[Open] Martial Arts Training

[Supreme Commander]

N'Kuna sheds his BIA-2 gear and stands with his combat pants on and nothing else. He begins stretching with an intense focus that could cut the air. He does some simple kicks and punches before he activates his training droid. He stands in the Echani stance and awaits the first move. The droid strikes, faster than anticipated and jabs N'Kuna in the right cheek bone. He drops to the ground, somersaults away and is back on his feet. "Haar'chak" he mutters to himself. The droid advances quickly again and this he blocks the right jab and ducks under left hook. He tackles the droid to the ground who then kicks him overhead. N'Kuna recovers quickly and comes back with a high overhead kick. The droid blocks, pushes N'Kuna off who rolls back and they both stand prepared to go again. The next 2 minutes are an exchange of punches, blocks, and dodges. N'Kuna throws a sharp high kick to the droids head who ducks and sweeps N'Kuna's leg out from under him. N'Kuna back flips but the moment he is on his feet again he is met with the droid at full charge. The droid flies through the air with a drop kick to the chest. N'Kuna is knocked out of the circle and is on his back. Round 1 goes to the Droid.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Sisk sat in the shade of a nearby tree, his beskad perched in his lap, a sharpening stone running against the blade. Garbed in a simple tunic and pants, without the sword he would have been taken for anything except a warrior. It was cool in the shade, and his sleeveless tunic caused him goosebumps as a chilled wind ran against his arms. He had returned to Mando'yaim after Alsakan to regroup, to allow his mind to settle, and what better way to do that than to walk on his ancestral home? The week he had been here had been productive, recruiting new verde and sending them off. The Protectors grew ever stronger, with men and women who wished to escape the pointless bickering of the clans, who would serve with no thought of themselves, only of their people.

He had been watching the teen who fought the droid, analyzing his movements, and watching his failure. It had looked like it hurt. The boy was to raw to attempt such a high setting. There was skill there, but it had yet to be tempered to a usable blade. Sisk stood slowly, and planted the tip of his beskad in the dirt at his feet, then stretched easily. With two long strides, he stood in the sun, making himself known. "You're over analyzing. Hand to hand is not something that requires conscious thought, but instead should flow through you like a river."

 

[Supreme Commander]

Hearing the instruction of an Ori'verd, N'Kuna leaves the battle circle to tend his wounds and consider carefully his actions. The words of Sisk run deep in his mind and he takes is sure to remember it his next fight.

 

[Supreme Commander]

Martial Arts Training (Round 2)

N'Kuna stands in the training circle, sweating even though the night is cool. He stands in the Teräs Käsi stance in a black tunic, pants, and boots, with no shirt under, revealing a sweating muscled chest. The same chest has blood dripping onto it as his nose bleeds from the blow the droid gave him only a moment ago. He only just dropped to the stance, realizing that he should be emphasizing dodging and high speed movements. " Hand to hand is not something that requires conscious thought, butin stead should flow through you like a river." The memory of Cabur Sisk's words came in. N'Kuna stops thinking and allows his reflexes and instincts to settle in. Deep slow breaths he takes. He blinks once, twice, thrice, then the droid is back at it again. It steps in an attempts a high kick, N'Kuna is leaning backwards and away from it, completely dodging it. The next several punches come in a blur. All but one were aimed at N'Kuna's head and he dodges them with little effort. The one punch that was aimed at his abs, N'Kuna grabbed the droid's striking arm (its right) with right. He pulled it in and with his left arm he delivered a steel blow to the elbow of the droid, dismembering its arm in 2. In that moment N'Kuna felt victorious, and dropped his guard for the briefest of seconds and in that time he forgot that droids feel no pain. The droid turned left and brought up its left elbow just after N'Kuna had dismembered its right. Its left elbow caught N'Kuna in the temple, knocking him senseless and leaving black spots dancing on his vision. N'Kuna, bent over and attempting to regain balance was completely vulnerable to the droid's overhead kick to the back of his head. The lights went out and N'Kuna saw nothing, heard nothing, and his last thought before he fell into unconsciousness right there in a slowly growing pool of blood pouring from his nose, was "di'kut." The droid recognizing the dangers of being unconscious and bleeding, drags N'Kuna out of the training room to receive medical attention.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Sisk watched him walk out of the training circle, and shook his head. "So you leave the circle when a vod offers correction? That is not the way of the Mando." Sisk moved forward easily, and relished the feel of the wind against his face. After so much time aboard ships and in his buy'ce, it was a pleasure to feel the world around him. "We accept the critiques of our fellow verd, and attempt to correct our mistakes. We center ourselves, and allow the battle to flow." He had reached the center of the circle, and faced the droid. "Without correction, a verd becomes complacent, and complacency leads to death." Sisk rolled his shoulders, and gave his orders.

