In the Jungle...

[Bubák]

Being a Dark Jedi meant many disadvantages. Apart from being looked down upon as a scum by many Acolytes, Alaki suffered a major setback by not knowing much about the Sith in general, unlike the Acolytes of the same age who seemed to know everything. While the fallen Padawan possessed much greater knowledge of the Jedi Order than the majority of the Sith Acolytes ever would, she still had to learn the history of her new Order, starting with Sith Purebloods and fallen Jedi, going through so many Darths one could never remember all of them, passing Darth Vitiate, Darth Sidious, Vader, Krayt,... Alaki only remembered the significant ones who have somehow affected the galaxy, though she hadno doubt the other had a hand in shaping the Order itself, slowly pushing it forwards. It continued to evolve, even now... and the teenage Chiss knew it to be the right way they progressed.

To familiarize herself better with the Sith and appear less as a pathetic weak-willed Padawan as a result, the girl ventured to Tantorus, one of the few planets still ruled by the Sith Purebloods, a planet strong in the Dark Side of the Force. She had observed its inhabitants without saying a word, watching their habits and their natural distrust and almost hostility towards other species and outsiders. The teenage girl, clad in her tattered apparel consisting of ragged tunic and trousers with many holes and cuts, eventually retreated into solitude after deeming her observation to be satisfactory. As much as she disliked trudging through the wet jungle, the need to meditate alone and get to know the Dark Side better was the most important thing right now. Truly, one could say that after being filled with passion of Lady Praelior's spell, Alaki became addicted to the intoxicating sweetness of the Dark Side. From her time as a Padawan, she knew very well that its effects have been considered to be less than healthy to her body, but she simply could not resist.

Finding a large stone in a clearing, the blue skinned teenager decided it to be a good place for a meditation. Closing her eyes for a brief second, she tried to push through the darkness as far as she could to feel the planet's dangerous predators, and smiled when the result was negative. Sitting on the rock in a cross-legged position, her filthy barefeet clearly visible, the fallen Padawan shut her red eyes and focused on the surrounding presence of the Force. A silent moan escaped her lips when the Dark Side touched her presence, wrapped around it before consuming the girl, almost like a giant snake. The difference was that this felt immensely good, gave Alaki the pleasant feeling of power and relaxation, its promises to make the girl more powerful finding Alaki's ears as she listened.

[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

The Force's immense presence was certainly felt on the planet of Tantorus. The jungle planet was an interesting place to say the least. Paega had been here before, back when she had been an apprentice. When she had first visited the planet, or crashed on the planet to put it more accurately, Paega had been surprised to find Tantorus's similarity to Korriban despite its obvious geographic difference. The planet itself provided an evidence of the far reaching influence and implications of the Dark Side of the Force.

A female Chiss teenager. She certainly was an unexpected find in the middle of the jungle. The Chiss girl was a Force-User, Paega could tell. The Sith Knight had detected the presence of the apprentice from a considerable distance off. The apprentice was like a beacon in darkness, it was clearly visible. Even with her limited Force sight, the blonde Sith Knight saw the Chiss in a meditative position, and found to be indulging herself in the Force. It would be unlikely that the Chiss apprentice had detected Paega yet, since Paega was careful to cloak her presence to the best of her ability wherever she went.

The blonde Sith decided to test the apprentice. She was curious to see what exactly the young Chiss was doing out here. "What do you seek apprentice?" Paega asked the apprentice through the Force, as she slowly approached the girl from behind. "Knowledge? Power? Strength..?" The telepathic inquiries were barely audible whispers, but the Sith Knight had the feeling that the Chiss would hear them.

 

[Bubák]

"What do you seek apprentice?"

Like ripples in a mass of water, those words travelled through the Force and found their way into the teenager's head, causing her to abruptly open her eyes and look in the moist jungle in front of her, looking for the source of the words, having yet to realize her ears had not picked the message. The glance revealed nothing in the area, nothing able to talk, at least. Frome her position atop of the large stone, she saw the rich nature surrounding the small clearing, large trees with vegetation thick enough to stop the sun from illuminating the whole jungle, creating excellent hiding places for various predators that resided there.

"Knowledge? Power? Strength..?"

