Approved Melee Weapon Siae's Lightsaber

[Siae Andronike]

SPECIAL FEATURES
Hilt Shape: Cylindrical
Blade Color: A dim, translucent yellow-gold hue.
Blade Length: 2.35m (when both blades ignited and at maximum extension)
Protection Type: Large circular hand guard
Crystal(s):

• Ghostfire Crystal: Collected from a mountain peaks, high on several obscure Outer Rim worlds, the Ghostfire Crystals used in Siae's saber as the secondary crystals made the blade almost entirely silent and lent it a dim, translucent quality, almost invisible to the naked eye, and created hazy after-images of both wielder and saber as it moved, making it difficult for opponents to track them, disguising their true positions.
• Krayt Dragon Pearl: Taken from krayt dragons she hunted and stalked, these 'pearls', were the weapon's primary crystals and gave her blades a howling noise as they excited, and provided very powerful, destructive blades that went beyond the lethal ferocity of more common kyber crystals.

MODES:

• Primary Disc Mode: Based on the spinning dual-bladed lightsaber taken from the corpse of the Inquisitor they slew while making their escape from the Imperial prison barge, founding members of the Conclave were impressed by the weapon, and their students and those who followed after them incorporated many of the features of these weapons. As such, the weapon offers the usual dual-blade quality, however the emitters are mounted on the extendable hand guard, making them able to spin around the central hilt, allowing greater emphasis on attack while enjoying greater control. Micro-repulsorlifts included in the design even enable the weapon's Force-sensitive user to manifest flight in some locations. Additionally, the dual blades allowed for simultaneous attacks and defenses, and since she used dual emitter systems in her design, even if the guard was severed or one emitter was damaged, at least one blade would continue working. The greater surface area also made parrying and deflecting easier, a feature which played into Siae's unique fighting style nicely.
• Secondary Disc Mode: Akin to the traditional 'discblades' wielded by Zeison Sha warriors, the Conclave designed their lightsabers to be thrown via telekinesis and retractable razor-sharp blades in the weapon's guard would be extended, enabling them to throw the weapon for great distances before recalling the weapons to their hands with lethal accuracy, even striking multiple targets in a single throw! As she is trained in the Conclave's unique fighting style – known as 'Form VIII, or the Way of the Sand Panther', Siae can throw her weapon up to 120m with surprising accuracy.
• Crescent Mode: A single-bladed option, that allowed the weapon to function similarly to a standard single-bladed lightsaber.
• Disconnect (Split) Mode: The weapon can be split in a single, practiced motion, into two independent sabers, each of which having various power and length settings, enabling a variety of techniques – including Jar'Kai – to be utilized.

OTHER COMPONENTS:

• Bifurcating Cyclical Ignition Pulse: Which enabled the blade(s) to function underwater.
• Blade Power Adjustment: Allowing Siae to alter the power and length of each blade separately (with an overall maximum of 2.35m with both blades in use at their maximum lengths). When split, one saber might function as a shoto-style blade while the other remained at full-length, playing into the Jar'Kai techniques employed in Siae's unique fighting style.
• Cyclic Crystal Array: A variant of this technology was used to allow the use of multiple crystals (see Above) in the weapon's design, enhancing its overall properties and traits.
• Locking Activator: Enabling Siae to use the weapon in its secondary disc mode, utilizing the telekinesis-based skills of her own unique fighting style more effectively.
• Force-Activated: Siae's weapon is activated by using the Force.
• Retractable Mullanine-Cortosis-weave Blades: These four (4) razor sharp blades, when deployed, allowed Siae to use the weapon in its secondary disc mode, turning it into a spinning 'buzzsaw' that could not only cause devastatingly lethal damage but also temporarily short out an enemies' lightsaber (or multiple enemies' blades) upon contact.
• Diatium Power Cell: Rechargeable diatium power cells, though not usually requiring recharging due to the cells' natural recharging capabilities, power each blade.
• Compound Materials: Integrating a durinium-impregnated alloy of durasteel, dallorian alloy, cortosis-weave, and beskar into the lightsaber hilt's casing and guard, ensuring an incredible resilience against a number of threats, enables it to remain functional despite taking significant wear-and-tear. Moreover, it was difficult to detect the weapon if hidden on one's person using anything less than very powerful military-grade sensors or scanners.

STRENGTHS

• Versatile Lethality: With its multi-mode versatility, exceptionally powered crystals, and variously integrated design qualities, Siae's lightsaber is capable of not only playing to the strengths of her own unique fighting style, but providing her with a multi-ranged means of attacking her foes with uncompromising lethality.

• Surprising Protection: From cortosis-weave embedded into the guard, to ultrachrome circuitry and components, to its Force-activation qualities, this weapon is not only incredibly durable, able even to resist lightsabers or blaster fire, but the wear and tear of time itself, granting Siae a remarkably reliable, protective weapon, enabling her to use it to defend herself from a number of threats, all while pressing her lethal attacks!

