The Digrasi Dispute: Aftermath

[Aibhne Tibbot]

12 years ago...

_ Two days and two nights had passed, the Digrasi textile mill left in shambles after a sudden raid on the factory. Though the Digrasi were suspected of dealing in black market trade, unofficially tied to mafias and a dirty senator or two, the nature of this attack eluded homicide investigations. Workers witness to the massacre shared limited testimonies, those who survived. And any Digrasi on site were found dead, those off site refusing to offer any aid.

A seventeen year old Jedi wandered the cold blood-coated corridor, power cut to the dead silent facility. White and black duraplast jerkin over tan robes, his tan boot cautiously crunched over shattered glass; lightsabers at each hip, pistol holstered to right thigh, short-sword secured to spine, and explosives hidden within belt pouches. Here to earn his mentor's gift of armor, the young man cast a grim expression in the splintered picture frame. He studied the signs of a firefight. It seemed as though these attackers didn't find what they were looking for. Perhaps he could. He looked under the cavity of a large gear sunken into the corridor's divide, crouched down to discover any hidden compartments. A cracked open side compartment caught his eye and he awkwardly tilted his shaved head against the greased steel to get a better look. @Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

One thing was for certain, Ral Vizsla hated working with other trigger happy mercenaries. This was the last time he worked with any such group without knowing personally who was on the team. The remains of the warehouse clearly indicated that whomever his employer had hired him to steal from had no idea what the words subtly and discretion meant. In fact, if this group of questionable people had done their job correctly, Ral have had a much harder time getting in. As it was, they had mucked it up, and now Ral was forced to fix their error, by sneaking in and stealing the one thing they were trying to protect. Now this Mandalorian warrior and mercenary was relegated to a third rate treasure hunter and janitor as he dug around in the remains of the factory for the design schematics for something important. Ral wasn't sure what, but he was told it was very valuable and paid handsomely to go find them. The only thing he had to go on was that they were classified prototype plans, and would probably be well guarded, of in a place that was relatively safe and secure.

Moving a piece of rubble around with the end of his vibrospear, the young Mandalorian looked for where the files might have fallen during the raid by the mercenaries, it was a long shot, but he wasn't going to leave any stone or paper unturned. The Mandalorian's armor was the typical customized job, a metallic teal color on a Gunmetal grey base, and on it mounted several weapon systems, as well as a bandolier of frag grenades hanging from his side. His helmet however looked slightly odd as it was a lapis lazuli blue, with white, purple, and pink flowers stenciled all over its dome. On either hip was a blaster pistol, on the front of his waist was a heavy blaster pistol. On his shoulder was slung a light repeater, on his back his trusty vibrosword, and on his forearms were his Mandalorian gauntlets, each with their own modular set of weapons.

"Alright, where the hell did these thugs place these stinking plans?" He muttered to himself as he picked his way through the remains. Just then he heard a noise, and for a moment wondered if one of the mercenaries were about to discover him.

 

[Aibhne Tibbot]

He thought he heard someone, then impulsively raised his head into a handle bar with a ding.

"Ow!"

His scratchy young voice cooed, echoing through the open hall. And though at first his hands shot up to console his skull, both hands next slapped down to his right saber and hastily unlatched the hilt into united grip to his side; prepared to, but not yet igniting the beam.

Luckily for him, there wasn't anyone on his side of the large wheel-shaped gear; meaning if there was someone here with him, they were on the other side. His head ringing, at first too preoccupied to have sensed anyone coming, now couldn't focus clearly to remedy his carelessness. So, feeling a bit nervous in light of all that'd happened here and imagining a whole host of mercenaries crawling from the shadows, he overestimated the situation.

Breath quickening, his left hand slipped from the hilt and into a belt pouch; retrieving a flash grenade.

"Hello?"

His thumb simultaneously primed the grenade, cleverly muffling the sound with his innocent voice. Judgement already operating in fear, imminent threat predetermined, he would lob the flash grenade out into the open floor with a turn of the head and quick shut-eye. @Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

Looking around, Ral could have sworn he heard someone make a noise. It sounded like a voice to him, a relatively young one, but that didn't mean anything he knew. After all, he himself was young and doing mercenary work, or it could just have been a man who had a voice which sounded young for his age.

As his eyes scanned the room he was in, he wondered if it really was a mercenary or just some snooper like him. In either case he would have to be ready to get the drop on whoever was snooping around so they wouldn't be an issue. With his left hand he drew one of his blaster pistols, keeping it level as he drew close to a large gear in the room. Just then he heard a voice, it sounded like the same one from before saying hello. Obviously this ploy was a trap, an attempt by some mercenary to cause him to give away his position. Ral wasn't going to fall for it.

However, Ral didn't get a chance to concoct a plan as at that moment he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head slightly, Ral saw what appeared to be a grenade rolling on the floor, the Mandalorian's first instinctive thought was frag grenade which caused him to dive for the other direction right as the flash-bang went off. Fortunately, Ral's helmet managed to filter out a fair portion of the decibels from the detonation so he wasn't as disoriented, that didn't mean his ears weren't still ringing, though. As he landed on his chest armor, there was a bit of a screech as his armor scraped against the floor, and the wind was partially knocked out of him.

