master of the Lightsaber because they grew complacent and never used it. So, of course she practiced even on Kestri. Every now and again even with a living sentient opponent. Perhaps a few of those with large mouths that needed shutting, or with open-minded souls that needed exposure to the true power of a Sith opponent before they entered a battlefield where only one of them left alive. Who ever and for whatever purpose, she trained.

At that moment, however, the red Twi'lek had been kneeling on the floor in meditation. Not the mindless meditation of Jedi, of course. Why surrender to the tides of the Force? A Sith dominated the Force; it was their plaything. Even so, sometimes it was wiser to focus all your thought on that domination rather than splitting it between that and whipping a saber around. One had to understand the way the currents sought to slip through their fingers to ensure when the time came such efforts were in vain.

The red lids of her eyes slid open as Gwyn lashed out with the Force. They slid aside toward the opposite side of the wall from where Gwyn's droid had fallen. Curious, Zlova thought, there would be someone with such hatred and potential in the Force on Kestri. They hated the Sith, after all, which presented their red compatriot an endless field of potential opponents. How was it someone toyed with darkness so freely then?

She rose slowly from the ground and strode toward the exit of her chamber. A soft slip of leather followed as her long, red legs brushed the many strips of black aside that formed the strip-skirt suspended from her waist.

"Is that all?"

Zlova stood off to one side with her arms crossed over her breasts. Her golden eyes were locked on the tortured soul before them. "All that hatred and all you did was push it away in order to shoot it? You should have ripped at least one arm off and flogged it to death with it. Took hold of the upper and lower jaw and pulled. Seized the sides of its head and squeezed. Plunged your hand into its chest and tore its pulsating heart free then shoved it down its throat." It was a droid so it didn't have a heart, but who cared? The Dark Side wasn't about truth or accuracy, but passion and subjectivity. Gwyn should have let the currents guide her if she was going to surrender to the sweet, beckoning temptation of the dark. Instead she played the Jedi -- push them away and strike. Well, the woman was no doubt new at this so Zlova could forgive such an oversight on Gwyn's part.

Gwyneira Vizsla

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

H A T E . . .​

Gwyneira looked up to the stranger who seemingly waltzed in from nowhere. She could sense her now through the Force, and it confused her that she had not sensed her earlier. Was she truly so captured by the chains of her trauma to have not sensed her Either way, this severely underdressed twi'lik stood here now, lecturing her.

She let go of her pistols, letting them fall as she continued to pant. She had so many questions running through her mind right now. After catching her breath, she looked up to the twi'lik and pointed her clawed finger, "I'm sorry, who are you? Vod?"

Despite the confusion, her mind was still in machination. "All that hatred..." Her thoughts took that and turned it over, examined it. But her thoughts, she kept quiet as she lowered her hand.

She had hatred, yes. Tons. But most of her life, it had been directed towards herself instead of the people causing her pain. She was defensive in her anger, always using it in moments of survival. But using it the way this lady described... she only wished she could.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova's tattooed brows rose slightly as a smirk spread over her lips. "I am ne'tra vod," she replied after a moment. Black Sister. "Or ge'tal diamtr, if you prefer." Red Devil. A name friendly vod had given her and one which Zlova quite enjoyed. "My name is Zlova Rue, and I know everything there is to know about the Dark Side of the Force." Humility was not a virtue among the Sith. "And you, girl, have such great potential with the Dark Side."

A golden eye slid over to the strewn carcasses of droids that littered the ground. Zlova lifted her left hand and with it one of the mostly intact droids rose from where they'd fallen. Her right hand shot out toward it and from it sprung a cascade of Force Lightning that cracked and popped over the metal construct. The telekinetic lift was dropped just as a surge of power pounded into the droid's body through the lightning and sent it sailing across the room.

"That was the smallest of demonstrations of what you could do to your enemies." Zlova's attention fixed on the woman once more. "If you have the heart for it. Do you? I can feel the struggle within. I feel you holding back turning all that frustration and anger in on yourself. Bottling it up so everyone thinks everything's alright, and if they believe it then it must be true. Right?" Both of her hands planted themselves atop her hips. "And why do you suffer because of what others did? Why do you restrain yourself to pretend everything is sunshine and rainbows? You should harness that power within. Channel it to crush your enemies."

