Private Trials & Tribulations

[Arthion Aesatra]

Two blue blades clashed in one of the many training halls of the Coruscant Jedi Temple, a blur of motion as the fight’s tempo ramped up to a pace that would be considered ludicrous to most observers.

The whirring hydraulics of the training droid hummed to life with each movement, more and more audible with each passing second as it clashed with the broadsaber of the blue-haired young woman. Whereas the droid’s movements were precise and economical, hers were wide, kinetic, bearing a sense of artistry and grace that almost made her look like she was dancing as opposed to fighting.

Yet there was no mistake as to the effects of her strikes. The sweeping movements and wide flourishes were meant to batter the opponent, artfully applying as much brute force to her strikes as possible. There was an intensity in the way she moved that told any observer that this was no mere performance.

Most curious of all, though, was the fact that her eyes were closed. She dodged, weaved, parried and countered, all without seeing the droid before her…

To some, this might seem like some form of advanced training. To Arthion, however… it was almost therapeutic. Just her, her blade, her movements, and an opponent she could dance with. In her mind’s eye, her lightsaber was like a brush, the darkness around her the canvas, each strike colouring the world around her into a comprehensive picture: lights meshed with darks, serenity and turbulence met. It was her form of meditation, achieving a temporary sense of peace through conflict.

But then it stopped.

Why had it stopped? Had she missed a step? Did she err in her edge alignment?

Arthion would find her answer as soon as she opened her eyes, for she stared not at a training droid striking at her, but two halves of a bisected training droid now lying motionless on the ground, destroyed by her hand.

“… Shite.” She cursed under her breath, eyes darting to and fro. She truly hoped nobody had seen that…

---

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Arthion Aesatra

"You know we have to pay for those, yeah?" A female voice rang through the room, coming from the far back. "So you're the new Sentinel they sent me?"

Jonyna had taken an habit of introducing herself to any new knights that came her way. While being the Sentinel of Harmony mostly focused around her running the Service Corps, it also encompassed a smaller task. Training Sentinels to go out and take on roles beyond their training as a knight. Watchmen, Investigators, Temple Guard, and Even Shadows. While those last two were passed on from her once they passed their normal sentinel training, Jonyna was the first step. She wondered what this next knight would chose. Being a sentinel was a path to many specializations, and Jonyna wanted to make sure all who chose this path were ready.

The first test?

Combat. While Guardians were the masters of the Battlefield, Jonyna wanted to make sure any Sentinel that passed through her was on par with your average Guardian.

Without warning, Jonyna drew her saber from her coat, igniting the ruby blade and taking a Form One stance.

"Show me what you got, kid."

It wasn't a matter of demeaning the new knight, but she couldn't help it. Admittedly, she called everyone kid.

 

[Arthion Aesatra]

Arthion froze in manner not unlike a child being caught with their hand in the cookie jar, her head snapping to the voice that called out from far in the room. When had she gotten there? Had she been watching the whole thing? Ugh, she thoroughly disliked having an audience when she trained—it made her lose focus.

That was certainly the reason she accidentally destroyed the droid. It was definitely not her own carelessness!

“I-I’m terribly sorry, Master!” She nonetheless apologised, desperation creeping into her otherwise composed bearing. As soon as Jonyna drew her lightsaber, however, Arthion stopped. Was… was this some sort of punishment for destroying the droid? Was it that expensive!?

Her fears were dispelled, however, by what Jonyna said next. Right. A test, of course.

Pausing a moment, she would recompose herself, clearing her throat. When she spoke, her voice was soft but firm, no evidence of her previous desperation. “Very well.”

Eyes narrowing, Jonyna would be able to sense the sudden shift in demeanour as she slowly prowled towards her, blue broadsaber humming at her side. There was an intensity in her eyes, in a manner similar to what was present in her movements when she was fighting the training droid.

Deliberately, she clutched her broadsaber in two hands, “I will hold nothing back.”

And with that declaration, she sprung to action.

With a surge of Force-induced speed, Arthion leapt towards Jonyna with malignant grace, engaging in an opening manoeuvre typical of Form IV. Rather than strike in expected fashion, however, her broadsaber swung in a wide arc typical of Form I combat, the spinning flourish intensifying the kinetic energy of the blow in a horizontal strike aimed at unbalancing the Master!

---

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Arthion Aesatra

The Cathar's eyes watched the knight move from one form to the next. A feint like that wouldn't trick a seasoned veteran like her, but the kinetic blow would be enough to unbalance her...

Had it not been for her tail. Planting it firmly into the ground behind her, Jonyna raised her saber to clash with the broadsaber, digging her claws into the ground to hold firm, before she suddenly flew backward as if floating on air, disabling her saber for just a moment, then suddenly coming back just as hard with a burst of flame from her back, igniting the ruby blade with an uppercut slash, letting one hand drop to grab one of her two katanas, while the other hand followed through. While it would blunt some of the impact of the swing, she wasn't trying to power strike this new knight.

