Open Coruscant Extracurricular Activities

Nykoria Tallis

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Coruscant Security Force Academy
Indoor assault course


The indoor assault course didn't change too much over the decade that Nykoria had spent on Ajan Kloss. Sure, the paint and colors were different; but thanks to her gift, the Zeltron Jedi could recognize some of those damned obstacles. There were the tires where she got her first sprain; the rope which she used to climb faster than anyone else in class; even the climbing wall where she and Liam... Relax. It was in another lifetime. For a moment, a dreamy mood hit Kori; a part of her was glad that the people assembled couldn't see her expression and a wide smile under the enclosed helmet.

It felt weird concealing her face at the place where she used to study. But Kori had more reasons than one for that: scarred face, concern for the safety of her parents, and the presence of some people who could recognize the rather famous dropout. Some of the reasons she had shared with the Commandant; luckily, the old man agreed. For that reason, he wouldn't even share the Zeltron's name with the public.

"You all know about the recent attacks," the old officer addressed the line of cadets. They tried to remained professional, but every once in a while a cadet or another glanced curiously at the armor-clad woman by the Commandant's side. Even without seeing the glances, Kori could feel the questions and concerns of the people assembled. "You might also have heard that they were led by Sith. An ancient and dangerous cult bent on world domination." It didn't take a Zeltron to notice a shift in the audience, and an occasional whisper. Having the practical and to-the-point Commandant speculate about stuff of legends was unheard of.

"The worst part is that it's true. And they do have those superhuman powers you'd hear about," the whispers among the younger cadets became louder, and even the Commandant didn't try to stop them. Instead, he continued with his speech: "That's why the Jedi approached me to use our academy as a training facility against the Sith, both for you and other law-enforcement branches." The Commandant took a glance at the masked woman, before finishing: "For now, it's all voluntary. But it's wise of you to come. Even if you just learn a thing or two from the Jedi and the Sector Rangers who come here, it might make the difference between life or death in the field. Carry on, Master Jedi." With that, the Commandant gave the armored woman one last nod—one could swear that he accompanied it with a brief encouraging smile—before leaving the course.

Relax, it's just like teaching Padawans... And whatever Masters... I mean, Sector Rangers who decided to attend. The Jedi took a step forward and spoke for the first time. The mask made her voice rasp; hopefully, nobody who trained here a dozen years ago would recognize the Zeltron by her voice alone. "Well, the... Commandant nailed it," Kori barely avoided calling him "the old man", like back during her academy years. "The goal of this extra course is to try and show you how to take on dangerous enemies. Particularly, Force-users such as the Sith. So, any questions before we get started?"
 
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Rand Mentel

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Stood at the wall of the room, trying not to sigh as the precedings went on. He had often visited the academy for these expanded classes, it was never a bad idea to catch up on some things, or learn new techniques either to use himself or that were used by the delinquent they were hunting, but this one was outright ludicrous. A class against force users? How often did the Rangers rally end up hunting a defected Jed? Normally the order was perfectly capable with resolving that themselves. But when the Commandant spoke, his attitude began to change. Of course they had all heard rumours, but there had always been rumours... he had actually dismissed them outright.

As the Commandant spoke on, the murmurs around the room started to erupt, cadets began to turn in their seats, and whilst it still kept civil, a certain turmoil could be felt in the room. He looked up to the podium, where the veiled figure now stepped forward. He was not unused to the sight of instructors in gear, especially for combat training, but this trainer had apparently decided to keep his face and features hidden completly. Was she a former prisoner? Allegedly they taught sometimes if they got out earlier on bail.

Her voice seemed familiar, somewhere he had heard it before, but he could not put a face to her. Then again, the helmet changed her sound certainly. He probably did not know her. When she came to the end of the introduction he raised his hand shortly, before speaking. "How will the Force be substituted in the training? Or will this course be strictly theoretical?" If there was a way to simulate the Force in this academy, he would be surprised greatly. He had never heard of such a device.
 

Nykoria Tallis

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As usual, when left with an option to ask a question, most of the cadets remained silent for a while. Nykoria couldn't blame them: between her get-up, the news about the Sith, and the recent attack on the Sector Ranger Coruscant HQ, many of the cadets had to be agitated. But one of the rangers asked a question, and a rather practical one. It could get the meeting back on track. The woman turned her masked face towards the Ranger.

