Sharpened Knives - Episode III - Rick Kaloo

[Scherezade deWinter]

The Galaxy was never a safe place, and yet in recent months, that safety had lessened even more. As gigantic factions opened war against one another, it appeared that no planet or systems were now safe. Some people were against this, vying for peace, preaching patience. Scherezade herself could not be counted among them, her lust for blood becoming better and better known to those outside of her close circle with every war that was waged, with every battle in which she easily took the front line without a second though.

The only thing one could control was who they were off to fight; but no one could truly control what others decided to come fighting against them. The dance of death was not one done by mutual consent, and while peering over her Blueprints of Doom, she had come to realize just how lucky the Silvers were, for no knock had come knocking on their door thus. Yet this did not mean they were safe. There were whispers, rumors, coming from the eastern side of the galaxy. Whether those proved to be true or not, there was something she knew deep to her core; a war coming to them had a likelihood of taking too many lives, regardless of whether or not they emerged victorious.

Normally, the Blood Hound would not care. A life lost was a life lost, another number on a never-ending array of statistics that did not touch her. Yet in the heart of Silver space, there were those she cared for; those that if any harm would come to, would send her raging and willing to burn the entire galaxy, regardless of what the rules of the Confederacy stated. In the heart of Silver space, there was a child, a child by the name of Jason Dragonsflame, son of [member="Josh Dragonsflame"], and Scherezade had loved him from the moment she'd met him, though she'd been entirely too awkward about showing it.

So this… this series of training, was for him.

And none of them had to know about it.

The third and final round of the day was against [member="Rick Kaloo"]. Scherezade knew that he had helped the Confederacy out in several recent wars when it came to the fights that were conducted in space, yet the imagination between space battles and ground fights was minor at best. If he had signed up for her rounds of battles, there must have been a reason. She hoped that he would be as good on the ground as he had been in space.

And so, Scherezade waited.

Wearing​

Armor| Pathfinder Boots | The Forgemaster's Ring | Ring of Stasis | Sofitor
​

Wielding​

10 Czerka knives | 2 Nastirci Combat Knives | Copero's Wail | Fire and Smoke (lightsabers) | Combat Gauntlets | Knight Obsidian Sword | 2 Dissuader K-30 Pistols with Glitter Bullets​

 

[Rick Kaloo]

Rick entered the room slowly, his armor covering everything but his head.​

​

His helmet resided under his right armpit, kept off his head to maintain an initial formal appearance. On a belt built into his armor lay his sniper rifle, Shieldbreaker, and his lightsaber, Tidal Wave. Shieldbreaker was only filled with stun bolts today, as he would not want to turn the head of his instructor into a ruptured balloon. However, Tidal Wave remained as lethal as ever. Rick would take extra care into not inflicting any permanent wounds.

Seeing an armored human woman nearby and identifying her as his instructor, he quickly introduced himself.

"Hello there." said Rick. "I'm Rick Kaloo, and I'm interested in refining my combat skills so I can back myself up where water is scarce."

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Her third dude was a Mon-Cal. Scherezade smiled as he approached, giving him a nod. "You've helped us," she said, "I remember. I took a look at the openly available information on your file after the invasions. You're great up in space."

He wanted to refine his skills. That was great – that was why she was here.

Without a word, Scherezade released a Force Blast between them, the blasts of pure darkside kept in reign just enough as to not actually harm the Mon-Calamarian.

"Just like space, when you confront someone face to face, they will rarely wait for you to choose when to strike first," she instructed, sending then a Force Push towards him as well, "if you do not become the one to set the tone and pace of the battle, your likelihood of coming out alive drops significantly."

Not waiting to see if he comprehended, she send a second and third Force Push towards him. The weapons would be out soon enough. Scherezade's arsenal was… extremely varied, and first she wanted to see what he would do against her.

[member="Rick Kaloo"]

 

[Rick Kaloo]

The air around Rick suddenly turned against him.​

​

He was flung backwards, his helmet nearly slipping out of his arms as he struggled to maintain his footing. As Rick recovered and put on his helmet, he clicked a small button on the back of his metallic right leg. Immediately, suction cups sprouted on his prosthetic feet, meant to provide an excellent foothold in extreme wind and currents. Consequently, the next two pushes sent Rick back a mere meter instead of multiple.