A flippant wave of her right hand followed. "Or not. Keep it in until your heart bursts and you become too afraid to step foot outside. The choice is yours."

Gwyneira Vizsla

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

W H Y - D O - Y O U - S U F F E R - B E C A U S E - O F - W H A T - O T H E R S - D I D ?​

Gwyneira listened to the dark mistress, watched her display of power, and heard the call she felt too many times inside. The desire to crush what had crushed her. She closed her eyes. The electricity that had shot from Rue's fingertips, the same kind that lab coats had tormented her with back at that wretched lab. She gritted her teeth. It went back further than that. The way she felt grief, betrayal, and despair over her lover's death. The way she had been ignored and forgotten in the Eternal Empire, ultimately a tool. The way she had experienced the planetary bombardment at her home planet and witnessed her mother's death at Sith hands. The way she had been taunted by fellow students and shunned by teacher in the Arkanian Academy. The way her mother had utterly ignored her growing up. All the loneliness, ostracization, shame, fear, and agony. the unbearable pain, the way it so many times transitioned to rage. The times she lashed out using the Force in anger. Yet, she was still held back by something. Question was, what?

But why was she hiding her pain? Because she did not want to see her buir feeling more guilty than he already was? Because she wanted to look strong after being weak for so long? Denial? More self shame? The feeling that she deserved all the sorrows in her life? Every wound inflicted, every emotional sting. Did she deserve it? She desperately yearned to protect her loved ones, like she had been unable to protect Eliz. She did not want to lose them. Not Kranak, not Vulcan, not Shai... She would not be able to bear it. But she also thirsted for something way darker. She wanted revenge, and she wanted control. She wanted control over everything that hurt her, and she wanted revenge. Yes, revenge... so what stopped her? Aside herself that was...

She shook her head, "My entire life, I was to blame. For existing, for failing, for..."

She opened her eyes again, tears welling up, "I can't take this much more! But I don't know what-"

She scoffed. She laughed. She scolded herself inside for that missing key. She looked up to Zlova Rue and asked, "Where they right? My parents, the Arkanians? Were they right, am I a mistake? A burden? Am I to blame for existing, and what if I can't end it or strike them back? ..."

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova stood patiently as the woman wrestled with her thoughts, and what she deigned to share aloud. Her sabers were secured at the small of her back mostly out of sight with little desired to draw them unless Gwyn drew first. The Twi'lek's golden eyes regarded the woman as she spoke; her posture relaxed, but her back perfectly straightened.

"Why are you asking me?" Zlova's brow drew in over her nose. "If I said you were the galaxy's greatest disappointment, would you listen? A fool if you did. To the flame with what anyone thinks. Do you want to be miserable and alone?" A wave of her hand dismissed any thought of a reply. "I would be the greater fool if I didn't already know the answer."

With a sigh, Zlova planted her hands upon her hips. "I can teach you how to use the power within yourself. I can train you to wield a saber, lay claim to what you desire, or to protect what you hold dear. Whether you rise to accomplish such feats will be entirely up to you. You can show the galaxy you were no mistake -- that the only mistake was that anyone dared think so little of you." Her lips twisted for a moment. "And if I take you, I'll not tolerate hearing anything about what might happen if you fail. One trained in the Dark Side does not contemplate failure. Plan for setbacks, certainly, but giving up? You're better than that."

She could very well offer a sympathetic shoulder for Gwyn to cry on, but such was not Zlova's upbringing. A Lethan Twi'lek brought up among Sith led a very cruel life, and one under the mentorship of a traditionalist that loved their Sith-blasted beetles for tattooing flesh all the more so. In another life, she'd known anguish and despair much like Gwyn felt. As a Knight and Lord of the Sith, she'd witnessed plenty lamenting their lot in life. But there was one thing she had learned and one thing Zlova believed in above all else -- you did whatever you needed to do to survive and build a life for yourself. One you could be proud of and that brought with it all you desired. You either did this, or you perished in the gutter with the trash with the faceless masses ambling by blind you ever lived at all.