"Good question," the Zeltron continued in her rasp voice. "There is no single device to fully substitute for the Force. It's just too complex, and the gear is rare and expensive. That's why I'm here, to act as your Force-sensitive enemy. But there are ways to emulate the Force." The masked Jedi glanced over the cadets; hopefully, she had just piqued their interest. "Some Force techniques could be mimicked by repulsors or jump boots. Even a lightsaber can be acquired or substituted with a vibroblade or electrostaff, minus some details."

The instructor tilted her head as she turned towards the ranger. "A droid could wield a weapon even faster than any Jedi. Technology can replicate much..." A hilt jumped from the Jedi's hip into her hand. "Even this move. But there is one thing that Force-sensitives have that hasn't been emulated yet. Any ideas what it is?" She'd wait for an answer, either from the rangers, or from the cadets, before proceeding with the demonstration.

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Well, who would have guessed that Miss Jedi was alright with a class of Recruits trying to bash her helmet in. Or, no, now that he thought of it probably none of them would even come close to the helmet. Still, the whole affair was surly bound to be interesting. Judging from her hight and stature he would believe that he could bring her down, but who knew about how much these space wizards really could do. With her confidence, certainly not too little. It would be interesting to see how much he would fail in the end.

Listening to her explanations, he had a few ideas what could not be achieved through raw technology, but he certainly would not say any of them, after all this class was primarily aimed at the cadets, and they should be the ones whose gears should be grinding. Peace had also been a little bit restored, with most of them now watching the Jedi with awe, and he had to agree that this force thingy was impressive. the flying lightsaber was truly an attention grab. But her voice still made him think. Somehow he had heard her before, he had definitely heard her before. But he had never worked with a Jedi.

Waiting for the cadets to answer, he leaned against the wall, deciding it would come to mind sometime later whose voice he was remembered off. Waiting for the class to go on, he was exited to see the force in, probably very nimble action. After all she wouldn't truly harm anyone here, or try to do so.
 

Nykoria Tallis

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It would appear than none of the recruits had the right idea. Either they were too shy to talk, or shared it between themselves in whisper, making Nykoria smirk under the helmet. Despite the distance and her gear, the Zeltron could still hear every whisper. She wouldn't let it show though. Not until she heard something close to truth.

"Precognition? That sounds about right," the tone coming through the mask got a little more smug, as the Jedi pointed her hand at the cadet who had apparently said the magic word, oblivious to the fact that the Jedi heard him; and therefore taken aback even more. "Foresight was good too!" The woman gestured to another group of cadets at the other end of the line. "It's something that hasn't been fully emulated yet. Even though you do that, and are taught to do that." She waited for that strange thought to sink into the cadets' heads, and for some doubt to develop in the audience. Only then would she continue.

"When you deal with a situation, or Force forbid, a crisis, you're always told to get as much information as possible at your disposal. What forces you're up against, where the civilians are, and so on. You train in a similar environment to know just what to expect, sometimes even plan things to the seconds." Under the helmet, the Zeltron smirked. She knew that at least some cadets thought that she made sense. "The Jedi and Sith do that too. But they can also do it on a more basic level. On instinct almost."

Nykoria paused, taking a look at the ranger. Her thumb adjusted the dial on her saber in the meantime, but the Zeltron didn't ignite it yet. "I'll demonstrate. Ranger, if it isn't too much trouble, could you set your blaster to stun and shoot me? Whenever you're ready, as quickly as you can, and multiple times if you'd like."

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The mumbling was kind of entertaining to listen to. He was pretty certain one of the chars had suggested jumping. How said student came to the idea that a simple jump was technically impossible eluded him. That poor boy would be mindblower once he first encountered a jetpack. But then they got onto a different track, foresight. He did not rally believe that though. He had control of his life, there was nothing constraining him to any path, so one could hardly foresee his actions.

The request made him step a few steps from the wall. it did not happen everyday, that one requested to be shot at. He had however no doubt that she could evade his shots, or even stop them, so why not make it more memorable. His hand went for his pistol holster. "Certainly Master Jedi" his thumb flicked the lever, setting it to stun before he drew it. "Just allow me to reset the gun before we begin."

Even before he finished speaking he shot. At this range, he should hit her. For the fraction of a second he even worried, that the move had been a tick too surprising. He did not want to denounce her speech after all. The sound doublet was soaring her way, and he could merely watch now.
 

