Duel Silver Rest Duel

[Laertia Io]

Armed with Constant Gardener

Wearing Hoodlum's Leathers

Objective: Duel Sigyn Vanir


The scarred cyborg awaited her duelist in the fresh, open air of Kashyyyk and just outside a large circle of stones for where their match would take place. It was a sunny, bright day. Her caretaker Moya was away managing one of many clients she had acquired recently and that had left Laertia with a desire to test herself.

She knew all seven styles, including the ones made by Luke Skywalker for his praxeum. She was a master of some of them. But unlike other Jedi, most of her sword instruction did not come in the rote, controlled settings of a Jedi Temple.

Laertia as a Jedi Shadow had learned on the go. On the job. She had been taught the basics, and learned the rest by fighting her enemies for the most part.

Her job had been to kill. Period. Win the war against the Dark Side through sheer attrition.

(Cutaway of John Rambo firing light machine gun into the air while yelling insanely.)

She had cut down many Sith. But it was rare to duel Jedi. Especially traditionals. She had never walked in the circles of the traditionalists. A perpetual outsider with lethal training.

But she wanted to test. She wanted to be a good Jedi, so she had to see how they fought.

Laertia, clad in a spiky biker clothing ensemble, had set out a tray and an outside folding picnic table for them to have tea before and after the match, the tombstone pale woman going out of her way to make it as comfy as possible so they would be of clear mind and sound heart before the fight.

When Sigyn at last showed, Laertia was already seated, and bid her to join her for a cup of green tea.

"Wellcomez..." she spoke, suppressing her raging embarrassment at her speach impediment. "Myy naymez Laerta. I'mz a Jedi Shaadowz. I'mmz verry pleezed yoo cudz joynez mee tuhdayz. How'z arr yooz? Wudz yoo cayrez fer tee?" she asked quietly and politely of Sigyn, whose fierce red hair reminded her of Syd.

"It'z green tee. I allwayz fyndz itt relaxxingz..."

 

[Sigyn Vanir]

The fresh Kashyyyk air felt nice against her face, as Sigyn made her way across the land. It was a nice, sunny day, though way too hot for Sigyn's preferance. Thus, she was dressed in light clothes and a green hood, which she often wore. But the light clothing wasn't only to keep her cool in the warm weather, it was also for mobility in her upcoming duel.

Wanting to really test how much her fighting abilities had improved since joining the jedi, Sigyn had agreed to a duel with a older jedi, who also sought the test herself. Sigyn hadn't met this woman before, only given instructions as to where the duel was to take place. Which Sigyn was fine with. Having met and gotten to know each other could easily have given one of them an advantage over the other. She had heard of a species called the echani, who only thought they could know someone after having fought them. And that was kind of the same as knowing how someone will fight, by knowing them beforehand.

The woman, Laertia Io had said that she wanted to duel with non-lethal lightsaber weapons, so Sigyn had brought a training-saber with her. But she also took her spear. It was the only thing she had taken with her from Midvinter, so she carried it with her everywhere. It was the weapon she was most comfortable with, so she hoped she could use it in her duel. Or that they could have an extra duel where she used it.

Arriving at the location of the duel, Sigyn saw the older woman for the first time. And she was kind of intimidated. The outfit in itself was scary enough, but she also had scars on her face. This clearly was a fighter with lots of first-hand experience.

"I am Sigyn." she said, forgetting the manners and pleasentries she had learned was expected upon meeting someone, before sitting down, and sticking her spear in the ground. "I am alright, though the temperature is too high for my liking." But it wouldn't be stopping her in their duel, that's for sure. "Tea sounds great, thank you. You have a very interesting accent." Again, she didn't remember the manners she had observed. "I like it, where are you from?"

 

[Laertia Io]

Sigyn Vanir was straight to the point. Literally. Laertia had such a mindset. It was what kept her alive.

"Nyce tuh meetcha, Sigyn." Laertia replied amicably as she poured Sigyn a cup of Green Tea.

As Sigyn asked about her voice, Laertia did her best to conceal her embarrassment.

"It'z...morr ov ann immpedeementz dhenz ann aksenntz..." she explained, though she kept smiling so as to not worry Sigyn about offending her.

But Laertia was dumbstruck when Sigyn said she liked it.

No one had ever said that before. Laertia still hated her voice and always would but that was still a first.

"I'mmz frumm Nar Shaddaa..." she answered, sipping tea. "Itz ann unnplesannt playce. Yoo wuddint lykez ittz."

She took another look at Sigyn's weapon.

"Nyce speer..." she commented. "I starrtedz usinz speerz nott too lonngz aggoz. But I'm morr a sinnggul blayde typez."

Laertia got right to business herself.

"So, heerz duh rules. Foyst wun tuh skorrz three hitz too duh lymbbz orr wun too duh Hedd annd Chesst winz duh roundz. Wee cannz dooz dhis az a free fer allz or wee cannz pyck a stylez wee aggreez onn buhforez. Wut arr yoo inn favuh ov?" Laertia asked. "I knowz all duh classikz and duh praxxeummz stylez Luke Skywalker taughtz. I'yll fytez howevuh yuh lykez."

 

[Sigyn Vanir]

"Nar Shaddaa?" Sigyn said out in the air. "Never heard of the place. But I'll take your word that I wouldn't like it there."

The tea they were drinking was exeptionally good. Sigyn hadn't been a heavy tea drinker before, but it was occasionally served on her homeplanet, or made by her parents. Laertia had called it green tea, and she was right about it being relaxing.