"Well played." commented Rick before beginning his counteroffensive.

He drew his right hand down to his belt, grabbing his sniper rifle and swiftly lifting it out of its sheath. Putting the rifle in both his hands, Rick enabled the close range iron sight, a beam now traveling in a straight line in front of the rifle. With increased visibility, Rick would be able to react rapidly if his instructor attempted to flank him. Half a second after choosing the sight, he aimed and fired, seeking to hit her firmly in the chest.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Unlike her previous sparring partner, the Mon-Cal Scherezade was facing now had nothing on him that weakened her connection to the Force. As such, she was able to move swiftly to avoid the slugs, her motions seeming to the naked eye as a blurry flurry of movements that kept her safe for the moment.

She ended the quick paced sequence on the ground, her weight resting mostly against a folded knee. Yet as she remained there for the span of a breath, twelve of her blades (10 Czerka knives | 2 Nastirci Combat Knives) made their way into the air around her, all pointed at [member="Rick Kaloo"].

Grinning, all the blades now moved towards the Mon-Cal, aimed at various parts of his body.

 

[Rick Kaloo]

Suddenly, Rick's adversary disappeared.​

​

It wasn't that she was completely invisible, but rather that she evaded his shot so fast that he could no longer lock onto the center of his body. He was about to remove his scope entirely and fire point-blank when his instructor froze, a dozen large, serrated knives rising into the air around her. Rick thought fast - crouching down into a low squat before jumping. As Rick rose, specially wound coils within his legs suddenly released, sending him soaring up into the air, just as the knives came at him.

A knife meant for his head instead closed in on his rapidly rising chest, poised to plunge within his armor and cut deep into him. But Rick's rifle saved him, still in his hands, the knife burying into the metal of the barrel instead of his flesh. The other knives whistled by him, some only centimeters away from cutting through his torso. His instructor was obviously skilled, and Rick was doing a better job than he ever thought he would.

Rick reached the climax of his hop about ten meters up, before rapidly descending and landing firmly on his feet. Due to them not having the limits of biological feet, fall damage was almost never an issue. Using the Force as an aid, he ripped the knife out of the rifle, holding each in a separate hand. The rifle had been penetrated clean through the barrel, with only a centimeter of titanium on either side keeping rifle from splitting in half vertically. Realizing that it was now inoperable, Rick threw the rifle to the side to free up his hands.

The moment he had a spare right hand, Rick drew his lightsaber. He ignited it, and it lit an aqua blue. In his other hand, he took the knife and lifted it into the air with the Force.

Rick released a grin of his own as he gestured, throwing the levitating knife forward, while also sprinting forward at an unnatural speed enhanced by both his legs and the Force, planning to utilize the Makashi principle of catching an opponent off guard.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade grinned. It was true, most of her knives did not find their pointy end where she wanted them to; but they would soon enough.

The Mon-Cal in front of her lifted into the air, and the Sithling looked up, glowing green eyes focusing on him. Holding her ground, she paused to see what would happen; normally, she would have joined him in the air without a second thought, but she was not merely fighting him; she was also studying him.

On the ground again, and he was coming or her now with his lightsaber and a knife in the force.

Now Scherezade was smiling.

The very knives that had missed him earlier took a U-turn and were now flying backwards, aiming for his back. On his front, Scherezade ignited both her own lightsabers, ready to block an incoming attack.


[member="Rick Kaloo"]

 

[Rick Kaloo]

Rick suddenly heard a whizzing behind him.​

​

He could hear the knives rise up and once again fly in his direction. Now, he had a decision to make. He could close in on his tutor, forcing her to take her focus off the knives and onto more immediate defense, or defend himself, in the more likely scenario that the knives would reach Rick's back before Rick reached the woman. Chosing the latter, Rick performed a 180 degree pivot on his right leg, halting his sprint about three meters from his tutor.

Eleven blades all soared towards his body, uninterrupted. He could use the Force to drive them away, but his tutor would likely do the same to draw them back, creating a brutal cycle. Instead, Rick waited for the knives to come within two meters of him. Then, he swung his lightsaber in the path of the knives, planning to dissolve them completely. Then, Rick would have an armament much more equal to his tutor's.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]