WEAKNESSES

• One Good Strike: A well-placed direct hit from a lightsaber or powerful weapon could sever the hand guard or damage one of the emitters, reducing the weapon's capabilities quickly,

• (Mostly) Limited Range: While in a secondary disc mode, a fighter like Siae, trained in the Conclave's unique fighting style, could throw the weapon up to 120m with lethal accuracy, such a move also leaves her open for attack, and all other times, with the blades fully extended, it remains a very close range (<3m) weapon, limiting her capabilities beyond this distance and causing her to rely on other weapons or the use of the Force only to protect herself.
• If You Don't Know What You're Doing…: Being a Force-activated weapon, and engineered for fighters trained in its use, such as those employing the Conclave's unique fighting style or similar training, this weapon cannot be used by untrained allies very well, and not at all by those who lack Force-sensitivity, meaning that if Siae isn't able to wield her weapon, it's very unlikely anyone with her will be able to either, making it little more than a cool-looking paperweight.

DESCRIPTION
The Conclave – founded in 19-18 BBY by five fugitive Force-users escaping the Inquisitors of the Galactic Empire – eventually settled on a single lightsaber template and fighting style for their students, neither of which has evolved or changed all that much since they were first developed. This fighting style, called by them as 'Form VIII' or 'The Way of the Sand Panther' begins with all students learning to master Form VI (Niman), then slowly incorporating Forms III (Soresu) and Form V (Djem So / Shien) into their style, and always employing Jar'Kai techniques and strategies throughout. And, while there's something to be said for its end result, 'Form VIII' as a standardized fighting style, together with a very particular template around which all of the Conclave's students would eventually construct their personal weapons by, gave it a niche quality that doesn't allow for much versatility beyond itself, in terms of the weapon used or the manner in which it is used.

However, in the hands of someone thoroughly trained in 'Form VIII', for which this weapon is uniquely suited, Siae is capable of becoming a veritable force of nature when she employs it! Since, 'The Way of the Sand Panther' reflects the Conclave's philosophy of waiting, preserving one's self and others from harm until the moment to act appears, Siae's saber offers her a number of advantages:

An enhanced surface area and spinning capability allows her to create a virtual shield, parrying and deflecting incoming blaster fire, lightsaber strikes, and other threats with much less expended energy and greater control and precision than standard lightsabers. Its hilt and guard include beskar, ultrachrome, and cortosis-weave into the design, meaning that should an opponent make even the slightest mistake, a mere touch might short out an enemy's blade temporarily, providing the perfect opportunity for a skilled 'Form VIII' user like Siae to unleash a flurry of unrelenting and powerful attacks, often so much so as to quickly, decisively conclude most encounters in her favor. Moreso, she can employ the limited flight offered by the weapon's design to escape a precarious position, fleeing from combat altogether or quickly moving to high ground to regain and regather her focus before renewing combat. The greater length allowed her to fight against multiple foes with greater ease, echoing the asymmetry of the Conclave's usual battle strategies, employing various methods to reducing any numerical superiority they might face.

Offensively, Siae's saber can allow her to launch a devastating series of attacks against a foe, nevermind the incredible psychological impact of the weapon on others, which can bewilder, disarm, and yes, dispatch foes with blindingly fast speeds and a brutal, lethal finality. The sheer versatility of the multi-mode weapon allows it to be wielded as a single-bladed weapon, mirroring most common lightsabers, while the secondary disc mode enables her to use the Zeison Sha-style versatility of a thrown, spinning 'wheel of death', guided by Force-aided telekinesis with precision strikes against several enemies before returning to her hand. It can be split into two blades, wielded in classic Jar'Kai ways with pronounced lethality. Moreover, the choice of crystals used in each blade, combining the extremely fierce potency of the krayt dragon's pearls with the near-silent, near-invisibility and hazy afterimages of the ghostfire crystals, offered her advantages beyond most conventional lightsabers as well.

Yet, it was not without risks and limitations. It would be unwieldy and awkward in the hands of anyone who hasn't studied 'Form VIII', or isn't at least exceptionally skilled in Forms VI, III, and V of traditional lightsaber combat, with healthy study and proficiency in Jar'Kai to boot. And, due to its Force-activation, in the hands of any non-Force-sensitive, it's basically useless. When used in its primary disc form, it is a double-bladed lightsaber, with all of the same unusual advantages and weaknesses that have been attributed to these weapons across the centuries, and inherently contains the same limitations in mobility and techniques while in this mode. Likewise, when thrown, as in the secondary disc mode, Siae is left to rely on other weapons, the extensive Teras Kasi included in 'Form VIII' training, or else, the Force itself to defend herself. With each of these, her vulnerability and potency is reduced. Likewise, a well-timed, direct strike to the hand guard might sever the guard or damage one of the emitters mounted in it, quickly reducing the offensive and defensive qualities of the weapon.

Therefore, despite the many versatile and potent advantages of this weapon, Siae knew all too well that it contained limitations as well, and more, she knew the limits of her own training, so steeped in one system yet so unfamiliar with others that might one day offer her the means to overcome those limitations, and she never forgot the words of her instructors, "A weapon, no matter how powerful, is still just a weapon. For every sword, there is a tougher shield. For every shield, there is a stronger sword. Don't rely on the weapon, rely on yourself."

 

[Krass Wyms]

Simple enough just remember cortosis counters are almost standard form now.

Approved