Staggering to his feet with weapons in hand, Ral looked around the room he was in. On the other side of the large gear, he thought he could see movement. Whoever it was had to have been the cause of the thrown grenade, and Ral didn't particularly appreciate having grenades tossed at him. Obviously whoever this was wasn't friendly, which made this next decision much easier on Ral as he aimed his blaster pistol and started firing at whoever was the one who had attacked him.

 

[Aibhne Tibbot]

The flash bang's burst muted the other's initial shuffling escape, and Aibhne rushed to face his attackers head on, left hand dipping into a slipstream, without realizing Ral had leapt - dove in the opposite direction. What Ral saw was the back end of Aibhne's kicking strides taking him around behind the wheeled gear.

Yellow plasma spat forth a solid buzzing beam in angled right hand as quick blaster fire trailed shots from between his fleeting feet, sputtering across the steel gear, and following his trajectory to the other side when the slipstream suddenly erupted with a sweeping gale that would throw Ral forward off his feet; slinging his shoulders ahead and sending his face straight for the steel gear - a diagonal avenue slightly to Ral's left low off the ground and into sudden impact. @Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

Watching as the feet of his unknown assailant disappeared across the other side of the large gear, Ral sneered, side-stepping hard so he could get a better shot lined up, one that wouldn't be obscured by the gear. His previous shots had been inaccurate due to the timing and urgency of counter attacking, but now Ral had half a moment to lead his shot. As he aimed he saw the figure activate a lightsaber and a hateful scowl instantly came over his face. What the kriff is this lightsaber wielder doing here?! He would have to play it a bit more carefully now.

Continuing to side step in the same direction as Aibhne, Ral opened up an accurate stream of blaster fire at the man. It would be enough to help keep him on his toes and distracted so when he attempted to call on the Force to push Ral forward, the Mandalorian would feel an awkward and unbalancing thrust forward, not enough to truly defoot him. Still, Ral knew it was better to move with it rather than resisting. As the Force pushed him forward, Ral tucked and rolled, coming up a few meters away from Aibhne, enough to give Ral the time he needed to holster his pistol and attack with his spear. Stepping forward, Ral gripped his vibrospear in both hands and thrusted it towards the man's stomach. He was far enough away that the Jedi would be unable to effectively counter attack from where he stood, but still close enough to be hit by the blade of the spear. It was a fast motion, aimed to make the man react and put him a little off balance and to test his defences.

 

[Aibhne Tibbot]

Since Aibhne's lightsaber had ignited prior to crossing behind the gear, it was already positioned in a defensive posture. And since Aibhne's expression of the Force was also prepared before emerging on the other side of the gear, it was therefore executed almost immediately after showing himself. So Aibhne still managed a mild disturbance willing Ral forward, in closer towards him, but Ral's more precisely leading shots distracted Aibhne enough to weaken the throw considerably.

Aibhne cringed with a flourish of his lightsaber as he ducked under a couple bolts, searing superficial burns through his poor plastoid armor and clothing, his saber managing to deflect a couple shots; but unable to focus enough to properly redirect the shots back at the shooter as he would've liked to just as Ral was rolling towards him. Fortunately Aibhne's Force application had disturbed Ral's aim just enough at the end of the stream of triggered shots to keep him in the clear, the distance between them giving him just enough time to react.

Until Ral suddenly emerged upright and thrust his spear's blade toward Aibhne's gut, Aibhne only able to reactively step a left foot back with a bent right leg and arch his hips away so that the spear thrust short of its target; Aibhne's lightsaber beam now basically horizontal just over the spear, between it and his face. @Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

Watching as the spear (ignore the pretty lady) came just short of its target, Ral scowled, but did not lose his temper. He didn't expect the spear to hit, but it was so close it was a little disappointing. Inhaling, Ral gripped his spear in his right hand, left hand remaining free to use as necessary. Next, Ral would deliver a quick thrust as he shuffle stepped forward. The Mandalorian angled the thrust so that if Aibhne moved his blade, or deactivated it, the spear would hit him in the chest. If the Jedi focused his attention on blocking the strike, then his blade would knocked upwards and out of the way, allowing Ral to shoot his left hand forward in a punch. At the last second however, he would clench his fist, activating the pressure switch causing the vibrodagger placed in his gauntlet to shoot forward so that it would pierce the Jedi's chest.

 

[Aibhne Tibbot]

Due to Aibhne's preceding posture in that split second, his viperous left arm hiked into position went virtually unnoticed.

