Star Wars +++ Fate of the Sith: Shadow Hunters +++

GM OOC:

Hopefully, I will be updating today, as we have several new players about to join us as well.

Thank you for your patience.

 

OOC: YAY

 

OOC:too late to join in?

 

(Redacted at Ktala's request)

 

OOC: Has this died O_O??

 

GM Commner:

NO!

It is not dead. It's just that your GM had a battle with RLthulu this week..

Just hold on..hehehe Im working on it!!


Thanks!

 

Leachim Savid, Seth Marcle - Lower Levels, Naboo


"Careful," Seth warned as the elder guardsmen moved to examine the creature. "There may be more going on here." Seth was scanning the area, looking skywards. This did not seem to make any sense to him. He had a feeling that the creature was not what they should be worrying about and could only be a distraction from the real threat that had yet to show itself.

"How's your end Leachim?" Seth questioned. Leachim responded, "Just fine, for now....That ball of fur is decidedly not the source of the darkness. I think it is a decoy as well. Can't find the source of the darkness. I think it best we stay with the crazed man." Marcle responded to the other Jedi.

"Alright, Seth, you take upper left position of this man to follow him."

As they spoke, the young man was steadily backing up..before he turned, and tried to disappear into a side street. He could hear them quite well, and at this moment, he didnt really care. That only meant that they would be in between him and IT. He turned and ran down a side alley. He had a safe house. He simply just had to reach it.

It seemed that Leachim had the same thoughts that Seth did; that the creature was not the source but perhaps a byproduct of the darkness. Was perhaps tainted by it. A fluke or was there an actual intelligence behind this darkness then? Perhaps an actual person rather then some monstrous, unthinking construct of the dark side. Turning to look at the elder guardsmen, Seth motioned toward the stunned creature. "Sedate it. Examine it. Do what you can to find any answers."

As Seth took off after Leachim, going high on top of buildings, he missed the elder guards complaints. The man had looked at the Jedi in disbelief. He wasnt a doctor. How is Veck was he supposed to 'sedate' anything? He could stun it..But then, how was he supposed to explain this to his superiors? He snorted deeply. Let THEM figure it out. As other guards began to show up, he rounded them up, and quickly explained what was going on. A brief argument ensued, before one of the guards gently picked up the fury creature. As he did, he noticed fluid leaking from it. A puncture wound. He disappeared off with the tiny creature, as he went looking for someone to turn the thing over to.

Seth And Leachim followed the young man. He was still moving, but not as quick as before. He seemed to be searching for something. As he moved, he left the more populated areas of the central city of Naboo.

Seth saw a building, and what looked like a bunch of speeder bikes sitting on the outskirts of the place. The sign said, 'The Bakers Dozen.' Sure didnt look like a bakery. Leachim felt something was wrong about this place. He coudlnt put a direct finger on it. But there was something in the Force whispering a sense of wrongness.



Tag: -Remi-, Sarge221




....

Kaicus Cor - Roland's Bluff, Telos IV


Kaicus followed the trail, he could also sense something else that the others somehow had not noticed, though he could not phantom how. There was something else nearby. Tracks. Like some type of skiff of sled. They moved down, away towards the bluff. But there was that feeling of wrongness again. A strange smell reached his nose. A trail, like some sort of liquid also seemed to follow the tracks.

As Kaicus stood silent, he could now also feel a small cool breeze blowing from the tunnel. And the sound of smell of water. A slow steady dripping sound, that seemed to echo off into the distance.

And still the path traveled downwards and around to the other side of the bluffs.




Tag: CmdrMitth

..

Jayn Kell - Telos IV


Hayn Kell life was .. 'complicated.' The son of abusive drug addict parents. They pretty much hated him. He spoiled their fun. The feeling was mutual though, and he hated them as much as they hated him. He left. The streets of Coruscant are a hard place to grow up, but down in the lower

 

OOC: all my posts are read in a Scott brick voice
IC: Jayn Kell
Location: seeing red cantina

