Ask Yavin IV Fighting The Good Fight

[Sybella Demici]

The Training Grounds of the Jedi Temple - Yavin IV - 0643 hours ​

And again, Sybella knocked down her mechanical opponent, her chest expelling steady puffs of breaths. At first, sparring with the battle droids seemed like a good idea; now, rather disappointingly, the young knight found herself growing rather bored. There simply wasn't much challenge in this endeavour; the robots and their programs were becoming too predictable, mostly because the Serennian trained so frequently with them. Yes, she knew it was counter-productive; sparring with the same opponents, again and again, would always become a tad mundane. She needed variety. A real test of skill. Whilst some of her compatriots favoured the calming studies, Sybella sought the more martial of pursuits. Legends of old told of great heroes, the ones who championed themselves for the good of Force; the kohl-eyed knight dreamt of one day becoming part of that legacy, like many of her forefathers.

It wasn't foolish notions of grandeur though that drove Sybella's regimental training. No, such thoughts were only fit for younglings. As a Knight, she knew better. Training had one purpose - it was to prepare one's self for battle. Real battle. Enemies of the Order were mounting, and with conflict forever on the horizon, Sybella wanted to make herself ready. Training droids and fledging opponents weren't enough. She needed more. Hence her recent request for a new sparring partner, but with the hour passing though, she wasn't sure if any would answer the call. Admittedly, it was still fairly early in the morning, with most of Yavin IV still bathed in black; perhaps she ought to have more patience. After all, not everyone shared her fervour.

Sighing at this, Sybella swabbed at her sweating brow. Even at twilight, the jungle was incredibly humid. Stripping off her outer robes, she then made ready, falling back into her usual stance. Though the knight favoured two lightsabers, for now, she would train with just one. A training saber, to be exact. Couldn't go utterly destroying the temple's equipment now, could she?

"Droid Sigma, Delta and Beta. Restart sequence. Run protocol 0-7-2."

Rather than face one droid, the knight boldly challenged three. Without delay, they sprung into action, one moving in head-on whilst the others flanked towards the sides. She parried the first jab, battering one adversary aside before turning to face the other towards her right. It swiped at her and she jumped back, just as another opponent tried to strike her shoulder from behind. She pivoted, striking at one droid's lower joints before kicking back at another. This combative dance would continue until, once more, Sybella (in victory) remained standing.

@Painus
@Eirik Sunwielder

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

The morning air was like sap on his skin; thick and sticky. The cloying jungle air sat heavy in his lungs like a fog and sweat pasted his hair to his forehead, disturbed only by the occasional toss of his head or when he ran his gloved fingers through their tresses. Yavin’s climate was inimical to his comfort, but it was in this discomfort that he found solace and strength. It wasn’t anything like the frozen fjords and wastes of polar Weik, though it brought its own set of challenges with it, like the feeling of being ever slickened with a thin film of sweat once he got moving.

Eirik had been up for about an hour or two if his chrono was accurate. He’d been walking the jungle in the early morn, both to immerse himself in the life of the planet and to get away from the hubbub of the temple for a moment of peace, if one could call the cacophony of insects and nocturnal creatures “peaceful,” that is. Now that he had fully woken up, it was time to finally respond to a request to spar that been sent out.

He wasn’t familiar with the requestor – a fellow Knight with whom Eirik had little interaction – but he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to train, especially with the Jedi growing more active in the galaxy. Sooner or later he’d clash sword-to-sword with their ancestral foe and he needed to be ready for anything.

His boots crunched softly against the vegetation underfoot as he entered the training grounds. Already, Sybella found herself engaged by a set of training droids, though they were, apparently, very minor threats to her. There was only so much a programmed droid could do in a fight; real fights were brutal and unpredictable, and that was why she had sent out the request to spar, he suspected. Eirik folded his arms across his chest and watched silently until she had dispatched the last of the droids, his expression placid.

Two lightsabers hung on his belt: his actual one and the training saber he’d taken before he left on his walk. Unless Sybella intended on making this training as realistic as possible, he figured she’d want to only suffer, at worst, some painful shocks and bruising.

When the last of the droids had fallen in battle, Eirik would offer a congratulatory stomp of his boot to the woman. ”You fight well against machines,” he rumbled out, his voice like dragging gravel, ”But there’s only so much they can teach."

Eirik unclipped his training saber and turned it around in his hand as if inspecting it. ”I am Eirik,” he introduced without fanfare or curtsy, stepping closer into the arena, ”I hear you want a dueling partner.”

He was never one for long introductions.

@HoneyMagpie

 

[Sybella Demici]

Exhaling one final steady breath, Sybella turned and offered Eirik a humble bow; she also took this as an opportunity to survey her fellow knight. He was certainly an imposing figure (standing well over six feet), his hulking frame easily dwarfing the slenderness of hers. She actually appreciated this rather stark difference. After all, in battle, there was no such thing as a fair fight. The scars on Eirik's face confirmed as much. Opponents could come in all shapes and sizes. They could be bigger than her, faster than her, even stronger than her. Really, Sybella had to be ready for anything.

Whilst the two of them hadn't shared much in way of interaction, she was glad to see they needn't bother with titles and such. Some, out of respect, still referred to her as 'Lady' but it wasn't at all necessary. “Eirik. I appreciate you taking the time to come here. I am Sybella."

His words were true. The moves of a robot could never truly rival the skills of a warrior. With that in mind, the knight's kohl-eyed gaze strayed to the warrior's belt; he has a training saber, yes, but Sybella seemed more interested in the real deal - his lightsaber. Would it be bold of her to ask this early? Hopefully, he wouldn't find fault in her fervour.

"I hear you're a bit of an expert when it comes to combat. Can you teach me, to fight? Not duelling and pretty swordplay, but real fighting.” As she spoke, Sybella thought back to all that had been lost. All that she hoped to reclaim. Serenno, her homeworld. The Empire had claimed it almost a decade ago, warping the planet until it finally broke; now, like so many other indentured worlds, it lives under the yoke of tyranny.

Shaking her head, the knight cleared the training ground with but a gesture of a hand. The droids and their damaged parts were flung aside, leaving the space once more empty and vacant. “The Jedi have many battles ahead and I intend to do my part. Healing and diplomacy are all well and good but I refuse to hide behind temple walls whilst evil is felt to run riot."

Of what use would it be to destroy the children of the Empire, when it is the Sith itself they must destroy, roots and all?

@Eirik Sunwielder
@Painus