Calculated Motion (open training/spar)

[imported_Terran Starek]

Courtyard

Among several blades of grass, Terran found his toes tangled, the cool ground supporting his nimble feet. He stood, barefoot, in his regular pants and a light tunic draped over his upper-body. A pile of boots, socks, cloak, his belt, and a brown satchel lay in a heap several yards from the figure, which sat cross-legged on the ground. Toes digging deeper into the soft grass, his eyes shut, hands resting on his legs, he sat in silence.

In his hands rested his lightsaber--Halcyon--the blade having been returned to him by Xazor after Silus had honorably given it back to her. The craftsmenship of the blade was impeccable--he had a knack for weapon-making that Xazor always praised. Many were suprised by this, considering that he was rather slow to take up arms against another. He had been reckless in his first months here--many had been. In experience and wisdom bestowed by those around him, he had calmed.

He was indeed calm. At one with the Force, here. He felt life flowing through him, an energy bond unlike any other that could possibly be felt by a being not attuned to the living Force. It was pleasant, and peace was flowing through his every being. He believed firmly in the power of peace, and despite the naysayers of this theory, this peace brought him closer to his weapon. He could feel every detail, every contour of the hilt. He could sense the energy that rest inside it. It was the connection a Jedi had to his weapon, and his was a strong one.

SNAP-HISS!

The saber sprung to life as the figure of the Padawan did as well.

WHUMMMMMMMMMMMM

He swung the featherlight blade upward, holding it above his head in a defensive position. He held it there, in stillness, his eyes still closed.

WHUMMMMMMMMMMMM

He whipped the weapon left and in a downward slash, slicing the air around him. Still, his eyes remained shut.

ZIMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

He threw the blade out in a stabbing position, this time opening his eyes. His feet extended forward as he had lunged with the stab, he found his body frozen in the position, remaining still and in control. He was disciplined, and kept his training sharp by being concise and controlled, not vibrant or flashy. There he remained, holding the weapon out, letting the Force guide his hand.

[Dasquian Belargic]

The sound of another blade cutting into the air was heard. The beam, orange in hue, hissed almost hungrily as it was freed from its sanctuary, licking at the air surrounding it to cause a constant hum of energy. Though Terran had not sighted it yet, its movement was obvious from the audible rise in the volume of the hum, as the beam moved sideways through the air.

“You appear to have some skill with a lightsaber,” a voice intoned.

Dasquian strode past Terran, stepping through mesh of foliage and fallen flora with trained grace. His violet eyes came to rest upon the Padawan’s face as he stopped short of Starek by ten foot, just off to his left. The Knight held the hilt of a brilliant orange blade in his hand; a replica of the weapon claimed from him by Dae Jinn.

“If you are looking for a sparring partner,” the Jedi stated, his voice void of emotion, “I would gladly oblige.”

[imported_Terran Starek]

Dasquian Belargic.

He knew exactly who the Jedi was as soon as he laid eyes upon him. Terran had always been a bit of a bookworm (sometimes, he was confused for Loki by people seeking "the padawan with his head in the books all the time") and he frequented the respected Jedi Archives much too often. He had familiarized himself with all of the Council members and their bios, all the Masters, and most of the Knights. The padawans were harder, as many came and went, but he tried to keep up.

The other was graceful--extremely graceful. He walked almost on air, and Terran noticed it immediately. He couldn't remember if the two had meet previously. Probably not, he thought. Given the circumstance of their somewhat intertwined lives. Terran knew about Xazor and he's relationship before his reappearance. He knew that Dasquian was the father of the life that grew inside the Garou Knight.

He respected the man greatly.

Dasquian had always been seen as one of the very skilled, very wise members of the Order, and even moreso, he was a very giving man. To be in the position he remained was one of control and his position was honor. Terran was pleased to meet him now.

"Master Belargic, I appreciate the compliment," he said, finding himself slightly blushed as he had been noticed out her fooling around with his weapon. "But I'm sure my skill could not even nearly match your own." He came out of his stance and held the saber down in a lowered position.

"However, any good student recognizes an oppurtunity to learn, and I would be foolish to pass up this one." He gave a small grin to the Jedi before him, and his eyes twinkled. It was a look that few truly saw--the warrior in him. It was a mischievious one that Xazor knew well.

He held Halcyon in perfect stillness.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Dasquian narrowed his eyes somewhat, returning the smile. He found himself unavoidably cautious of Terran, and it was nothing more than a lingering bitterness on his part. None the less, his eagerness to challenge the Padawan spawned more from the good things he had heard of him. He could not avoid hearing the talk amongst the others in the Temple, and Terran was often the target of many good words.

“I am sure you will find that the Archives and others have greatly over exaggerated my own talent with a blade,” Dasquian replied.

He drew his saber downwards, as Terran had done. The Knight stepped foot over foot sideways, to place himself in direct alignment with his fellow Jedi.

“You are seeded first move, of course.”

[imported_Terran Starek]

Terran smiled. A humble man--a true Jedi mentality. He doubted the fact that Dasquian was weak with a blade and was excited to see where the fight would go.

“You are seeded first move, of course.”

"Of course, Master Belargic," Terran spoke, bowing his head to his new opponent. Dasquian did the same, and the spar was now verbaly and physically underway. In a split second, Terran thought of his first move--Halcyon held gingerly in his right hand, pointing downward to his right. Without delay, Terran quickly drew his saber up and slashed at Dasquian across the chest, whipping his body into a sideways position.