Jayn Kell sat back against the hard wooden chair, feeling his EE-3 shift slightly beneath his dark trenchcoat. he took a small sip of the amber liquid in front of him and savore3d it for a moment before letting it slide down his throat. his midnight black eyes quested around the dubious cantina, reaffirming what he felt in the force with his eyes. the people were on edge. from the snippets of conversation he could hear, some bounty hunter had been iced. he was incredulous. how could these people get so excited over one bounty hunter? people died every day and no one gave a sithspit. these people were afraid that they might be next, afraid for their miserable little lives. he smiled under his breathmask, not an easy thing to do as a kel dor. his bodyguard business was sure to go up. and he would have credits again. he didn't know how long it would last, but he might even make enough to get off this pile of rubble. turning his attention away from the hushed atmosphere of the cantina, he focused on the glass, reaching out to it into the force. the glass floated up and spun around, then shattered with a loud crack. several people stared, then turned away. he hated this planet.
TAG: anyone who wants to find me

 

IC:Tim Laurentine
Pydyr
The scream of the quad engined spacecraft was uncontestable. He was in power, in control of life of death in the form of a war machine.
Clear the dock! MOVE MOVE MOVE!" a few random voices screamed piercing the frigid night air. Red jumpsuit clad workers scrambled from their ant holes to begin their typical vessel checks and maintenence. Puny cretins.
Tim continued to stand on the ramp and gazed a the people who buzzed around his ship. He felt a slight pleasure at watching them work, he felt comforted by it. After all, he had been sent to this planet he knew nothing about.Yet he had a higher purpose, being here was not the be all-end all for him. But still, orders were orders and he wouldn't be the one to challenge them. Following orders had gotten him this far, so he could only keep going up.
A worker timidly approached him."Um..sir, w-w-e-e need to c-c-come on board for maintenence." the man squeaked, as he shook ferociously. Tim comtemplated killing him for a moment before saying "You will not come onboard. Anything you need to do will only be taken care of outside". The worker nodded in relief, as if he understood he was inches from meeting his maker. "If you are looking for a place to drink sir, you should head to the Wailing Whomper, just east of here."

Tim nodded as he tightened his midnight black cloak and focibly brushed past the worker. He'd have to remember to kill that man before he left off the planet. Squeezing through a small alleyway, he strode through a run down neighborhood passing by mercs looking for employment, junkies peddiling death sticks and loosely dressed Zeltrons proposing various physical encounters
Vile scum. Well, maybe not the Zeltron..but the other ones most definitly were.
Bypassing neon-colored busniess signs, run down houses, he finally reached a crowded four way intersection.Crossing the busy street Tim turned left and immediately found himself staring up at a creaky looking tavern: the Wailing Whomper. He sidestepped leaving customers all the way to the bar. What and who was supposed to be looking for, he wasn't sure. But he believed in the force, and that was enough for him.

 

IC: Norrun Rjo, outside 'The Wailing Womper'

Norrun had obeyed instantly. The First's words, far from being laced with malice and rage, had carried with them a sense of fulfillment and (dare he presume to say) humour. The young Dathomiri had returned his ship to the hangar and pulled the location of the Womper from a passerby's mind.
And now he stood outside and stared at the grungy, dirty structure. It stank. Not just literally, but in every sense of the word. From the junkies and whores who used the place as a business hub, to the scummy patrons who purchased their wares. Since leaving Dathomir Norrun's greatest realisation was that civilization was infinitely more wild than his home jungles ever had been. The universe cried out for order.

He breathed deeply, spinning the bone hilt of his lightsaber in his hand before placing it on his hip and entering the 'cantina.' The bar tender, a slender but well built Falleen, gave him a derogatory stare as Rjo requested a glass of water. Dountless the Sith's clothing, being made of tanned lizard hide, offended him. The reptilian returned and rudely shoved the glass towards him, spilling a portion of its contents on the Sith's lap. Following the water trail, the bar tender noticed the lightsaber hilt at the young man's side and glanced into his eyes. Instantly his scales paled and he muttered an apology and began dabbing at the spill before directing his guest to a quiet alcove towards the rear of his 'esteemed establishment.'

And in the shadows, Norrun waited. The Force would provide.

TAG: Anyone coming to Pydyr

 

IC:Zen-Shiva
Aboard Sith ship, leaving for Dormund Kaas

So, the first step in the hunt had been taken as the sith ship quickly left rainy Bandomeer behind and made its way to Dromund Kaas. Zen-Shiva's icy blue eyes eagerly studied the ship's controls. This was a very interesting set up, unlike anything she'd seen before.

But even as she studied this, other considerations ran through the sith's mind. Zen was aware that her query had gone unanswered. Not a surprise really, and somewhat expected. Sith were not sociable beings, nor was she expecting any to be. She knew she wasn't, and liked it that way. The attempt and subsequent failure at small talk only confirmed what she already knew. These were all beings who were used to working alone or with familiar and 'trusted' sources. None of that was true here.