The question was whether Gwyn could find it in herself to lift her eyes before she found a comfortable place amongst the refuse.

Gwyneira Vizsla

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

T H E - O N L Y - M I S T A K E- W A S - T H A T
A N Y O N E - D A R E D - T O - T H I N K - S O - L I T T L E - O F - Y O U​

Gwyneira contemplated all that was said, what she was told. The thoughts swirled in her mind, the desires. She realized that she did have control of something. Something she never quite realized before. It was her life, her choice. If she wanted to be more, was she only required to reach out and take it? Could she? Was she strong enough? Well, no. Not yet. Despite all her training as a Mandalorian warrior, she was not strong enough yet. Yet...

Here was this Zlova Rue, offering her the opportunity.

Gwyneira reached up and rubbed her tears, remembering the words she had spoken before; in a refresher shower while she struggled to balance on one leg and look at her new face. "I am Mando'ade. I have a duty. No Sith, no exceptions. I will protect everything I have left. I will learn whatever skill, knowledge, and power is needed to protect my buir. No weakness, no exceptions. If I was born for misery, I will drag the rest of the galaxy down with me. If my father saw me as an abomination, that is what I'll be. Kark morality, I don't care. I only care for myself. No mercy, no exceptions."

The girl looked up to Zlova with that same, brutal determination, "Give up? No... I'm not giving up after everything."

She stood up, reaching back and pulling her hair behind her back, "I promised myself before that I would be stronger now. It eluded me as to how though until today. It seems the solution has finally appeared to me."

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

The Twi'lek gave a mixture of a snort and grunt in one go. "Am I the universe's Dark Helper to you now?" The solution had finally appeared before her, indeed. As though the waif had been patiently enduring a life of suffering for her lot.

A blur of movement flared out from behind the red woman on either side. Two, short bent objects swept out in wide arcs between the two women. Once they'd passed each other in the blink of an eye behind Gwyn the violet blades ignited pointed at Gwyn. They hovered, suspended in the air at the Mandalorian woman's four and eight o'clock positions; forward enough to easily see, but still far enough back to dissuade flight. They lingered only a few seconds, however, before the blades vanished and the lightsabers continued their flight until Zlova snatched them from the air.

"Know this, girl, the Dark Side is not something to be trifled with. It is not a plaything, nor a toy, nor a tap that any one of us may 'claim.' Most people that use the Power believe they understand it. You might know them as modern-day 'Sith.' I don't need to tell you why you shouldn't listen, do I?" Zlova didn't even bother to smile at that. Gwyn wasn't about to learn how to be a 'proper' Sith any more than she was going to retire and take up a life of plowing a field. "It is limitless Power, but you need to work hard to be worthy of it. Meditation helps you understand its subtleties, but action reveals its truth."

Slowly the Lethan turned in place to present her back to Gwyn, sabers still in hand and not ignited. "Now, show me what you are capable of today. I'll not waste time teaching things you already know." Zlova had no intent on showing off for the sake of ego. Apprentices needed to learn just how far apart they stood from the one training them -- how far they had still to go. Students that believed they knew everything learned the least and became a black mark on a Master's pride.

Gwyneira Vizsla

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

​

A C T I O N - R E V E A L S - I T S - T R U T H​

Wait, they were sparring now? Gwyn had no problem with that. She had already trained under Kranak Vizsla 's harsh teaching. He had done everything he could to pressure her and push her past her limits, all to ensure she was strong as she could be when the time came. A trained Mandalorian, she already had a lot of skill, talent, and training to her. Yet, it had not been enough. She was not proud by any means, and already knew that she was likely to lose this duel with someone she never fought before. Still, she would give it her all.

She turned and looked at her buy'ce. She extended her hand, calling it to herself using the Force and pulling it over her head. She had four pistols on her person, her lightsaber and shoto, explosives, a combat knife, and her Mandalorian armor itself. Of course, her wits were always at her side as well, and she had the Force. The Mandalorians were adept at fighting Force users, but Force users also were adept at fighting Mandalorians. She would not be cocky, by any means. But first, she had to keep a more ranged approach and observe. If she could figure out Zlova's fighting style while buying time, she would have an easier shot at a fighting chance.