She was testing her.

"The sith won't play fair. Neither will the Empire. You want to be a sentinel, show me your defense." Jonyna's voice rang through the room like a bell, as if coming from every direction. Jonyna wanted to know if this new knight could hold their concentration.

 

[Arthion Aesatra]

Arthion already expected that her strike would do very little to put Master Si off-centre. Though she had made Knight, there was still a large valley separating her and Jonyna when it came to skill and ingenuity.

Arthion stepped back, entering a defensive stance as Jonyna floated backwards. She could sense that the cathar had some sort of plan of offence, but what was it?

Well, whatever Arthion expected, the Sentinel of Harmony bursting into flame as she propelled herself towards her wasn’t in the cards. For a moment, Arthion tensed, but the sudden spike of adrenaline the attack provoked stretched the moments just a little longer… time enough for Arthion to reconsider her defence.

Rather than simply try to stop the attacks through basic blocks, Arthion loosened her shoulders and lightened her stance. As Jonyna’s ruby blade surged in an uppercut, the Master would find that the majority of the attack’s kinetic energy would be redirected into the air, Arthion having performed a flourishing parry as she spun backwards in manner akin to a ballerina’s pirouette. With the distance built between the two, she easily evaded the second attack.

But Arthion wasn’t done. The twirling pirouette was suddenly turned into a counterattack, Arthion lurching forwards in a spinning back kick. Arthion’s plan of combat was to maximise momentum and kinetic energy in her strikes—what might have seemed like pointless and wasteful manoeuvres had intent behind them.

She could only wonder what bag of tricks Jonyna would bring to the table next. Still, she remained silent. Focused.

---

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Arthion Aesatra

The kick was a surprise to the Cathar. She could handle the parry, twirling her own way in a synchronized dance, before getting roundhoused in the side was a new one. Unfortunately for Arthion, kicking Jonyna's coat felt like slamming her foot into the side of a tree trunk. While Jonyna still felt it, so would the knight.

Another burst of flame shot from Jonyna's chest, rocketing her away from both, as Jonyna caught her breath. Not a lot of jedi had the stones to engage in hand to hand with a sith, and she worried this knight would get herself in trouble if she did.

But what it did show, was a level of adaptability. That was good.

Now she needed to know how she'd handle a sith.

With distance now between them, Jonyna unsheathed her katana and sliced at the air between them, unleashing a torrent of golden bolts at the knight. While only strong enough to inflict stinging pain, the Sentinel of Harmony wanted to know how Arthion would handle it. Lightning was an old tool of the Sith, and the Imperials had plenty of those too.

 

[Arthion Aesatra]

Arthion winced, subtly, the smallest hint of a grunt escaping her lips as she struck Jonyna. Dull yet throbbing pain shot up her leg as she put herself back in a neutral guard, stepping back as the Sentinel of Harmony erupted in yet another burst of flame. Her eyes were locked onto Jonyna’s, showing no outward change. If the cathar were perceptive, however, she would be able to spot the quickened rise and fall of Arthion’s chest, the only indicator that she felt the physical exertion.

But Arthion wouldn’t outwardly demonstrate it. Show no weakness, she reminded herself, for the enemy would only prey on it.

Once more would Arthion prowl forward, but she felt a sudden shift from Jonyna that gave her pause, moments before she did it. She was going to do something new. What would she do, what would she do?

She didn’t need to wait long for the answer. Her eyes widened as crackling gold lightning streaked towards her, and she barely had enough time to lift her blade to block. It was a hasty effort, Arthion clearly having not expected the Jedi to use a Sith technique. Some of the lightning made it through her guard, pain springing up in her body as she was electrocuted. Nonetheless, she held firm, stabilising her guard and shifting the flat of the blade to better block the lightning, protecting her from the worst of it.

Once the assault was over, Arthion wasted no time in closing the distance between them, the Force pushing her body beyond its usual limits—the pain gave her a temporary boost, and Jonyna might feel a flash of passion for just an instant, akin to swinging one’s hand through a flame quickly enough to not burn oneself.

She spun elegantly, broadsaber swishing through the air before she crashed down in a heavy downwards swing, before following up with a twirling horizontal slash aimed at her midsection and hopping out of Jonyna’s immediate range.

---

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Arthion Aesatra

Jonyna's assault of Electric Judgement was a show of Force, but she was glad to see the knight weather it. Still, she wouldn't stand still, waiting for the knight to attack. Twisting her ruby saber, Jonyna planted her feet and blocked the slash with her katana, showing the versatility of the blade, before deactivating the saber in her other hand, and smirking.