If they remained a pack of loners, then their fate was already sealed. Zen was no fool, and she did not plan on early retirement. She was willing to bet that cooperation would only come when they reached a point of 'crisis' and lives hung in the balance. The prospect was not one she looked forward though, but the thought of it was indeed amusing. Well, if it came to that, she'd have to play her cards just right. Whatever happened, this was a worthy challenge.

A beeping sound on a nearby console captured Zen's attention just then, and she leaned over to inspect it. If the ship could run so efficiently, then the only thing keeping the group from doing similarly, was themselves.

Zen chose to entertain such thoughts no longer and instead, turn to reviewing the information gathered so far. Somehow, she had a feeling they had a few clues in their possession concerning their mission, and she was bent on uncovering some before they reached their destination, Darkside willing.

Tag: Any, GM (I'm assuming this RP is still active, yes?)

 

IC: Ariat
Aboard Sith Ship

The gentle hum of the ships engines almost put Ariat to sleep. Almost. He was not at ease enough to fall asleep in this environment yet. He knew eventually he'd have to rest or he would be no help to the mission. He was however, still very unnerved by where his master had sent him. Ariat was not ready. He stared at the wall before him. His eyes took in the different grays that melded together to create the ship he was on but his brain was rifling through information. He had studied the other in the group while appearing to not care. Ariat was very adept at taking in heavy amounts of information. He had to be in the situation he grew up in. Information led to easy lifts and more money for less work. In this case though Ariat was likely betting his life on a choice. He needed more training and he needed it fast.

Ariat evaluated the other Sith. His biggest fear was eliminated and that thing would not be getting near him any time soon. As his mind went over each of the Sith he continued to decide which would be the one most likely to help him.

The white haired lady with stunning blue eyes had been the first to attract his attention. Ariat was after all, a male. She looked dangerous and powerful.

The tattooed Sith who asked to take his ship along was a possibility. However Ariat got a bad feeling about him. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but there was something telling him not to pursue that one.

The pale human with short black hair was another possibility. Ariat couldn't get enough of a reading off of him to be able to tell his knowledge though. He would probably be a last resort.

The barefooted lizard also seemed powerful but Ariat was unsure how he felt about being taught by a lizard. Despite growing up with nothing there were still battles between humans and nonhumans in the depths of Coruscant. He was also unsure the trandoshan would help him.

Ariat didn't think any of the Sith would help him. He had to try.

The lanky teenager got up from his hiding spot and sauntered out into the corridor of the ship. He reached out with the force and tried to grasp a sense of those around him. He withdrew upon finding what he was looking for and headed in the direction of the Sith he sought.

Ariat squared his shoulders and he approached. "I need your help." He started knowing that was probably a really bad way to start a conversation with the woman, but he didn't know what else to say. He cleared his throat and continued, "I require more training. My master must have seen something and decided this mission was not in his best interest to come on. He sent me in his place but I fear my training is abysmal compared to the rest of the people on this ship."

He paused and took a breath. "I know Sith do not tend to help each other and you gain nothing by teaching me what you know other than perhaps it will keep me alive long enough for us to complete this mission. Will you train me?"

Tag: Sith

 

IC:Zen-Shiva
Aboard Sith ship

There was no readable expression upon her face, except for her steady and penetrating icy stare.Zen-Shiva silently turned in her chair and listened to the sith youth as he spoke to her. No, she didn't simply listen, she did more than that. She evaluated him. Other than the words which he spoke, there were the unspoken nuances that were just as important to her. The tone of his voice, the way he stood, the placement of his hands, the angle of his head and the steadiness of his gaze. These spoke volumes to her.

As for his words, she had to admit she was, if nothing else, a bit surprised. How long had he pondered his 'relative weakness'. And of all the sith aboard the ship, why come to her. Never mind the fact that she had already thought about testing him and perhaps showing him a few things indirectly, for the sake of the mission. The arrangement the young sith presented however, this worked out quite better than her plan. A lot better in fact. This was no mere coincidence. Zen did not believe in such silly things. Destiny, now that was everything.

"I know Sith do not tend to help each other and you gain nothing by teaching me what you know other than perhaps it will keep me alive long enough for us to complete this mission."