Closing her eyes again, the fallen Padawan silently gasped as she heard yet another message. This time, she realized something must have talked on a telepathic level. While she was unable to see this being who spoke to her, the Chiss attempted to delve into the Force and feel their presence in the Force. Much to her surprise, there appeared to be nothing capable of such communication. While the teenager recognized several non-sentient lifeforms, such as animals sneaking among the trees and birds flying high above, Alaki could not pick anything capable of speaking through telepathy. This left her with no explanation of the event. As a Jedi, she was supposed to listen to the Force, obey its will. Never had she heard it talk to her, and now as a Dark Jedi Padawan, she had dismissed it as another of Jedi lies. But what if...?

What if the Dark Side of the Force itself talked to her? Having experienced something similar before, the Dark Side whispering to grant her all of her wishes if she allowed it to take over her mind and body, the girl assumed this to be the case. She wished to reply, but how to speak with the Dark Side itself?

"All of those," she answered, her words causing several small animals to run away from the clearing, their movements visible in the tall grass, yet the teenager completely ignored them, fully focusing on the Dark Side of the Force, "Knowledge. Power. Strength. I seek all in order to become a true Sith." Her head lifted up, red eyes gazing towards the sky as if expecting something to happen, the Force itself to physically manifest into something and descend to her, a miracle.

[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

Paega smirked slightly at the apprentice's eagerness. It reminded quite a lot about herself when she had been an apprentice training in Korriban. It was a good thing to be ambitious. But it would be annoying if the apprentice turned out to be boastful and arrogant. She hoped that would not be the case with this Chiss girl, she found breaking in ungrateful apprentices a burdensome task.

"You've got great potential. But in order to achieve your goals and dreams, you will have to prove that you are worthy..." the Sith Knight remarked. Proving oneself had always been part of Sith culture. Paega had the feeling that the Chiss apprentice would not disappoint her.

After a moment of thinking, Paega decided to put the girl to the test. Walking out of her cover amongst the jungle vegetation from behind Alaki, the blonde ignited her crimson lightsaber. Without wasting a second, she threw her activated lightsaber directly at the Chiss, the lightsaber propelled to go faster by the Force. Unless the apprentice somehow detected the incoming attack and dodged it, the lightsaber would likely impale itself at the back of the girl's head. Otherwise, if dodged, the lightsaber would proceed to hit the tree that Alaki had been standing infront of. This was a mere distraction, however.

Before even giving the apprentice a chance to realize what had happened, Paega sent a wave of Force Push towards Alaki, aimed to toss her up into the air. The girl was unlikely to get hurt, though, as the ground behind the boulder had been composed of soft mud and dirt.

"What you need to learn, apprentice, is that only the fittest survive in the order to truly become a Sith." Paega said as she unleashed the Force Push.

 

[Bubák]

"You've got great potential. But in order to achieve your goals and dreams, you will have to prove that you are worthy...," the voice in the teenager's head said, raising her sense of alert to the peak, as she very well knew what proving oneself meant among the Sith. A test, one designed to push her to the very capabilities of her body and mind in order to survive. Not an easy task, but such was the way of the Sith. To become more powerful, one had to constantly strive to develop their skills and powers to avoid stagnation. One endless, constant journey for more power, ending only after death.

Expecting danger to reveal itself at any second, the young Chiss filled herself with the energy of the Dark Side, temporarily augmenting her body with greater speed and strength, as well as having faster reflexes. Luckily for her, Force speed belonged among the most basic of powers, meaning her Jedi training had given her at least something useful. The basic powers had no differences, Jedi or Sith, only that everything seemed to be much easier to control with the Dark Side aiding her. It was then that she finally heard her opponent's steps from behind and the typical sound of a lightsaber being ignited that sent shivers down her spine. Once again, the Dark Jedi Padawan felt fear, though it had yet to get stronger before even attempting to take a hold of her body. Right now, Alaki felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins, leaving no room for fear.

There was not enough time for the young Chiss to retrieve her silver hilt from the belt and ignite it, let alone defend herself against the attack from behind. She knew, however, that the boulder she had used as a place for meditation provided excellent cover as long as her opponent stood on the other side. In a split second, a decision has been made. Alaki's hands went down, placed on the stone underneath her body as she pushed herself off, sliding from the boulder and narrowly avoiding the humming crimson beam of plasma that tore through the air above hear head, hitting the tree in front of her and cutting into its wood effortlessly.