KISSSHHHHHHHHHHH

The two blades met in a flash of light as Dasquian blocked the strike gingerly. Terran continued the combonation with three more very quick swings--much in the style of a fencing technique. Only his wrist really moved, as his legs shuffled forward, gaining ground on his opponent. Dasquian kept in time with the strikes, blocking each one, as Terran pushed the offensive.

Crackling, their blades locked in the last slash as Terran brought his other hand onto the hilt now, gripping it with both hands for leverage.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Where Terran fought like a fencer, Dasquian was far less sophisticated. His swordsmanship was borne from training with the Jedi and thus was not as intricately practiced – though he did have some fair skill from his youth. None the less, he handled himself well and as the two Jedi met their blades together clamped both hands on the hilt of his weapon to pressure it forwards.

The extra effort paid off and within a second the two beams were grazing one another and repelling off to the side. Using the momentum from this movement, Dasquian carried his saber on downwards and angled it inwards, so that it was scything in towards Terran’s legs.

[imported_Terran Starek]

It was interesting to watch the two. Different styles clashed to orchestrate a strange and fluid dance, which had attracted the attention of some onlookers in the courtyard. A few padawan's had taken a break to watch the two swordsman duel.

Dasquian had countered very well, his style combatting Terran's effectively, the two locking sabers. Then, with a swift move, Dasquian pushed off of the saber lock and brought his saber towards Terran's legs. Terran had not expected ths move one bit--which was good. He needed to face fresh competition. The saber swung quickly as the Padawan left the ground. Using the Force to assit him, he propelled himself into the air slightly--more than a regular human was capable of jumping, but not ridiculously high. The Force was physically taxing at times, and he would need his endurance in this fight.

His momentum carried him forward and, mid flight, he slashed his saber down toward's Dasquian's shoulder. The saber had shot back from it's attack position, and Dasquaian caught his slash in a quick block as Terran's feet hit the ground again. The Padawan disconnected the weapons, and stepped back to regain himself.

Master Belargic was better than his humility let on.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Dasquian gave a smile as he felt the exhilaration of combat as a hot pulse in his chest. As Terran had dropped from his attack both Jedi had assumed a customary stance that was taken up at the beginning of a fight that allowed neither many options for attack. Watching his opponent, the Knight inhaled slowly, his mind quickly reeling through possible attacks.

His final decision was more of a tactical one than he would have liked; to wear down stamina. It left little chance for real damage to be done, but burned away energy quickly. He did this by the simple repeated flicking of the sabers tip at Terran, as he edged forwards swinging the saber in a cutting ‘X’ back and forth.

[imported_Terran Starek]

Terran ducked into a defensive position, trying his best to follow Dasquian's assault. It was quick and fairly repetitive, but it slowly took its toll on Terran's defensive stamina as he tried to keep himself in position.

This can't go on forever, he thought, and in one quick thought, he shifted the weight on his feet. He thrust his saber back into Dasquian's motion, trying to throw the x-like pattern off balance. When the Jedi Knight parried, Terran used his body weight to spin around, bringing his saber across Dasquian's opposite side, attempting to catch him on the arm.

[Dasquian Belargic]

As the two sabers clattered together the ‘X’ formation was broken and Dasquian’s saber was knocked up into the air as a result of this. His eyes immediately locked upon the blade heading for his arm, as a result of which he stumbled backwards a few steps to avoid the brunt of the attack, catching only a minor graze on the cloth of his jerkin.

“Well played,” he said with a smile before swinging his saber back down to a one-handed guard, driving the butt out at a strike for Terran’s stomach.

[imported_Terran Starek]

"Thank you--unfff!" Terran's comment was cut short as he ducked the swipe but caught the butt of Dasquian's saber hilt directly into his stomach. Terran doubled over as he felt the wind knocked out of him.

Concentrate. . .push through pain. . .get yourself outta there! He let the Force guide him and pulled a quick roll out of the way--just as another swipe came from the Jedi Knight's blade. Coming to his feet, he kept his balance on soft heels.

"That, was well played," he said groaning a bit as the pain in his gut wore off. He lined his saber up with Dasquian's figure and struck out with a quick stab towards his right leg. He thought of going low and then coming up with an uppercut slash.

[Dasquian Belargic]

The two fought in rhythm, each moved smooth and well performed. They would have a burst of energy, each attacking and defending in unison, before pulling back for a moment’s reprise. As was the case now, the combat was just reinitiating, and Dasquian saw the swipe coming for his right leg at a low angle. He in turn literally clubbed his saber downwards, and found that Terran swung upwards as if to drag across his body. Luckily with his saber pressed to the Padawan’s damage was evaded, though it was an incredibly close call as the two Jedi were locked so closely together in a stalemate.

[imported_Terran Starek]

(Sorry for the late response--vacation :))

Terran pushed himself away and managed to keep his body square with Master Belargic's. While he was not unimpressed by his opponent in any way, he was quite suprised by his own success. Apparently, despite his recent tame state-of-mind, he still carried a ferocity in battle that some would argue was unmatched within the padawans. Sejah Haversh had him beat easily in the technicality department, but Terran held quite a warrior's heart.

He steadied his saber and circled Master Belargic. Switching it to an above the head position, he swing downward, bring it in a circling motion as he swipe powerfully at Dasquian's own saber. He lunged forward with the swing to add momentum.