If nothing else, it was this statement that won her over. The boy could see things clearly enough and had no illusions. That was a good beginning. And despite the fact that the boy already had a Master and Zen was not interested in having an apprentice, given the fact that she was one herself, teaching the young Sith what he needed to know in order to survive their mission to Dromund Kaas seemed more of a mandate than a need. Fact was, that the group was as strong as its weakest link, so the practical thing to do was fairly obvious. At least to both of them.

Besides, there were other nuances at play which pleased Zen Shiva.

"Will you train me?"

Zen let the question hang in the air for a moment as she regarded the young sith. She needed to see the desire in his eyes.

The short moment passed, an Zen was satisfied. She was not about 'toying' with anyone at this moment. This was about the One Sith; which she believed in with all her might.

"First, I would need to know what you are good at, and what areas you think you're lacking in. Then you will tell me your name."

Zen gave a small nod to the young sith, acknowledging his presence and his request. As she waited for his response, several scenarios were already running through her mind.

Tag:s65horsey, other sith

 

IC: Ariat
Aboard the Sith Ship

Ariat stood in silence as the lady before him contemplated whether to teach him anything. He fought for control of his features to show no weakness other than that which he had laid out before her. His eyes however, we not to be controlled. They showed the desire to learn, to survive, to succeed at this mission. His telling eyes always gave him away. Finally she answered his request.

"First, I would need to know what you are good at, and what areas you think you're lacking in. Then you will tell me your name."

"I am good at sensing others in the force. That is why I chose you. Your power has drawn me here. I am also good at stealth. I did not realize my pickpocket ability had anything to do with the force until my Master found me. He claims I all but disappear at times."

He paused and took a deep breath remembering the other part of her first command.

"My weaknesses are physical strength. I never had enough to eat to gain muscle. As such jumping, pulling, running...are all weak. This severely limits my combat abilities. With my ability to hide I have never needed the psychical strength, but I feel this mission is going to test that."

Ariat shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"My name is Ariat. I am told most humans have two names, but I have only ever remembered Ariat."

Tag: Shadowmance, Sith

 

IC:Zen-Shiva
Aboard Sith ship

From very early in her days in the combat arena, Zen-Shiva had learned to develop a deep penetrating and unnerving gaze. Ariat, as the young boy revealed his name to be, passed his first of many unseen tests. Zen saw the spark she hoped was there, and was pleased to see it. That was all that was needed if she was eventually to aid transforming that spark into a conflagration. The trick was not to get oneself burned in the process, or cause the fire to consume itself and go out too soon.

Ariat revealed his 'weakness', and it was quite understandable why he wasn't a sith level combatant. Zen was intrigued by the boys revelation that his senses had lead him to her, especially because she possessed extensive combat experience. She was exactly who he needed if this was to work.

Now his 'strengths', those were quite a useful set of talents the boy possessed, especially for a very specific type of sith. More thoughts and ideas came to her. Zen-Shiva withheld a smile. It wasn't time for that yet.

"Well, Ariat?" she said, pronouncing the name exactly as he had,"One name is all that's required for now. I am Zen-Shiva, but you may call me Zen when we are talking like this. Use my full name in the presence of others."

Zen paused to make sure the boy understood.

"Our mission will begin very soon, so we don't have much time. You will need an intensive crash-course in basic combat, and I will also test your skill with a lightsaber?" she said while rising from her seat. With one hand, she gracefully picked up her datapad, which contained the info she had been studying and placed it within her cloak. This called for a revised course of action and a mild change to her plans. Just maybe, she could both teach and study before they arrived at their destination.

"Follow me?" she instructed the young sith as she walked past him. "We'll need some space to start you off. The ship's hold should suffice."

Zen strode on, leading the way to the ship's cargo hold. She had already studied the ship's schematics as soon as she sat down to learn the controls. Without looking back, or at the others, she gracefully moved through the corridor, her mind already working on what would be most beneficial for the boy in the shortest amount of time. A few interesting ideas came to mind. It was too late to do any body conditioning, so the point would be to maximize what was already there. With the darkside as his ally, Ariat could learn some useful things, but that remained to be seen.

The situation was, if nothing else, interesting, but also, a step in the right direction as far as raising their survivability in an unfamiliar field of engagement. Needless to say, a plethora of thoughts tried to invade Zen's thinking process with all sorts of potentialities, but she held them in check. At this moment, she needed to remained focused on the task at hand, experience had already taught her how deal with the 'unexpected'.