Falling towards the ground, the Dark Jedi Padawan let her bare feet sink in the soft mud with a wet squelch. Alaki crouched, pressing her back against the boulder behind her. The rock now acted as a shield, protecting her against the wave of telekinetic energy aimed to toss her away, as she could tell by looking at the tall grass suddenly bending as it hit by a strong gust of wind. This finally offered her enough time to reach for the metallic cylinder on her belt. Pressing the button, Alaki ignited her blue blade with a hiss. She was ready now, but how to deal with the situation at hand? Charging her opponent meant being exposed to more telekinetic attacks before getting in range...

Unless she released her own attacks to keep the other combatant busy and distracted. If she closed the distance fast enough, it would be possible to simply not give the opponent enough time to send more Force pushes than two or three. The combination of the two appeared to be the best way to go. With Force speed still enhancing her body, although on a level equivalent to her rank, the fallen Padawan massed some energy in her left hand and launched herself into the action, toes digging deeper into the mud as she stood up and tried to use telekinesis on the blonde Knight and pull the woman's left leg from under her as a distraction. At the same time, she rushed towards her opponent, the lightsaber in her hands swiftly being raised above her right shoulder. If Alaki succeeded and closed the distance enough without being interrupted by an attack, she brought the plasma blade down in a diagonal cut, aiming at the Sith Knight's left shoulder and letting the momentum of the strike carry the blow all the way towards her right hip.

[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

The Chiss apprentice seemed to already recieved some form of training before-hand. It was a smart move, to dodge under the boulder to both escape her lightsaber throw and telekinetic push. Paega stood there for a few seconds, expecting a counter-attack any second

She had decided going against retrieving her lightsaber, as it would certainly take too long. Besides, why bother if she could fight her enemy without it? Despite the admirable moves the apprentice was already showing, Paega doubted the apprentice could seriously harm her. Besides, the Sith Knight did not want to accidentally slice up the apprentice using her lightsaber before she could train her.

Then the blue skinned girl emerged, before suddenly sending a Force attack to pull her left leg beneath her. Having been exposed to such attack in battles, Paega rolled upon instinct, instead of trying to resist it. That way, she did not waste momentum.

Paega stood up quickly after rolling on the ground, and saw the apprentice coming in for a diagonal strike. The blonde Sith then reacted quickly. Before giving the apprentice the chance to initiate the attack, Paega reached up to grab hold of the apprentice's hand that was holding the lightsaber to stop it there, near the apprentice's right shoulder. Force Speed was certainly giving the apprentice a boost, but it didn't mean her attacks were unblockable.

As she attempted to struggle against the apprentice's arm holding the cyan blade, Paega used her free hand to try and give the Chiss girl a quick punch against her face.

 

[Bubák]

The superior skill and vast experience of the Sith Knight quickly showed when she chose to roll over the ground, not only negating the effects of the former Padawan's Force pull, but also refusing to give the blue skinned teenager any chance of closing the distance between them while she was defenceless on the ground. Naturally, a pathetic fallen Jedi at the beginning of her journey towards power stood no chance against an experienced true Sith, that was for certain, but this certainly gave the former Padawan a great opportunity of learning something new, providing her with useful experience. Such as the move her opponent had displayed to avoid the telekinetic attack. Alaki made a mental note to remember that.

When the Chiss finally had a chance to attack, the Sith Knight already stood firmly on her feet. Much to the fallen Padawan's surprise, the woman did not really need a lightsaber to defend herself; stopping the teenager's hands before the blue skinned girl even slashed down. Alaki had never seen anyone facing a lightsaber wielding opponent unarmed, thus her expression showed surprise and shock when the blonde's other hand made contact with her face. While this greatly angered the teenage Dark Jedi Padawan, she also realized this made her respect the woman, her prowess, strength and power. An excellent example of the Sith superiority over the Jedi, another proof that joining the enemy was a good choice.

The grip on her hands was the only thing that saved the Chiss from stumbling backwards after receiving the punch, but her head still violently jerked back, cutting some of the jet black hair on the superheated plasma. Alaki knew she had to protect herself against another punch, thus she released her left hand from the lightsaber. The crimson bladed weapon somewhere behind her suddenly worried the Chiss; she realized there was nothing preventing her from being impaled by the weapon from behind. She could not allow her opponent time to focus on retrieving the weapon. To do so, Alaki released a weak Force push towards her opponent's free arm with her left hand, quickly followed by an attempt to swiftly kick the blonde woman into face with her right foot, hoping the Force push was enough to prevent the woman's free hand from stopping the second attack.