Aibhne threaded his hooking left hand in over the spearhead, twisted palm sharply caressing the smooth inner face of the blade towards and down the shaft with an abrupt and preempting outwardly extending redirection (extending the arm) as the spearhead thinly cut through his palm and the forked secondary blade sliced through his forearm's surface flesh, angling this second spear thrust to veer off course in an instant in only one of Ral's hands; as Aibhne returned his left foot in and stepped forward into Ral's enclosing shuffle - to which Aibhne's saber blade moved in under Ral's left hand and slashed with the intension of slicing up into Ral's chest (left hemisphere) and through Ral's underarm and shoulder to potentially lob off the left arm entirely.
@Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

Seeing his opponent attempt to grab his spear, the Mandalorian grimaced. Very well then, he'd think to himself as the Jedi attempted to deflect his spear to the side preemptively. Grunting, Ral could see that the Jedi planned to use his lightsaber to swing upwards and into Ral's chest. No, I'm not letting this happen again! As soon as the Jedi started the movement to attack, commit Ral side stepped back and to the right out of range of the Jedi's lightsaber and dodging the attack. Using the inherently superior strength and control given to him by the cybernetics of his prosthetic arm to wrench his spear back up, placing his second hand on the haft of the spear overpowering the Jedi's feeble attempt to control it, and into the Jedi's now undefended neck using the polearm's reach to stay out of range of an immediate counter attack.

 

[Aibhne Tibbot]

Ral's spear thrust incomplete yet still angled off mark, Aibhne's lightsaber hissed through open air in kind.

Seeing Ral's left arm join the other gripping the haft on his right, seeing Ral sidestep back and away, and feeling the spear slip up off Aibhne's open left palm - Aibhne bent down with his wide right swing and ducked his head right under the spear's trajectory at breakneck speed, swooping his head under the spear and to the other side while drawing his lightsaber in and up under the spear to defensively scrape plasma against phrik vibro-steel.

Additionally, Aibhne stepped a left foot towards Ral during the maneuver so that the spear head would be too far behind Aibhne to threaten him in the moment; Ral's footing too far in that moment to kick or knee Aibhne so suddenly.

If successful, Aibhne would charge in towards Ral while sliding the lightsaber beam down the shaft of the spear at an angle so that Aibhne was both defensively shielded as well as preparing an upward diagonal slash that intended to slice through Ral's fingers and arm and ribs (Ral's right hemisphere). @Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

As Aibhne ducked Ral's thrust, Ral immediately began to react. With his left hand placed closer to the center along the haft of the spear, Ral simply shifted his right hand up a little on the pole, ready to withdraw it back for a second thrust. When the Jedi came up on the other side bringing his lightsaber in between himself and Ral's spear, the trained Mandalorian knew what to do. In normal cases, Ral would have drawn the head of the spear back quickly as he backpedaled away, trying to stay out of range of the lightsaber, then thrust in again when the Jedi tried to close the gap. But Ral was too wary of the Force User's enhance reflexes to let this Jedi have a moment to charge in through his guard. And with the head of the spear already past the Jedi, Ral wasn't going to risk it.

In this case, Ral did the next best thing; when the Jedi brought his blade up to scrape along the shaft of the spear, his own natural speed and momentum would be imparted on the polearm. Instead of resisting the strike and pushing back however, Ral would use the momentum from the from the initial contact to initiate the spin of his spear, adding his own strength dexterity into the twirl only increased its speed. Bringing the rear part of the haft down so the shaft of the spear would protect his torso initially, the Mandalorian slid his feet back a little, making sure to remain close enough so the bottom of the spear would still hit, but making any attempt by the Jedi to close the distance much more difficult.

The move would be lightning quick and would result in the bottom cap of the spear slamming into Aibhne's groin, hard enough to crack plastic and dent armor (traumatizing the area beneath it), and it would be executed in such a way with enough speed that the Jedi, having committed to guarding that side, his momentum already moving upwards, and charging in to attack Ral's extremities, would be unable to pull out of it quickly. In all likelihood, Aibhne would in fact be slightly surprised by the move, the sudden lack of resistance coupled with the movement of the hands forcing him to pause for the slightest of moments. In anycase, the spin would prevent the Jedi from following it up and attacking Ral's hands or torso. If the Jedi continued through with his previous plan and attempted to close within range to deliver a lightsaber strike, he would be struck by the haft of the spear in his groin, knocking him off balance and sending him off stumbling back.

 

[Aibhne Tibbot]

As soon as Ral's spear left Aibhne's lightsaber, Aibhne was tipped off to the spear's counter; instincts signaling the body to attack sooner. Aibhne's left foot stomped a stall to his charge, Ral's back-peddling creating a split second of space, as Aibhne crossed the predetermined yet lowered slash (R-L) so that the saber swooped up into the near-center of the spear-pole under Ral's grip - not threatening Ral's fingers.

Ral's spear cap barely tapped the inside of Aibhne's left thigh, due to his slight twist and sudden stall of acceleration as well as his saber's subsequent semi-block.

The lightsaber's leftward crossing upswing would connect with the spear shaft in such a way, hitting (scraping upwards) closer to the center of the spear pole just under Ral's grip, that there would be almost no momentum to rebuff the cap and trade polar end for polar end just as Ral had just done, and saber and pole would ricochet a crossing impact that would likely return the spear cap down into the ground. @Ral Aran