Nykoria Tallis

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The moment Kori said "shoot", she had every reason to expect something. For all she knew, the ranger's pistol could already be set to stun. But the sound of the flicked lever proved Kori wrong on that and gave her some indication. Still, the ranger surprised her to an extent. From as much as she could sense, the Zeltron knew that something was up; she just wasn't sure what yet.

When the ranger directed the barrel at her, the Zeltron's left hand sprang into a guard position, angling the yet-unignited blade diagonally as the cadets heard the sound of the shot. Out of time, the Zeltron had to ignite the saber before she could grab the hilt with her second hand. The azure blade hissed to life into the way of the incoming stun charge, dissipating it and bouncing slightly backwards, towards the Jedi's chestplate. The move was still impressive, but not nearly as much as Kori would've hoped for. The flourish afterwards to deflect a possible second shot wasn't too elegant either. Nykoria could do much better.

Deep inside, the Zeltron was thanking the Force that she hadn't tried to summon the hilt into her hands after inviting the ranger to shoot. She definitely wouldn't have had the time, and such an offhanded tactic would've made her vulnerable. Even now, she barely avoided grazing her armor with her own saber.

"Impressive," the instructor exhaled through the helmet, the smugness of her tone gone for a while. "Most impressive... Deceit or distraction are always a good option. They're harder to pull off if you're planning them though. A Jedi or a Sith can sense your intent, sometimes even the action you're planning to take." Just in case, the Zeltron kept her blade between the herself and the ranger, to avoid any more surprises. "A good tactic is to..." the Zeltron spoke, showing no intent of stopping. But at that very moment, her free right hand extended towards the ranger.

Suddenly, the ranger's pistol would have a strong urge to point it's barrel downwards; the grip, likewise, would seek to go upwards, wiggle out of the ranger's hand and jump towards the Zeltron's extended palm. The ranger could resist it, of course. If not caught off-guard, he had a pretty good chance of saving face and weapon. Regardless, the struggle would be visible, and Kori would finish her phrase: "... improvise."

...​

Should the Jedi proved successful in her attempt, she'd examine the pistol briefly, before throwing it back to the ranger.
"Because if you don't surprise a Sith, you might not get another chance."

...​

If the ranger managed to keep a hold of his weapon, the Zeltron would let her telekinetic grip go after a couple of seconds.
"But be prepared that improvisation alone wouldn't be enough." In fact, she'd finish her speech with that phrase either way.​

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Rand Mentel

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The Lightsaber activated and defused his charge with ease, and apparently for good measure the Jedi flourished her blade afterwards. Whatever her intent, it looked impressive, and a murmur went through the rows of students. Rand himself had difficulty grasping the speed at which things happened. he swallowed after the shot, lowering the barrel a bit. under his breath a "Truly remarkable." Escaped him.

But when the Jedi resumed his lesson, he seemed a bit out of concept himself. Maybe this had not been so safe as he had thought, or maybe this Jedi was nervous? It was an odd thought to think, after all this was a battle hardened Jedi, what about a class of Cadets could shock them?

As the Jedi explained on, he felt a sudden drag on his pistol. His first reaction was to clutch the grip around the gun, as the sudden movement shocked him greatly. But then realisation set in, and he let go. This was a demonstration. He had already annoyed the Jedi enough with his manoeuvre, no need to cross her plans once more.

As the teacher went over his weapon he noticed her familiarity with guns. Barrel safety, a secure grip, and apparently a certain ease were all there. Since when did Jedi use blasters?

When the gun came flying back, he had to take a step forward to catch it, and holstered it thereafter. He had to admit that the whole scene had him a bit, well, perplexed. As she finished her sentence, some of the cadets began knocking their desks, in the way that they sometimes thanked instructors for their lessons. The Jedi had certainly won them over, their interest was piqued.
 

Nykoria Tallis

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Kori sensed some hesitation in the ranger; to drive her suspicion home even further, he let the weapon go without too much struggle. The Zeltron was both curious and grateful for that; the cadets clearly enjoyed the little show that the Jedi and the Ranger had put up. "In classes like this, I'll be teaching you what else you might need, apart from improvisation. Today's lesson will be simple: overwhelming odds."

...​

There were many techniques to take down a Jedi or Sith. Much more than Nykoria herself knew. But the basic idea was that few contemporary Jedi or Sith could match the prowess of the fabled Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, or even some of the battle-hardened Masters of the Old Republic. Overwhelming odds usually worked, if done right. A single soldier shooting at a Jedi wasn't sufficient, as Nykoria had demonstrated. She'd let each Cadet take a few stun shots at her; sometimes going as far as turn her back on them when she deflected them.