Both attacks had a solid chance of hitting due to the close distance between the two, but even if the woman blocked them, she would be far to distracted to get her lightsaber back. Not like she wished to do so, but Alaki did not know that, not expecting her opponent to fight through this only with her fists.

If the kick succeeded and worked well enough to release her hand holding the lightsaber from the Sith Knight's grasp, the Chiss wildly swung from right to left in a horizontal fashion.

[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

The Chiss apprentice impressed Paega. What the girl did next to get out of her locked situation was a skillful and well thought out technique. The Force push successfully prevented the Sith Knight from going for a punch again, and it did allow for Alaki to come in for an attack. Paega grimaced as the kick successfully landed on her face, but it failed to make Paega release her grip on the apprentice's hand holding the lightsaber.

Paega, holding back her urge to violently hurt the girl for having kicked her in the face, decided that she would end this fight. The blonde Sith Knight, keeping her firm grip on Alaki's lightsaber to prevent it from moving towards her, suddenly attempted to push the girl down onto the ground, keeping the lightsaber a good distance away on the side to prevent either of them from getting impaled in the process.

She aimed to pin the Chiss apprentice down onto the ground, and make the girl surrender on her own terms. Using her left hand, Paega thrusted it forward towards the girl's throat, trying to grab onto it as they fell towards the ground. She planned to train the girl only after the Chiss willingly submited to her superiority, even if it meant that Paega would have to injure the girl a bit in order to do so.

 

[Bubák]

Although her foot succeeded at connecting with the blonde woman's face, it lacked the strength necessary to push the Sith Knight away and break her grip on the Chiss' hand holding the lightsaber. This was bad for Alaki and she fully realized it, as it meant a wasted chance of freeing herself. She could try to do the same moves again, but the chance of it working for the second time was significantly lowered. What to do? The fallen Padawan had to stop the woman's fist from attacking again. This made a more powerful application of telekinesis impossible, as Alaki did not have the time she needed to focus on gathering enough energy in her hand. The only thing that came to her mind was to stop the next punch by either sending a weak Force push at the arm again or attempting to grab the incoming fist. Then, Alaki should be able to target the Sith Knight's torso of legs with another kick. But, if a kick into head did not do much, what chance of pushing the woman away did she have even if she successfully delivered a kick into her stomach?

All of the Chiss' plans and tactics were torn apart when the next attack came. Just as planned, the teenager grabbed the incoming hand by the woman's wrist... and it did absolutely nothing to stop the attack. The sixteen-year-old had little chance of physically overpowering the older opponent. The Sith Knight's hand still reached its target and the blue skinned girl found her throat in a tight grip, cutting off the constant supply of oxygen. This presented a great chance of attacking the Knight's legs though, as the blonde woman had both of her hands focused on holding the girl. The sudden shock and surprise made the young Chiss' resctions much slower though, and before she realized what happened, she found herself being pushed down to the wet ground. She felt the grass tickle her skin in places the rugged tunic and pants showed holes as she fell, her breath knocked out of her.

There was no other option than to surrender. While Alaki knew the Sith rarely showed mercy, viewing it as a weakness, continuing the fight would be disastrous. With no air in her lungs and the iron grip around her throat, the teenage Chiss could not even beg for mercy. Instead of that, she released her thumb from the silver cylinder in her right hand and let the blue plasma blade disappear, just as her body became more relaxed, showing no resistance. "Ughh," was the only thing that left her lips as she stared directly into the blonde woman's eyes, the Chiss' gaze displaying desperation and fear.

[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

The blonde Sith Knight gave a smug grin as she successfully pinned the Chiss apprentice to the ground. Paega could hear the girl gasping for breath as they hit the wet ground. She glanced casually sideways, as the cyan blade was willingly deactivated. A clear sign of surrender by the apprentice. The Chiss' gaze displayed desperation, she clearly needed oxygen to live. Although part of her wanted to keep the grip to slowly drain the life out of the apprentice, Paega slightly loosened her grip on the girl's neck so that she didn't suffocate to death. As she did so, the Sith Knight took the opportunity to snatch away the girl's lightsaber. The blonde also repositioned herself so that she didn't accidentally suffocate the Chiss with her weight. She continued to keep, however, a firm grip on Alaki just in case.