"<Of course. Ready.>"

The fight began.

She extended her Warrior Vambrace, shooting an explosive towards Zlova's feet as she used the Force to jump back. She thought it would be unwise to use her jetpack, as Zlova could snatch her from the air using the Force that way. In her other hand, she held one of her M.I. Model Pistols and fired several shots. As she did so, she paid special attention towards how Zlova would respond. Dodging, blocking with the lightsaber, anything really could offer clues to how Gwyn should strategize this. She activated the personal combat shield of her Warrior Vambrace, the blue plasma glowing as she prepared herself for Zlova's retaliation.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova stood still with her arms straight along either side, and her face forward. Even once Gwyn had joined the battle, the Twi'lek didn't so much as lean to either side. Her left lekku twitched, however, and a large chunk of debris from the training room swept in between her and the rocket aimed at her feet. The force of the concussive blast washed over her lower body even though the fire and flesh-rending brunt of the attack had been forestalled.

When the girl sought to shoot Zlova that was when the woman moved. With the reflexes of a viper, the Lethan spun to one side to block a plasma bolt with a single ignited saber. Its localized splash flared into being, but Zlova stood further off to the side than where the bolt had been aimed. Her golden gaze fell upon Gwyn with an unspoken fire clutched within their rings.

The next few shots Gwyn belted out quickly were likewise blocked, but each punctuated by a leap and bound forward and to the side to close the distance between them. All the while, Zlova only used the blade in her left hand. The curved grip spun and twirled to position the long length of violet in the bolt's path.

With a stomp of her left foot, the ground began to explode upward with the destruction racing toward Gwyn along a straight path.

Those that tended the training grounds loathed the Lethan. She was known to cause considerable damage. There was no point training unless you made it real in her opinion. People didn't fight cardboard cutouts in the real world that'd pause when you got tired.

While the Force tore into and threw the earth up at Gwyn, Zlova darted forward and to her left to streak across the distance with her lit saber in hand. There was also no reason a warrior had to deliver one attack at a time allowing the opponent time to gather their bearings and footing. If the girl had any thoughts about the Twi'lek pulling her strikes, they would be quickly banished if Gwyn stood still long enough for the blade to connect with her beskar. Zlova might not go all out against Gwyn, but the strikes would carry a firm blow behind each swing.

Gwyneira Vizsla

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

C O N T R O L​

The thing about something bolting towards someone in a straight path, no matter how scary or destructive, was that it only had one pathway. The monster debris uprooting from the ground could be overwhelming, but Gwyneira had been taught not to panic, but to think. She darted aside, out of the line of sight if the attack. Yet, as pebbles sprayed her black armor, her opponent was unrelentless.

Immediately, she was faced with Zlova, lightsaber brandished. Gwyn remembered to keep an eye on the second lightsaber, in case of surprise attack, and raised her plasma shield to block the ferocious blows. Stepping back, trying and failing to get out of range, she tucked her blaster into its holster and opened her palm. While keeping her one eye on the second lightsaber, she knew she needed to take control of the situation. As long as she was defensive, Zlova was the game master. This would not do. She gritted her teeth, her vein side reluctant to let her pretty beskar'gam take hits that would ruin the paint. Yet, she was first and foremost a Mandalorian. She was a warrior. She was a hunter.

While still brandishing her plasma shield, she extended her other hand. Using Mandalorian Core, she reached to grab ahold of Zlova's wrist, to stop her in her tracks. Meanwhile, she brought her left leg, her cybernetic leg, up to dish out a solid kick against her ankle. Meanwhile, her shield was deactivated. Immediately, she activated the cable and, if thus far successful, aimed to fire at Zlova's other arm and pull her down. Her Warrior Vambrace, of course, was conveniently also in defensive position. Whenever the other lightsaber was activated, she would not be surprised.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova's feet left the ground as the distance between the two women closed. Her right foot lighted on the metal appendage Gwyn had thrust out; the Twi'lek used it as a spring board to dart toward the other woman's right side. Speed and agility were attributes the Lethan did not lack as many would attest around a pole or on the battlefield.