Reaching the service ladder, Zen tried the code she had learned a moment ago and was pleased that it unlocked the the hatch, which she opened at once, then proceeded to descend into the ship's cargo hold, hopefully, with Ariat in tow.

Tag: s65horsey, Sith

 

Ariat
Aboard the Sith ship

"One name is all that's required for now. I am Zen-Shiva, but you may call me Zen when we are talking like this. Use my full name in the presence of others."

Ariat nodded as Zen paused for some sign that he was listening. The young man was hanging on her every word however. He knew how much trouble he was in and he intended to survive long enough to hunt down his master and kill him. Any useful tools he learned along the way would help him to achieve that goal.

"Our mission will begin very soon, so we don't have much time. You will need an intensive crash-course in basic combat, and I will also test your skill with a lightsaber?"

"Follow me?"

Ariat fell into step beside her. He wondered briefly was was on the datapad she put into her cloak and hoped that perhaps she'd share that information with him if it were crucial to survival of this mission. His shoulders slumped slightly as they walked through the ship to the hold. Part of his training to disappear in crowds made its way into his every day life still. He did his best to make others ignore him.

He shook his head slightly at those thoughts. He was Sith now. Squaring his shoulders he decided against those thoughts. He needed to show confidence and cunning now or the others on this mission would eat him alive.

Zen continued to lead him deep into the cargo hold. They passed multiple crates of food and supplies until finally reaching a fairly open space. He stood there waiting for further instructions. A tingle of excitement rippled through his body. He was ready for more training.

Tag: Shadowmance, sith

 

IC:Zen-Shiva
Aboard Sith ship

Ariat couldn't have known that Zen-Shiva was evaluating him all along.He seemed to be mentally ready, and that was the most important factor. It didn't matter how much she sought to teach him if he was not mentally ready to receive instruction, thankfully that was not the case.

As soon as they entered the cargo hold, Zen was glad to see that Ariat was alert. Had he not been, he would have been caught by surprise by a swift blow. That lesson, would not need be thought, as Ariat passed it already.

"A good offense can come from a good defense." Zen began to say without preamble. With a fluid motion, she removed her cloak and sent it sailing smoothly through the air, which landed gracefully atop on of the crates.

"That.." she said of the cloak, "?could be used as a distracting attack, a tool to a create momentary advantage, but I'm sure you already know that."

As she spoke, Zen widened her stance and lowered her center into a low fighting stance. "Do as I do." she instructed. "Bend you knees and keep your arms slightly out to your sides, hands open and facing forward toward your opponent, raise the ball of your feet slightly so you are balanced on the front part of your feet."

Zen did not have time to explain the nuances of such a stance to Ariat, they simply didn't have time for that sort of instruction. With his willingness to learn, his body would more readily feel what was being imparted just by doing. "Do as I do."

With that, Zen went into four basic leaning stances. Front, back, left and right sides. She would bend the appropriate knee in the direction she was leaning towards and shift her weight. She went through the motion four times. "Keep going." she said, then stopped as she came over to check on Ariat.

"Not bad." she said at first glance. "Use your hips and knees as you shift your weight, remain balanced on your feet." she waited to apply her instructions, and let him go through the motion a few more times with a critical eye, then as he leaned back, she suddenly pushed him backwards. Should he be leaning correctly, he would find that his fall would be a lot smoother than he expected. She didn't expect it to be perfect, for that lesson was coming next, this was only the building block.

Zen calmly watched Ariat for the results.

"Knowing how to fall?and then recover, is a key component to regaining lost advantage in combat." Zen pointed out. "The outcome of many encounters can be decided at this point, if you remain vulnerable, or not."

Zen had no doubt that Ariat was already attempting to configure this small lesson into his skill set. His eyes told the whole story. She would have to teach him about that before the session was over.

"You have a lot to assimilate today,so I hope you're ready. Let's go again."

This time, Zen would be circling him while he went through the leaning exercise, and push him suddenly when he least expected it. At other intervals she would sweep a foot from under him, or pull him forward and off balance, just so he wouldn't think he knew what to expect. Zen instructed him in how to use his center of gravity to his advantage; personal balance was the key. His hands and arm, how they were used to break his fall. The falling exercise would quickly follow into a rolling exercise in all directions.

Once she felt Ariat grasped these defensive concepts with a good measure of understanding, she could move to something a bit more 'offensive', like counter strikes.

Tag:s65horsey, sith

OOC: Where is everyone else?

 

**GM NOTICE**

Im sorry for the delay in posts. Illness got hold of me once again, and its hard to write when your brain feels like melted butter..