Paega then leaned down, so that her chin rested on the right shoulder of the Chiss teenager, her mouth inches away from the girl's ear. "So tell me... why should I let you live? Why do you deserve to become a Sith?" she inquired softly by whispering. It was a question that Paega had been forced to answer before herself, and it was a question with no real right answer.

 

[Bubák]

After the blonde Knight's apparent victory, Alaki could only watch her lightsaber being taken away. A very common practice among the Sith, taking away their opponent's lightsaber to display their superiority and embarass their defeated opponent further. Truth to be told, this was the first battle where the girl had lost her weapon; and truly, she felt ashamed. Of all her belongings, she did not want to lose that, the last thing connecting her to the Jedi Order. It was an embodiment of her weakness, something to constantly remind her of her origins and fuel her heart with fury that drove her forward, towards more power and strength. Without the lightsaber, and more importantly the crystal inside, she was not just a Dark Jedi Padawan; she became absolutely nothing, a piece of meat waiting to be consumed by someone stronger.

While the woman's right hand took the lightsaber, Alaki used this opportunity to let go of the Sith Knight's left wrist with her left hand, wrapping the fingers of her right hand around the woman's arm gripping her throat firmly, though no longer choking the girl. The teenager's left hand was now free, and the Chiss reached out, searching through the grass and dirt by touch, desperation and fear for life prompting her to tremble. The fallen Padawan did not know if the more experienced woman could feel her doing it, but she sure hoped the Sith Knight was distracted enough by communicating with her and keeping her body down.

As [member="Paega Anginous"] whispered the questions into her ear, the Chiss' body shook with fear, yet her hand has finally touched something solid buried in mud and dirt. "I...," the girl started, her fingers digging into the ground as she tried to get a good grip on the rock, "You will gain nothing by killing me! I am a fallen Jedi. Just a Dark Padawan. Not someone worthy of killing..." begged the Chiss on the verge of tears.

That much was true. On the other hand, Alaki fully realized that defeating this woman could bring her much prestige and recognition. Something the Dark Jedi Padawan really strived for. What if this earned her the right to wear shoes? Eat hot meals as Sith Acolytes? Have credits in her possession? Be able to get clean clothes upon request? Small and insignificant things for many, maybe, but the former Jedi Padawan hated being treated like dirt... which was exactly what the instructors hoped for. To teach her how to hate, how to turn that hate into strength. When the ground finally released its hold on the small rock, the teenage Chiss almost smiled as she held it tightly in her left hand. "Why does someone as pathetic as me deserve to be a Sith you ask? Because...,"

The question was left open as the answer revealed itself when the girl finally attacked, trying to hit the blone woman into the back of her head with the rock.

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

The Chiss apprentice proved to be smarter than anticipated.

The blonde Sith Knight had been basking in the glory of what she had assumed to be her victory over the young Chiss woman. As Paega listened to the girl speak, she was too preoccupied to see what the apprentice was doing, until it was too late.

"Why does someone as pathetic as me deserve to be a Sith you ask? Because...," The phrases were followed by a painful sensation at the back of her head. Paega shut her eyes in agony, slightly dizzy for a few moments. She didn't feel any blood for the moment, but it still hurt quite a lot. Without giving the Chiss apprentice another opportunity to attack, Paega resumed her original iron grip on the girl's throat, trying to choke her still. Her free hand immediately went to the back of her head, where the spot the rock had hit throbbed painfully. As blinded in pain as she was, her battle instinct forced Paega to keep her grip on the apprentice.

The Sith Knight had given the apprentice a choice. And the apprentice had chosen to go the hard way. "You've... just made a serious mistake, kid." With blinding speed, Paega used her free hand to aim a strong punch towards the apprentice's jawline. Followed by another one, this time it was aimed at the Chiss' forehead. She began continuously aiming punches at the apprentice's face, putting great strength between every punch. She was determined to break in this apprentice one way or another, even if it involved beating the girl into a bloody pulp. That's how Sith lessons usually went, anyways.

 

[Bubák]

The teenage Chiss heard and felt the rock hit the woman's head, and a solid hit that was, causing the blonde to touch the wound and give Alaki's right hand a chance to advance to the next step of her plan, no longer holding the Knight's wrist as it had no use anyway. An excellent distraction to mask the fallen Padawan's true intentions.