Momentum and a little touch of the Force would see the woman swing around and up along Gwyn's side using her grasp of Zlova's wrist as a pivot point. She needn't circle all the way around; just enough for her left leg to slip above Gwyn's arm and catch her neck on the back side of her knee. A leg grapple of the woman's throat combined with the sudden weight of Zlova's body on one arm might send them to the ground together. The first saber would snap off if they started to go down together. No need having an errant blade waving about when grappling with the opponent.

The woman was obviously not unaccustomed to battle -- few Mandalorian that had been in their armor long weren't -- but there was also a certain effort but into Gwyn's actions that spoke of better potential than some in combat. She might actually survive engaging even Sith in battle. A pupil that wouldn't die before the week was out was always something a Lord looked for. Despite what some thought, Lords didn't have a great deal of free time to wast eon the walking dead.

Tag: Gwyneira Vizsla

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

W E - F A L L​

They fell. Gwyn wisely snapped the chord off her vambrace, knowing what trouble it could cause her. She gritted her teeth beneath her visor, knowing that Zlova on top was a bad idea. Yet, with Zlova's leg bent against her neck, holding her down, Gwyn was already on the bottom. Once again, Zlova was capable of absolute control. Gwyn hissed. What could she do? She needed to get out. She raised her vambrace, brandishing the blades from the side. The threat of cold steel against bare skin should be terrifying, Gwyn knew. She had felt it too many times. Her leg…

Meanwhile, if that did not work, she had one more plan up her sleeve. As she threw her bladed vambrace down towards her opponent's leg, she extended her other hand. Nearby rubble flew towards them, some heavy rocks and loose gravel. The debris would all be aimed at Zlova. If some hit herself? Her armor could provide better protection than just exposed skin. She honestly wondered how someone could be comfortable fighting without a protective set of shining armor.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

Zlova thrust a hand out toward the vambrace that Gwyn sought to bring to bear. Even with the saber cradled in the web of her thumb, the Twi'lek conjured the Force to her aid. An invisible hand fought to hold the woman's arm in a single spot in space above them. It wasn't the pain the Twi'lek feared; she wanted to demonstrate to the young woman that if she wanted to learn of the Darkness within then she'd find a suitable teacher with Zlova. More importantly, she'd know from the start not to think the student was above the Master.

A sharp tsk sounded when the woman refused to relent. Admirable being so spirited, but perhaps it was necessary to be overwhelming from the first after all.

When rubble lifted, Zlova's legs loosened about the woman's neck in order to kick her away so she'd roll off the other leg. Both legs drew up to shift her center of gravity before she threw them up and toward her head. The red woman rolled over one shoulder and launched herself into the air using one hand. A smirk played across her lips not daunted by the woman's fervor to claiming victory. Anyone that gave up too easily wasn't worth teaching.

As she somersaulted in the air, however, her golden eyes shone with the other woman sliding back into view. Even while still in the air, Zlova drew the Force to her. The little hairs along Gwyn's body would raise all at once as the very air was alive with energy. Half a second later lightning bolts snapped into being from the ceiling; they tore apart the very air between them and the ground where Gwyn lay. Zlova guided them to track and chase the other woman. A solid strike wasn't the aim though she would hardly shed a tear if any managed to connect.

Gwyneira Vizsla

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

F A L L​

As lightning shot down, Gwyneira was glad that her armor was resident to electricity. As it struck her suit, Gwyn tried to figure out the best option. Unwilling to use her jetpack in fear of it short circuiting, Gwyn would rely on the Force for this. As long as Zlova was in the air, she had an advantage.

The half Arkanian extended her hand and tried to use the Force. If she connected, she would bring Zlova down from the air and to ground with brute force. Meanwhile, she tried escaping from the lightning, knowing her armor would not hold forever. She dashed back, trying to get out of the way as she extended her hand.

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

The Twi'lek grunted as Gwyn pushed her further back before she'd finished landing on the ground. She dropped to one knee with a hand out behind her to arrest the effect. Ordinarily, Zlova wouldn't have gotten an inch, but a lightning storm required a measure of control so it didn't get out of hand.