Then she offered multiple cadets at once to try the same thing. Now the instructor had to put in some effort, incorporate footwork and her second azure blade; but she still managed to emerge unscathed. As she explained, direction was important. All the shots so far had been coming from the same angle, and the Jedi could see them coming. And she didn't even have to move her saber too much.

Coming at a Jedi from one angle could work, but you needed many people, and preferably a repeater. Even then, Fore users wouldn't rely on their lightsabers alone; they'd wrestle weapons from hands telekinetically, drop ceilings, and shoot lightning if needed. But those were lessons for another time.

In conclusion, Nykoria asked the cadets to surround her and try to shoot stun bolts simultaneously from multiple angles. As she explained, stun bolts weren't just a safety precaution for this training. Lightsabers didn't deflect them like normal blaster bolts, but rather absorbed. It meant that the Sith wouldn't be able to use the rangers' own shots against them.

For a while, Kori's defenses held. She had put herself through similar exercises with training remotes on Ajan Kloss, after all. But eventually, as one of the stun bolts pierced her defenses and landed on her chestplate, Kori's bladework slowed down. Soon, a few more shots managed to connect, and the Zeltron had to throw in the towel before being knocked out by the all-too-eager cadets.

...​

"Alright," she breathed heavily through her helmet. "That concludes it for today. Congratulations on taking down your first Jedi, but don't get too cocky..." The Jedi instructor clipped the hilts to her belt; her posture not nearly as elegant as half-an-hour ago. "In a real fight, I would've sought ways to get out in such a situation... Or not to be put in it in the first place." Some could say that there was an undertone of frustration in the instructor's voice, though that could very well be the distortion from the helmet.

With the cadets gone, all that Kori wanted was to finally fall onto the floor and rest. But at least one of the rangers was still around, so the instructor didn't allow herself such a display of weakness. "Is there anything else?" she asked the ranger, who had been so helpful in her little demonstration.

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The training certainly was revealing in many ways. But simply the speed and precision of the Jedi were frightening. These trainings of course were just meant to serve as a first confrontation with the force, but the scenes made him terrified. If she wouldn't hold back, and they did this for real, how high would the stacks of bodies pile up around here? The thought almost made him shudder.

Most of what he learned was logical, but much sadly was not practical. Rangers often worked alone or in small groups, and therefore these swarming tactics would be hard to utilise. And even if, she seemed to hold her ground well for a long time. When after half an hour of training, the class was dismissed, he stayed behind. Still interested in some things that they had not gotten to during the training.

When the trainer approached him, he cleared his throat and started talking. "I hope I am no disturbance, else just tell me and I'll be off. I know what a hard workday is like. " He waited a bit if she would dismiss him, probably she wouldn't even if she wanted to, but he meant what he had said. If she would ask him to leave, he would just thank her and leave.

If she indicated it was not too much of a trouble he would ask: "If this was real, we would have all died, wouldn't we? Knowing what were going to do you could have easily stopped this. Would a sniper rifle have worked better?" That was just a question from his armed forces days. If these attacks intensified, he might find himself on the field again, and he wanted to know about that.

But he also paid close attention to her voice. He already knew he wouldn't guess who she was. He just wanted to guess if he knew her.
 

Nykoria Tallis

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"It's ok," the Zeltron replied to the ranger's first comment. After all, Kori was the instructor for a reason: to help those who sought to learn. And she could sense the man's curiosity, focused not only on the subject matter, but elsewhere. On her mask, perhaps?

Regardless, he asked a question. And without the initiates nearby, the instructor could give a more or less honest answer: "I do not know." Was she attempting to sow some confidence? Perhaps. But a real-life situation had too many variables. "I mean, I could definitely do more. And any Sith competent enough would do more. But the same could be said about you and the cadets, is't it?" The instructor tilted her head, as she looked at the ranger through her helmet's horizontal visor.

"A sniper rifle is indeed a better choice. It's not infallible, but at least you'll be safer at a distance," the instructor shrugged. Truth to be told, she hadn't been in a situation to check that hypothesis. "To do anything to you through the Force. I'd need to see you or know your exact location. And be close enough."