The grip around the girl's throat tightened again, threatening to choke the life out of her, but this time Alaki was ready to put up a fight, having no other choice than to do her best to defeat the older woman. The hand still holding the rock moved to attack again, now aiming for the woman's left arm in an attempt to make her soften the grip on her throat, while the other hand reached over the ground next to them, also searching for something. Not a rock, though; a lightsaber. A second later, not feeling the familiar shape under her palm, the Chiss realized the woman had taken the lightsaber. With both of her hands busy, the former Jedi had no chance of blocking the blows that suddenly started flying into her face. Another danger that prompted Alaki to move faster, with more desperation; even if she managed to hold her breath long enough before falling unconscious, the strong, ruthless punches threatened to knock her out.

Like a wounded animal backed into a corner, the girl started attacking with more ferocity in response, putting more anger into her hits and giving the strikes more strength. No longer she targeted the woman's arm; the rock now always went for the woman's head, forcing the blonde to either take the hit or block it with her right hand, meaning she would not punch the Chiss. Whatever the case, the right hand of the teenager started searching around the Sith Knight's waist in hopes of finding the taken lightsaber. Alaki did not actually know if the blonde Sith had attached it to her belt in the first place, but it was the most logical place to look for such a thing.

She wished to find the weapon, properly position it and ignite its blue plasma blade straight strough the blonde woman's torso. If only she had more time, if only the punches were not so strong! Alaki felt her consciousnes slipping away, slowly, as her eyes grew heavier, her hand still trying to reach the lightsaber. Despite the sun shining over the planet, the teenager's sight started turning red and darkness threatened to claim her.

[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

The Chiss apprentice's counter attacks started becoming rather irritating. In fact, it was preventing Paega from landing better punches at the girl's face. The blonde Sith Knight had already made several satisfying hits by the time the apprentice started hitting the Sith with rocks again.

It would prove not to get her very far. The Chiss' attacks aimed at her head were simply moves out of desperation, after all. Paega held firmly onto the girl's throat, her grip growing ever more tight. While at it, she calmly batted away the girl's attempts to hit her head. "You're not planning to already pass out, are you? Cause I'm just getting started." she growled.

Knowing that maintaining the current position would either end in the apprentice successfully grabbing her lightsaber hilt, or otherwise fainting, Paega decided to act. Without any warning, Paega abruptly rolled off the girl, before using the Force to try and launch the dazed Chiss up into the air. She followed up with another Force Push, planning on sending the girl flying backwards.

 

[Bubák]

Half unconscious, Alaki felt her hand briefly brush against the well known shape of a lightsaber. The touch itself angered her; the lightsaber crystal contained her past self, having been constructed in times when she was nothing more than an innocent weakling, oblivious to the true face of power. The brief touch only reminded the teenager of her weakness. The past would stick with her forever unless she finally became a Sith... and burned the past, shattering it with her old lightsaber and the cursed crystal that served as a manifestation of her own weakness. Before that could happen though, she had to prove herself, become stronger! A warrior, a true Sith! The Chiss opened her mouth to let out a battle cry to intimidate and surprise her opponent with the sudden outburst of resistance; yet nothing left her lips but a choked moan as the grip only tightened. It was over.

More punches quickly destroyed her last hopes of recovering the weapon. Will alone could not fight against superior strength and power. With no coordination, the blue skinned teen made another desperate attempt to grab the weapon, now knowing it truly rested on the Sith Knight's hip. Alaki only met more failure, unable to get a hold of it again as each and every punch sent a wave of pain into her body, along with the metallic taste of blood that formed in her mouth. It was over. Panic clouded her mind upon the grim realization she was going to die there, in this wet, miserable jungle. For a moment, there was nothing than a hysterical fear of death.

The Knight suddenly released her hold and rolled off Alaki's body. The Chiss had no idea what happened, all she focused on was getting air into her lungs. She did not care about the rest of the world. Frantically gasping for oxygen, she did not even know of the telekinetic attack until she realized her body rose into the air, limply hanging there before being tossed away. With absolutely nothing she could do, the blonde's Force push hit her with full force and threw her back towards the boulder she had sat on earlier. Luckily, instead of breaking her body on the solid rock, her body passed the large stone and the landed in all too familiar muddy ground. Not just her feet anymore, but her hair, hands and face were covered in the greyish mud and dirt.