"Activate training level 25. Safeties off." Level 25 was the highest level of practice, and removing the safeties meant that the possibility of death hung in the air. The droid activated, raised its arms, and moved in. Sisk adopted a defensive stance, and as the droid threw its first volley, used his hands and forearms to ward them off. "I don't care how clever you are, I don't care how skilled you are. In the Mando's, every fight is fr one purpose, and one purpose only, to make sure the next one doesn't end you." Sisk moved forward, his left hand throwing a feint, while his right fist planted an open palm strike against the droids chest. The droid stumbled backwards, regained its balance, and moved in quickly, using its feet as well as its hands.

Sisk moved his head to the side and avoided a punch, then raised his shin to block a knee aimed towards his midsection. he reversed the momentum, and forced his leg back down to the ground, following through with a punch to the droids knee. He felt the durasteel crack beneath his artificial hand, and the droid stumbled again, letting out an electronic squeak of dismay. "To truly learn, there must be a possibility of pain. Real pain, not the pain that comes from a few bruises." He took a step forwards, and attacked, his hands moving in a blur, and the training droid did an admirable job of stopping several, but faltered as Sisk pivoted his hips, and threw a side kick into the abdomen. With a squawk, the droid folded over, and Sisk used the moment to his advantage. He rose quickly, and planted an elbow in the droid's neck. There was a loud crack, and the droid slumped, the electronic connections between its brain and servomotors severed.

Sisk stood, and sweat dripped from his forehead. He spun to face the young Mandalorian. "If you suffer a defeat, you do not walk away. You fight until you cannot fight anymore. That is the truth of life, and one must learn it to truly conquer the fields, and one's self."

 

[Supreme Commander]

N'Kuna stops at the sound of Cabur Sisk's voice and he turns to witness him walking into the circle. He listens attentively to his words and begins to feel a rising shame in his actions and realized he acted as a child might. N'Kuna stands with slight dizziness but he watches the Cabur's stance and wishes not to hear his criticism yet listens for he knows Sisk is right. "Without correction, a verd becomes complacent, complacency leads to death" those words bounce around in his mind for what seemed hours in the few moments between that phrase and "In the Mando's, every fight is for one purpose, and one purpose only, to make sure the next one doesn't end you." N'Kuna waited until the fight was over and was highly impressed at the Cabur's skill. N'Kuna replies "I have listened carefully, Cabur, I will not be stubborn again. I will NOT give in again, and I will ensure that every moment I train I become better otherwise I am growing weaker and the weak die in an unforgiving galaxy, only the strong may live and rule us. Ori'vore ner'vod.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Sisk nodded slowly, and then turned his head. "New training droid. Level 7. Safeties off." He walked out of the circle, and sat down on his seat under the shade. "I want to see you fall into the moment. Bring yourself into the battle. Let it be a part of you."

 

[Supreme Commander]

N'Kuna walks slowly back towards the circle. He remembers how he used to train with his father. He remembers the nights when he could not go to sleep until he learned a kick or a punch. He remembered the long hours in the sun when he had to hold a stance perfectly and could not have water until he was endured it all without moving. He remembered hearing the gentle yet stern knowledge and wisdom of his mother "It is okay to fall down ner'cyar'ika but it is the way of hut'uun to stay down and no ad of mine is hut'uunHe remembered how it felt to let his body and instincts take over during his Verd'goten and he doesn't know how is it he could've forgotten those feelings. Those moments. The words of the Cabur ring fresh in his mind. A deep breath he took and when he took that breath he felt something else, as if something else was breathing with him. He breathed out slowly and he stepped into the circle, forgetting the pain in his nose and head, forgetting his failures and focusing only on the present. The moment.

He dropped again into the Echani stance but yet he focused on the principals of the "Steel Fist" taught in Teräs Käsi. The fight was on. This time he was first to press the attack. He came in with a flurry of punches that had such a brute strength behind it, he was denting the droid's arms as it tried to block N'Kuna's fists. N'Kuna paused the assault and switched to the defensive. The droid answered his previous flurry with a snapping low kick which he rolled back flipped away from to a foot away from the edge of the circle. The droid pressed forward attacking with its palms. N'Kuna ducked under a high kick and rolled back to the center of the circle. The droid continued the assault. N'Kuna used his forearms to block these attacks and timed the next right hook with near perfection. He caught the attack with both hands, stepped in with his right foot, popped his hips up and tossed the droid over. N'Kuna came to a knee quickly and jabbed the droid's "throat", smashing it almost entirely. N'Kuna stood with sweat beads forming on his head. The cool air felt good on his hot skin and sore nose. N'Kuna looked for the Cabur but could not see him in the darkness of the night. Feeling too lazy to walk back to his room, N'Kuna lies on a nearby tree and begins thinking on his day and prepares to drift of to sleep.