The Jedi headed towards the exit, limping. Apparently, one of the stun bolts had landed on her right leg. "I didn't hope to cover everything in one go. There's just too much to learn, for me as well. And this definitely isn't a 100% Sith-proof solution." The woman under the mask scoffed at the idea. "I sure wish there was."

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He listened carefully and she made a lot of good points. She truly understood what she was talking about, and when she didn't she was honest. So he nodded, she was probably right. "Not all of them... its like back in the military, exercise is fun, but you only know a mans worth after you exchange the blanks for bullets. Half loose their mind, the other show unexpected bravery." He thought for a moment.

"So not even the Snipe? A shame. But you are right, I kind of have the feeling there is no 100% foolproof solution for anything" He sighed, these Darksiders would proof really complicated. Contemplating whether he should say his goodbyes and leave, but he couldn't help himself but ask.

"I am sorry, you really don't have to answer this, but did I meet you before? Your voice, its just a bit familiar... Of course with the helmet and all, if its too private, I'll just thank you and go" *he looked at her. The voice wouldn't be enough to find out who she was, and it was none of his business. But sometimes he became a bit nosey. Maybe a occupational disease.
 

Nykoria Tallis

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The Jedi only smirked at the ranger's comment about her helmet. Yes, Kori wore it for a reason, and definitely didn't feel like opening up. But the man did seem familiar as from somewhere, though Nykoria couldn't quite put it. Could he have been at the Sector Ranger HQ on Coruscant during the attack? No, it might have been earlier. But before that, the Zeltron hadn't met too many rangers.

Still, Kori was kind of curious herself. And she didn't want to be too rude to the ranger. Especially after he had proven to be such a great help with the class. So, the Zeltron went for a middle ground: "Did we meet, huh? We might have." She shrugged, giving the ranger a long look. Without the helmet, it would have been a "sorry-but-I-can't-tell-you-my-name-though-it's-curious-to-watch-you-guess" look. But the visor and the mask made the instructor's face completely invisible and unreadable. Still, she felt it wrong to leave the man entirely without hints. "I was at the Ranger HQ during the attack... Obviously without a mask. And before that, I went all over the galaxy as a Jedi: Ontotho, Tatooine, Alaris system, Batuu , Fondor. Lived on Coruscant too."

That didn't seem like too much personal information. A Sith spy would have a hard time piecing it together without knowing Kori's name or even a species. And someone else... Well, she just hoped that the years had erased the name "Nykoria Tallis" from the memories of anyone who might've been at the academy during her years. The man wasn't Liam, and he definitely wasn't Shiri. And there could've been many Jedi hailing from Coruscant. "Sorry, that's as much as I can tell. Probably more than I should have. You know, security reasons and such." For someone shrewd enough, it might seem as if the instructor wasn't quite confident in what she was saying. It did feel weird to show up in front of a bunch of adults wearing a get-up like that.

A chuckle came from under the helmet: "Maybe, once there're fewer risks, and the Sith are dealt with, I won't have need for this." Kori wasn't entirely truthful though: the burn marks on her face would remain otherwise. Just like the events at the academy all those years ago. But for the ranger, that explanation would have to do.

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He nodded. "That may be, I had some advanced courses on coruscant, before the attack." Was she? No, he could not pin a face. A lot of girls came to mind, nah she couldn't be that Twi'Lek, the Lekku wouldn't fit this thing. Then the Pantoran? Or maybe something else. What did it matter. He wouldn't learn more anyways. "Well then, Master Jedi. I must thank you for the training. You certainly thought me a lot. I just pray I will never meet one of those Sith for real"

He also understood her worries, but it was almost troubling to hear it. "Though I might, if the Jedi fear informants so deep in the heart already." He couldn't help but frown. That was nothing she had stated, but from her words it was easy to take. "Well, maybe we will both be alive once they are done for good, but looking back to my history lessons, I have doubts. May the Force be with us or something right?" He inclined his head before making his final goodbyes. A shame he would not learn who had trained him.

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"Thank you for coming," the Zeltron replied, her tone underlined by the smile under the helmet. "May the Force be with us indeed." It was a shame she couldn't share much. But if the man had been at the academy, the last think Kori wanted was a reunion with her old BFF and an ex. Not like that at least. "I have a feeling that our paths will cross again, eventually." And with that, the masked and armored instructor and the ranger walked their separate ways... or limped, in case of the Jedi. If that's going to become a permanent thing, I should start charging for that. If only to cover the medical expenses.

// End thread
 
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