Silently moaning, the teenage Chiss remained lying there, slightly hidden by the tall grass. Her head turned, red eyes staring at something as she remembered the last place she had seen the Knight's lightsaber. The teen's gaze shifted towards the trees, finding the one with a hole burned into its trunk. An animalistic hiss escaped her mouth as she rolled in the mud, staying low to avoid the devastating effect of another push. The boulder also provided her with the necessary cover as she crawled on the ground, towards the "marked" tree. There she finally found the weapon. Lying in the mud, just like her. Alaki eagerly reached for it, clenching it it her hands and pressed the ignition button. The crimson beam of energy caused her to smile and her body shivered in excitement.

Just the sight gave her body power, as the weapon offered her another chance. With a sigh of relief, the girl slowly and carefully stood up. She had to stay in cover, always have something like the boulder to catch Force pushes and pulls. There was no other choice than waiting for the woman, ready to strike. Wiggling her toes in the mud, feeling the soupy ground shift under her bare feet as she moved ever so slightly, the fallen Jedi raised her hands, firmly holding the weapon in a vertical fashion as both fear and anticipation rolled off her body while she waited for the blonde Sith to come closer.

[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

Paega stood in self-satisfaction as she heard the Chiss girl land with a thud on the muddy ground. She never knew how fun beating around an apprentice could be. The blonde Sith Knight had intentionally sent the Chiss towards the direction where her lightsaber was. She was giving the apprentice another opportunity to fight, not that it was going to be much more successful than the first time. Time was on the Sith's side, since the apprentice must have been tired after being punched in the face several times before being thrown like that. Still, Paega wanted the girl to impress her with her stamina. In the battlefield, stamina usually was what let you survive.

"Playing hide and seek now?" she said spokely, after Chiss disappeared from her view. That didn't matter. The Force enabled the Sith Knight to see, she had practiced Force Sight with her former mentors before, after all. "Stop being a coward... else I will have to punish you more." the blonde said, as she activated the cyan lightsaber that she had taken from the girl.

Perhaps the Chiss apprentice thought that she was safe, out of sight for now. That would be the wrong assumption, and a fatal mistake unless the girl could act fast. Paega closed her eyes for a few moments, and focused on the boulder. Size of the boulder was irrelevant to the Force, it could be easily moved just as though it were a pebble. Abruptly outstretching her arms, Paega used the Force to try and hurl the boulder that was hiding the Chiss apprentice, right at the girl. The Sith Knight followed up by hurling another boulder nearby at the apprentice, and watched to see how the apprentice would dodge those attacks.

 

[Bubák]

Completely ignoring what the Sith Knight said, believing it to be nothing more than an attempt to intimidate her and cause her to make a fatal mistake, the fallen Padawan nervously glanced from left to right, looking at both sides of the boulder and wondering from which direction the blonde woman was going to come and attack. The Force, strangely enough, gave her no indication of the woman's position, meaning the Chiss had to trust her eyes. On the other hand, the teenager's opponent could feel her presence, read her movements. The Sith Knight simply toyed with her, nothing more than a tool of amusement. Alaki felt a burst of anger shooting through her body as she thought about it, being just someone's plaything.

Focusing on that emotion, the young Chiss fed it further, trying to enter a state of pure rage that temporarily enhanced her body with more speed and strength. The pain in her body only helped Alaki achieve that, as it made feeding on the Dark Side easier. The Sith Knight would be able to feel the fallen Padawan's presence in the Force grow darker and stronger. Of course, Force rage burned through her energy, further pushing the fight to an end. She either managed to defeat the opponent now, or the power would leave her drained and too weak to continue fighting. She had to do her best, outsmart her opponent...!

The boulder in front of her started moving, seemingly on its own, leaving the Chiss with no doubt her opponent wished to continue the fight. The massive rock would undoubtedly crush the girl, meaning she had to dodge. In which direction though? Again, Alaki's eyes went to look left and right before she made the decision. Up. Obviously, the superior experience meant the woman had the chance of simply letting the boulder fall and grab the Chiss on the top of it instead, but redirecting her focus from the heavy object to the falling girl meant that split second went in Alaki's favor.

Jumping, the blue skinned Padawan launched herself onto the rock, and from that towards the Sith Knight, lightsaber raised high above her head. Momentum and gravity became her greatest allies as she put the rage into the powerful overhead blow that would be impossible to block, fairly easy to dodge. But Alaki expected her opponent to get out of the way, and intended to make a stab in the direction of the Knight if she chose to dodge the slash.

[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

The Chiss apprentice by that point had already proven herself to Paega. The question was of how long the apprentice chose to continue fighting. The blonde Sith Knight did not intend to allow the Chiss to surrender, ofcourse. She would toy around with the girl first.