We have one person withdrawing..*they werent in the game*..and another missing..but we will continue on. If your still interested...just post!

Update will be going up sometimes (probably late) this evening.


Thank you for your patience.

 

IC: Ariat
Aboard Sith Ship

Ariat felt ready as he followed Zen-Shiva into the cargo hold. He was ready to learn.

"A good offense can come from a good defense." His surrogate master spoke while tossing her cloak.

Ariat's eyes followed the cloak.

"That.." she said of the cloak, "?could be used as a distracting attack, a tool to a create momentary advantage, but I'm sure you already know that."

Uh oh. He failed a test already. He gritted his teeth and snapped his eyes back to Zen-Shiva's face. He mentally smacked his forehead as he realized how unprepared he really was for this mission. A cheap parlor trick fooled him.

"Do as I do." she commanded.

The young man listened to her instructions. He bent his knees and uncrossed his arms to let them hang a little away from his body. He shifted his weight onto the front of his foot, his heels coming slightly off the ground. He felt ridiculous and completely off balance in this foreign stance. His mind was working quickly trying to figure out the ins and outs of why this was a good way to stand.

He watched intently as Zen leaned in different directions. He marveled that she didn't fall over. Ariat gathered himself and leaned slightly to the left and had to stick his foot out to catch himself from falling over. He quickly regained his stance and hoped she didn't notice. He tried again.

"Not bad." she said at first glance. "Use your hips and knees as you shift your weight, remain balanced on your feet."

Ariat wanted to snort. Use your hips... Did she know he was a male? His hips did not bend that way. As he was lost in his thoughts Ariat was given a jolt. Zen suddenly pushed him backwards. He thudded to the ground.

"Ooof." The sound shot out of his mouth before he could stop it. He scrambled to his feet and struggled to put himself into the proper stance right away. Were his palms supposed to be facing in or out? Sweat trickled down his forehead.

"Knowing how to fall?and then recover, is a key component to regaining lost advantage in combat." Zen pointed out. "The outcome of many encounters can be decided at this point, if you remain vulnerable, or not."

His face burned red with embarrassment and anger flared. He fed the power that came with the anger into his muscles and tried the lesson again.

"You have a lot to assimilate today,so I hope you're ready. Let's go again."

Ariat spent the next hour learning about how to take a fall or avoid a fall. Just when he thought he'd grasp one part of the leaning she changed the rules on him and would sweep his feet out from underneath him and he'd hit the ground again. Eventually Ariat made it through the exercise without landing on his butt. He used his anger and embarrassment to fuel his tired muscles and leaped over the last swipe of Zen's foot. Ariat landed on the balls of his feet ready for the next obstacle she was going to throw at him.

Tag: Shadowmancer

 

IC:Zen-Shiva
Aboard Sith ship

Zen Shiva smiled inwardly, as Ariat let over her foot-swipe and landed on the balls of his feet, ready for whatever was coming next. Ariat was knee-deep in unfamiliar ground, this Zen knew well, and so, she looked for certain key factors in her new student, and was happy to sense them. Ariat made mistakes and did all he could to correct and understand the crash course. He turned his anger and frustration to grant him power over failure, to accomplish the task at hand, to meet the challenge and defeat his enemy. Ignorance.

This was good. Very good, but not nearly enough for him to survive on a darkside planet. There was still much to learn in so short a time. If Ariat truly desired to survive, he had no choice but to learn. For Zen-Shiva, instructing Ariat enhanced her own chances of survival, as she had many plans and devices running through her tactical mind. Dromund Kaas would not become her final resting place-not if she could help it.

"Good." Zen said to Ariat, as she stood and straightened her posture. "Take a moment to catch your breath, re-energize." she instructed. Her icy-blue eyes still watched him intently, still gauging his every move.

"In through the nose, and out through the mouth?slowly." she instructed, then watched him as she herself demonstrated the correct breathing method. "This is a basic internal technique?" she revealed. "It helps regulate your energy, so you do not tire easily. If done correctly, you will fatigue at a much slower rate than your opponent, outlasting him. Advance techniques will all but vanquish tiredness, refreshing you continually, sustaining your endurance for prolonged periods, even to do battle for hours, even days."

Zen didn't want to distract Ariat with fantastical tales, but experiencing even a modicum of the fantastical, often lent a burning purpose, even to the most casual student of the arts. The same could be said when an apprentice learned to use the darkside of the Force for the very first time. The search for deeper secrets could become?quite addictive, as Zen herself knew all too well.