"The rules sounds good," she said. Three to the limbs or one to the head and chest sounded like a good format for a friendly duel. "I'm fine with free for all. Fighting is part of my people's culture, thus I've trained all my life. And, after all, in a real fight it will definately not be any restrictions." She thought for a moment, before asking: "But who is this Luke Skywalker you mentioned? I can't say I have heard of him before."

She emptied her cup of tea, savoring the taste while it lasted, and got to her feet. "Should we get to it?" she asked and smiled to the other jedi. The training saber was already in Sigyn's hand, and she swung it a few times to get used to it's waight and strenght right before the battle.

Then she turned to look at Laertia. From the looks of it, the older jedi would most likely use an aggresive style. That is Sigyn's preffered fighting style as well, though she had learned the basics of Soresu. But sometimes, she had learned, the best defense was a fast offense. Attack fast enough for the enemy to not get a chance to attack.

Lastly, to prepare for the duel, she removed the green hood she was wearing, revealing all her red hair, and removing the blocking the hood had on her vision.

Laertia Io

 

[Laertia Io]

Laertia could not help but agree with Sigyn Vanir that a real fight had no rules...Nar Shaddaa's slums had taught her that.

Sigyn however, completely and utterly caught Laertia off guard at not knowing who Luke Fething Skywalker was.

"Hee wuz duh coolesst ov duh coolz!" the scarred woman explained in an excited manner, shocked a Padawan had not been taught about one of the single most important people in The Order's history. "He wuz a jehdii dhat blewwz uppz a giantz Spayce Stayshunz dhat cud duhstroyy wholle plannetz. Hiz fathurr wuz wun ov duh mosst evul peopull inz hisstoryy, Darth Vader, whoo choppedz hiz hanndd offz atz Clowd Sytee. But Luke rebboundz, annd getz hiz dadd tuh turnz too duh Lyte, annd hiz fathurr sllayyz hiz mastuh, Darth Sidious. He studz fer Duh Orrduh attz a vewy immporrtaynt tymez, wen wee wuz neerlee wyped outz, and Duh Dahk Syde neededz itz teethz kyyckedz inz."

Such a poor explanation frustrated Laertia deeply at having to give it. During her training as a Jedi, Laertia had studied the history of both Anakin and his Children. How many hours had she poured into learning every thing she could about Luke? About Vader? Too much for her speech impediment to properly convey.

There were days she felt trapped by her voice. All that training and knowledge never filtered through once she opened her mouth. She hid from ordinary people because of this, let her android caretaker do the talking.

"Traynedz all yorr lyfez, ehh? My instruccshun wuz less...formullz...at foyst..."

Laertia got out a training lightsaber once Sigyn was preparing for battle, and went into the Fast Style, holding the pink blade out in front of her aimed vertically.

She struck first in a one handed, foil-like manner, blade moving swiftly in her hand, targeting her opponent's legs. Fast Style with a strong fighter was a danger all its own in the field. The Praxeum systems were as worthy of learning as the classics, but had fewer masters...

Fast Style was developed from bits of Soresu, Makashi, and Ataru, and Laertia had fallen in love with the style after using it to kill a notorious Sith User of Form 2. She regarded the Praxeum styles as her secret weapons among an already lethal arsenal of knowledge.

 

[Sigyn Vanir]

The name Skywalker still didn't ring any bells, and neither did this Darth Vader. They couldn't have lived in the recent century, at least, that's for sure. But beyond that, Sigyn didn't know much of the history. Both of them sounded cool, though, and Sigyn would probably try to find out more about them later.

The first strike came fast, and almost unexpected. It was not a maneouver she had seen before. But she managed to jump back from the strike, while simultaneously swinging her own blade to knock Laertia's to the side.

The attack had been faster than Sigyn had anticipated, not like the combat styles she had been taught at the jedi temple. But it seemed to be mot similar to makashi though, just faster. Makashi was not Sigyn's favourite form, way to elegant for her taste. SHe preferred the stronger froms, like Djem So and Ataru, which she found were good against Makashi.

Since there were little she could use to do acroatics and easily move around her opponent, Sigyn chose to use Djem So.

Right after landing from jumping away from the first attack, Sigyn spun around, making a wide slashing move towards Laertia. This move was not meant to hit the other jedi, but to prevent her from getting closer to do another quick atack.

Right after the wide slash, she took a quick step towards Laertia while raising her lightsaber over her head, and performed a pwerfull overhead strike. This move would leave Sigyn voulnerable to attacks from the side, but protecting her head and chest region. And if the attack hit it's target, the head, this first duel could end quickly.

Laertia Io (OOC sorry for late reply, my head's been out of the game this week duo to reasons. Later replies will most likely come out faster)

 

[Laertia Io]

Sigyn Vanir leaped away from the first attack. Good instinct, the tombstone skinned knight thought. If she stayed in place in a real duel she would have been skewered. Laertia saw the next attack coming however. She dodged the wide swipe, admired the transition to Djem So, and blocked the overhead strike with a horizontal guard, arm not even shaking as it absorbed the blow from the kinetic energy traveling down it. She withdrew quickly, blade pointed out to keep Sigyn from lunging.

"Yorr faast!" she complimented before advancing, blade held one handed and close to the chest as she began a series of faint, unconnected slices and stabs that had no pattern, but despite the short range they were executed from, as well as the one handed manner with, had the power of someone keeping both hands on the blade, targeting Vanir's chest, throat, and wrists.