For a second, Paega was surpised to see the girl jump onto the rock. She had not expected the girl to have possessed such remaining energy. Nevertheless, the Sith Knight wasn't going to let that catch her off guard. Upon seeing the girl fly towards her, aiming an overhead hit, Paega let the boulder drop to the ground with a thud, quickly redirecting her attention to the apprentice.

As the apprentice may have anticipated, Paega didn't bother blocking the attack. She swiftly side-stepped to avoid being hit, but before giving the apprentice time to stab her, the Sith Knight reached forward to grab the lightsaber the Chiss was holding onto, like last time. The difference however, was that the fight would be over soon if the Chiss girl no longer had the lightsaber.

While she reached forward to grab the apprentice's hand holding the lightsaber hilt, and struggling to prevent the blade from coming towards her, Paega sent a knee-kick towards the apprentice's gut. Soon, play time would be over. Then, she would properly train the girl.

 

[Bubák]

The crimson plasma blade whizzed through nothing but empty air as the powerful slash missed its intended target when the Sith Knight simply sidestepped out of the way of the strike. Expecting this move, the Chiss immediately moved her hands holding the weapon in a jabbing motion after she landed on the grassy ground, hoping to impale the blonde or at least prevent her from striking back. Unfortunately for the fallen Padawan, the superior experience of the Sith Knight showed once again as the blonde skillfully took one end of her weapon and prevented the blue skinned girl from finishing her stab. Alaki's red eyes widened in horror as she realized she had no way of saving herself from the older woman's lightsaber now, no way of blocking any potential incoming strike.

Instead of feeling the burning sensation of a lightsaber cutting through her flesh and organs, the Chiss let out a pained hiss as the blonde's knee found her stomach, knocking the former Jedi Padawan back and causing her to lose her grip on the lightsaber hilt. With a mixture of surprise and fear in her eyes, the teenager stared at the blonde for a few seconds after recovering from the hit and regaining her balance. Now that the Sith Knight held both lightsabers in her possession, Alaki stood no chance against the opponent. How to stop the woman from retaliating though? The glowing red orbs briefly glanced away from the blonde Knight as she looked towards the jungle. Escaping the more experienced Sith might have been possible a while ago, but now Alaki found herself with little to no energy left, having wasted it on the failed attack.

While the green, impenetrable wall of green still tempted her, the Chiss teen realized that without a weapon and with her body in dire need of energy, she would not last for long in the wilderness. Even without the blonde woman chasing her, there were many species of predators in the jungle, waiting for their prey.

As such, the girl saw no other option than to show her submission and hope for the blonde to spare her life. Quickly falling on her knees, Alaki deeply bowed, the tips of the grass stabbing her into face as her forehead touched the ground. For a second, she considered begging for her life, but ultimately decided against it; such thing would have most likely been seen as a weakness by the older woman, and Alaki did not wish to appear weak, even in the defeat, as weaklings had no place in among the Sith and were considered to be ultimately expendable by the majority of the Sith.

"You win, great warrior, your strength is greater than mine." The girl quickly stated in a humble tone to show she no longer posed a threat and considered herself defeated.

[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Paige Argous]

[member="Alaki"]

For a moment, Paega was tempted to thrust the lightsaber in her hand into the Chiss apprentice, simply out of irritation. Despite the outcome of their little brawl, the blonde knight had been hit by the Chiss in various places. And although she saw them as no more than minor injuries, they did annoy her. Regardless, Paega was impressed overall by the skills exemplified by the Chiss girl.

As the blonde woman stood, calmly observing the defeated apprentice, she wondered if the apprentice was planning another sneak attack like last time. Or perhaps planning on running away. Paega was glad the apprentice didn't choose either of the options. Doing so would have motivated the blonde knight to just kill the Chiss, which would have been a waste of fine potential.

"You win, great warrior, your strength is greater than mine."

The blonde woman smirked, partly from self-satisfaction, but also from amusement. She continued to stand where she was, the ignited lightsaber still with her, looking at the Chiss girl bowing down before her. Paega then extended her right foot, softly placing it on the top of the bowing apprentice's head to express her dominance over the girl. "So.." she spoke, keeping her foot planted near the Chiss' forehead.

"Tell me about yourself. Who are you? What is your story? You've got one minute... and you better not make me regret sparing you your life."