Flame-colored eyes shone and danced from afar as they watched Gwyn. The lightning soon ended and Zlova stood to her full height once more. "Good. But telekinesis is rarely effective against others that use the Force. Thrown objects can be deflected. Counter-thrusts can negate the attempt altogether. Fights between those able to draw on the Force devolve into saber-combat because of how easy it is to strike and counter-strike with the Force. Remember this. When you face an opponent like me, show them you can use the Force and then you can engage them in personal combat." Presuming the Mandalorian would prefer combat with a blade over that of 'magic.' As for blasters, well only certain kinds were marginally effective before it came down to close-quarters combat.

Gwyneira Vizsla

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

L E A R N I N G​

Gwyn paused, listening to Zlova's words with attention and dedication. She was as studious as she was battle smart. It all... made sense. No wonder so many resorted to weaponry such as lightsabers when fighting each other.

"<I see. Thank you.>" She spoke in earnest acceptance over the words, considering what this meant both on a larger scale and for herself.

She looked to Zlova's lightsabers as she pulled her own off her utility belt. She held it out, gripping it softly as she admitted, "<I've been trained as a Mandalorian, but I honestly don't have a clue about how to use a lightsaber. Once in a while I cut things with it, but it's sloppy and undisciplined.>"

She lowered the hilt, holding it at her side. Her posture was upright, though she panted from the fight. Beneath her buy'ce, her eyes were wide in wonder.

She had just realized... the entire different world she had missed. She had always been so focused on traditional Mandalorian warfare, her beskar'gam, and her status as a Foundling. The ways of the Force, and of Force weilders, had always eluded her. It struck her, just how capable she was of reaching the heights needed to reach the might of the Sith and Jedi. She shivered. This was too exciting!

She took a step forward, asking Zlova with her genuine curiosity, determination to reach her goals, and hard working ethics all rolled into one. "<You know what I'm capable and incapable of now, yes? So how do I become more capable? I've been so focused on my path as a Mandalorian, my journey as a Force user hasn't even begun!>"

Zlova Rue

 

[Zlova Rue]

The Lethan snorted. "Mandalorian families rarely strive to learn how to use the Force. Your Shaman have a command of it, but they don't strive to become the strongest." It wasn't that Zlova thought that misguided, but it did seem to be a waste of talent. Similar to the Jedi, but the Light-worshippers feigned to grow stronger while deliberately holding themselves back -- a sort of hypocrisy most Sith found sickening.

Zlova made sure to only have one of her sabers out as the other woman closed the distance. "If I were a Jedi, I'd start with the simplest of combat styles. You're a grown woman. So I'll teach you a style that will benefit in saber combat and blaster deflection -- to make sure you can close the distance to slaughter your enemy." The red Twi'lek was unashamedly Sith -- or at least Sith trained for those that got their underclothes in a twist over those that were Sith. Training would be neither calm, slow, nor considerate for how strenuous or dangerous it might be. "Before we begin, let me be forthright -- I will restrain myself, but if you die because you allow your attention to stray, the Manda will know where the fault lied. Do you wish to proceed?" One last chance for the woman to back out. Once education begun Gwyn would master it, or Zlova would hound her until she did -- or she died.

Gwyn would likely agree regardless of the risk. They'd already engaged in combat and Zlova hadn't gone all out in the effort to kill the woman, after all. So, once set in motion, Zlova planted her feet and brought the lone blade around with the violet blade igniting from the emitter. "The style of Djem So. Only someone with a quick mind and equally fast reflexes can begin to utilize it effectively; you must transition from defense to all-out assault without hesitation. To do either effectively, you must be able to analyze how an enemy will strike, and exploit a gap in their stance without thinking. Every strike, every action must come from instinct borne from countless hours of training. Few can claim to have ever truly mastered this form." Was that true? It didn't matter! The point was to dissuade the weak, and set a goal for someone to aspire toward.

"You have used physical blades, before?" Zlova regarded the other woman's stance and how she held the saber even while waiting to see what she said verbally.

Tag: Gwyneira Vizsla