"Of course, there are other, more practical applications outside of combat." she added for his benefit. Certainly he could think of a few, given his unique talents.

A thought came to Zen, and after a moment, she decided to voice it. "The Anzati woman." she stated firmly, carefully gauging Ariat's reaction at the mention of the woman. "She has marked you for her cruel amusement-because you are easy prey." Zen paused, watching, and after a moment continued.

"It is entirely up to you if you are the same person when you meet once again.Yes, Ariat, you will meet her once again?for she knows your scent."

No, she was not trying to scare him, but to fuel his resolve. Turn his FEAR into ANGER and his anger into POWER, and from that power?FREEDOM.

Just as she had done.

"Dromund Kass will test us all, but most of all you. You have taken the first step to meet that challenge, and there shall be many more afterward, but the Anzati, she is a challenge specifically for you. I trust we can guess what the price of failure might be?"

Zen paused again, letting Ariat come to terms with his thoughts and the reality of what it meant to live as a sith.

"You've done well so far Ariat." her first real words of encouragement. They however, will not come often. "Enough breathing, now for something more interactive?" she said with an unnerving sly smile, the look on her eye becoming slightly more predatory. Zen simply began to pace around Ariat and did nothing else but speak, at first.

"Sense me as I walk about?" she instructed.

"One: never let your posture or your gaze give you away, but rather, let them say what you wish your opponent to see or know?" Zen did not attack, not yet anyway. As she came around, she looked into Ariat's eyes, wondering what she would see there. His posture also did she regard, reading it as if it were a book.

"We speak words, but our eyes, our movements, speak for us as well. I'm

 

OOC: Was waiting on a Ktala update, but since it didn't come I figured I'd post.

IC: Ariat
Aboard Sith ship

"Good." Zen said. "Take a moment to catch your breath, re-energize."

Ariat, still standing in the unfamiliar stance, took a deep breath. His mind went blank and he closed his eyes. The boy focused on his breathing and listened to the fast, but steady beat of his heart. With each breath he felt power surge back into his muscles. The soreness from hitting the ground still existed, but with each beat of his heart his muscles protested less and less.

Thump thump

Thump thump

Zen-Shiva was still there. Speaking distantly.

"In through the nose, and out through the mouth?slowly." she instructed. "This is a basic internal technique?" she revealed. "It helps regulate your energy, so you do not tire easily. If done correctly, you will fatigue at a much slower rate than your opponent, outlasting him. Advance techniques will all but vanquish tiredness, refreshing you continually, sustaining your endurance for prolonged periods, even to do battle for hours, even days."

As a boy on the streets of Coruscant, Ariat had used a similar technique to make himself all but invisible to the older kids that wanted to beat him up. Now he used it to gain power. His previous master had not spent much time on this upon learning that Ariat knew how to do it and he now appreciated Zen's insistence on giving him a complete training within the time they had until they reached Dromund Kaas.

"Of course, there are other, more practical applications outside of combat."

Ariat's eyes snapped open and he fell out of the stance he was in. Did she know? How could she know? Ariat's memory traced back through the time they spent in the company of the other Sith before embarking on this journey. Had he managed to all but disappear during that time? His memory slowed during the encounter with the creepy woman...

"The Anzati woman." she stated. "She has marked you for her cruel amusement-because you are easy prey."

Ariat's body betrayed him. He couldn't help but stiffen up at the mention of the woman. Already his thoughts were on her and hearing the species name out loud drove him over the edge and out of control.

"Anzati." He murmured his soft voice filled with contempt.

"It is entirely up to you if you are the same person when you meet once again.Yes, Ariat, you will meet her once again?for she knows your scent."

His fists clenched and Ariat narrowed his eyes. "I will not be anyone's prey." He spat, his voice full of anger. Ariat had known what it was like to be prey before. He worked hard to up his status so that he was no longer considered prey. He would not go back to being someone's prey. He was the predator now.

"Make me a predator."

"Dromund Kass will test us all, but most of all you. You have taken the first step to meet that challenge, and there shall be many more afterward, but the Anzati, she is a challenge specifically for you. I trust we can guess what the price of failure might be?"

"I will be ready." He answered hopefully sounding more certain than he actually was. Ariat was not an idiot. He knew how far he needed to go in his training. He could tell how far behind the others he was. He was determined though to see this through. He would survive.