"You pass, Knight Aesatra. I'll be expecting to train with you plenty. While your saber skills are exceptional, I expect you learn plenty more as a Sentinel." Jonyna said, keeping her lock. "I take it you already have a specialization planned?"

 

[Arthion Aesatra]

“You pass, [...]”

As soon as Arthion heard those words, the composure she forced herself to maintain dropped. Her shoulders lowered, her stance loosened, and she panted in clear fatigue. Deactivating her lightsaber, she would place it back at her hip, before giving Jonyna a bow.

“Thank you, Master Si. I will strive for constant growth as a Sentinel and as a Jedi.” She said, and though her voice was soft, it was not for lack of determination. Her eyes radiated strength of will, and she carried herself with poised unflappability—barring accidents with training droids, of course.

At the question of what specialisation she would choose, Arthion paused, eyes flitting downwards for a moment before meeting Jonyna’s own. “I am, at this moment, uncertain. Currently, I’m vacillating between Shadow and Investigator.” Arthion’s tendency to constantly be active, doing one thing or another, left little time for such thoughts, and now she found herself unprepared when she did have to make the choice. How shameful…

---

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Arthion Aesatra

Jonyna herself took a moment to loosen up, sheathing her katana with a twirl of the blade, and putting her saber back on her belt. "Both are good choices. Valery Noble is the one who heads up the Shadows, so if you want to do that, I'd talk to her. As for Investigator...I can train you in that. What interests you in those fields? I'm sure I can offer some insight into it."

 

[Arthion Aesatra]

Arthion’s brow furrowed for a moment, the question provoking her to think: why did she have an interest in the two vocations? She had a feeling either would suit her, but had never thought to truly question why she felt as such. That trust in her intuition helped her on several occasions, but did occasionally stump her when she needed to properly think about it.

After a few more moments of thought, Arthion felt confident enough to give an answer.

“I wish to defend the people of the Alliance… nay, not just them. I wish to defend people all across the galaxy against corruption and tyranny, whatever form it may take.” She began, and though her tone was soft, there was no hesitation in it, “In many ways, I make for rather a poor Jedi, but I feel at ease helping others, and feel proud when I root out corruption within society. I suppose I simply wish to ease the suffering of the people in the best way I can.”

---

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Arthion Aesatra

Jonyna couldn't help but smile. "Then perhaps a different path suits you. A Wayseeker. My predecesor Jasper Kai'el took that path. It's not one you would be ready for now, but it is a good goal. You'd be going out on your own terms, finding your own way."

 

[Arthion Aesatra]

“A Wayseeker?” Arthion repeated curiously. She wasn’t familiar with the position, though the way Jonyna described it sparked interest within her. Finding her own way out in the galaxy, doing as she pleased…

It was certainly an attractive prospect.

“I see.” She said, clearly in thought. “A path worth considering. You have my gratitude for bringing it to my attention, Master Si. In any case, I will take care in picking my path.”

With that matter out of the way, Arthion then asked. “What do you suggest I work on in the meantime, Master?”

---

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Arthion Aesatra

"Your bladework is exceptional, but being a sentinel is more than just being good with a saber. I'd look into familiarizing yourself with electronic knowledge. Splicing, repairwork, tinkering. I was never much good at it, but I always encourage others to be. It can be good in a pinch. Other than that, survival training is another good way to give yourself an edge. I was born into a world where such training is part of growing up, but if you are to become a Sentinel, you'll be going to worlds unknown. Best to prepare for that. Vary your skills as much as you can."

Jonyna recalled her days as a Rebel. Plenty of worlds she went to where she found herself in unfamiliar territory. Hoth, Ryloth, Mon Cala...

The galaxy was a varied place when it came to ecology, and a jedi sentinel was best be prepared for anything.

 

[Arthion Aesatra]

Arthion silently listened as Jonyna listed off some of the potential skills that would be useful to her as a Sentinel. She was already a decent hand at some of them, but she could always stand to deepen her proficiency, and diversify her skill set besides. Survival, in particular, was a blind spot for her, having operated in civilisation, by and large.

“Very well, Master.” Arthion said with a nod… then appeared to pause for a moment, a dash of hesitation showing through her demeanour as her eyes shifted to the side momentarily before once more meeting Jonyna’s gaze. When she did speak up, it was in tentative fashion, “If I may be so bold, Master Si, might I ask for your assistance in regards to these things in future? I understand that your duties often keep you busy, but I fear I’m out of my depth in regards to a lot of the skills you’ve listed.”

---

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Arthion Aesatra

"Of course." Jonyna smiled. "Meet me on Cathar next week. We'll start your survival training there. It's my home-world, so I'll make sure you don't get too lost."