"Sense me as I walk about?" she instructed. "One: never let your posture or your gaze give you away, but rather, let them say what you wish your opponent to see or know?"

Ariat was good at this. He turned his eyes down and reached out with his other senses. He concentrated on what his ears could hear, what his nose could smell, and what the force was willing to give him. His shoulders slouched and even though his weight was still on the balls of his feet, he swayed a little back and forth. This impression he used in the marketplaces on Coruscant. People would see an innocent looking, starving kid and usually give him things.

He was aware of Zen pacing around him. He heard her footfalls. He smelled her s

 

IC:Zen-Shiva
Aboard Sith ship

All the while, moment by moment, she studied him. How he turned frustration into focus, how he took in her instructions and did his best to make them his own?but especially, she noted his reaction to the revealed challenge.

"Make me a predator." Ariat declared. His words resolute.

"I am ready." he asserted.

But was he truly ready? His very willingness to become stronger was proof enough.

The lesson continued and Zen could see that Ariat understood her words on 'posture'. Good. Draw in your enemy and strike decisively. And so they continued, Zen once again performed a swift foot sweep, which Ariat almost cleared. Hmm. Reflex training, but one thing at a time. Basics first, especially in such a short span of time.

A short word on tactical movement, followed by a surprise strike to the chest?which connected. Zen got the answer to her question, then. Ariat's first instinct was to block, which was telling of his Master's training and the situations he may have faced. Zen waited for the youth to once again take position, and noted that he did so readily, breathing in as instructed, and even managed to ask an important question. Very good.

"Is there a specific way to take a blow? My instinct was to block it with my own hand, but I'm not fast enough."

"Yes, there is." Zen answered and moved to face him and adopted a semi-ready stance.

"The ideal way to take a blow is simply not to get hit, naturally. But in cases when they cannot be avoided, your best options are evasion, in your case, and deflection or parrying; which are ways of turning the table on your enemy, but that you'll learn later."

Zen paused for a second then began to sway her upper body while standing in place, shifting her shoulders at opposite angles at first, then leaning to the sides, then back, and again to the sides. While still performing these moves, she spoke.

"These shift-evades are for close combat and best used against frontal attacks, like the blow to your chest. By minimizing or reducing the impact surface on your body, you rob the strike of power. Your body should go with the energy of blow, not against. Plus, you should be light on your feet, so you can do this?"

Zen added a side step to the upper body evade, then repeated the motion. She performed it again, this time with a quick pivot, then repeated the routine again with a side step in the other direction. Perhaps now Ariat could appreciate the necessity of quick and light footwork.

"Now if you add your hands, like so?" Zen brought up her hands to mid-guard position, and performed a shift-evade with a blocking motion of her forearm, as if an invisible attacker assailed her. Left, right and again.

"This way, you further reduce damage to yourself, especially since blocking is natural to you."

After one last set, Zen stopped and gave a small nod of her head.

"Learn this, and you will prolong your chances of survival. If you fall backwards, roll to the side and get up quickly. Staying on the ground is usually fatal." She said as a reminder. "And here, let me show you a simple trick." Zen couldn't help the gleam that came to her eye.

"Sometimes it's good if you do something your opponent doesn't expect. Assume that most of your opponents will have some level of training." With that, Zen simply stepped forward and into her invisible opponent.

"Moving-in unexpectedly can oft-times foil your opponents attack, especially if it's a mid-range attack, but do so only if you are countering with a lethal strike of your own, otherwise you've made yourself vulnerable to be grappled."

Zen noted how Ariat was breathing as he tried to keep himself energized and mentally sharp. Good.He still had much to learn, even though these were only basic principles. But so far, he was doing better than she had expected.

"An another thing?" Zen added, and for a brief moment, she seemed to smile at a distant memory, but it faded quickly as she became a serious instructor once again. "For every strike you receive, you are to ret

 

GM NOTES:

I would first, like to thank those who really wanted to play this game. I had hoped that it would take off, and really get going.

But with folks dropping out, and such a long lag, I feel that it would be unfair for the other players, to leave them hanging for so long.

It also spread out much further than I expected, so when people dropped out, it made it difficult.

That fault, was mine, so I accept it, and will plan better the next time I attempt to launch this. I am sorry for letting you down.

If any folks are still interested, just PM me, and let me know. I would always be willing to run a more focused version.

Thank you for your time and commitment.

Until the next game.....