You Got a Problem With That? (Finished)

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Ohmmm..."

The sound resonated on the walls of the little niche, and Je'gan cut it off. A perfect cliché to describe what he was doing here, but that didn't make it any less embarassing.

The embarassment wasn't the cause of his concern, however. Should anyone hear and make an issue of it, it was essential that he restore his image...and that meant depletion of energy reserves he'd carefully abstained from using all morning. He wanted this training session to go perfectly, and that wouldn't be the case if he was forced to beat the living daylights out of a passerby, either verbally or literally.

Kes...in here...

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes'la wasn't exactly sure where she was going, but followed her instincts and soon with a direct link with her master, she stepped into the small niche. "Master, what are we doing here?" She whispered and for a moment wondered why she was whispering. But, it really didn't matter.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Let's put it this way," Je'gan said in a tone of voice that was more or less normal. "A lot of idiots will discard anything because it's linked to the Jedi in any way.

"Let's begin. Take a seat here and clear your mind." He took it for granted that she'd been through her warmups. "Remove all thought, all emotion."

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes nodded and sat down. She had gone through her warmups as he had instructed and now it was time for her to learn. Or unlearn, however it came.

With a deep breath, Kes closed her eyes and cleared her mind of everything. No emotion, no nothing.

It took her a couple of minutes, because she wasn't used to it, but eventually she was thinking of nothing. "Alright, Master. Now, what?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Now create an area in your mind that you can observe, but that doesn't affect you. Once you've done that, let your hatred burn...but only in that particular space."

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes did as she was told. She created a block in her mind that only her hatred could be released into.

Pure, undaunting hatred flowed within the space.

"There, Master. I can see it...my God." Kes couldn't believe what her mind was showing her. Was this everything that she had bottled up for the past three years?

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Even though you've flooded that area with anger, you should still be able to control what happens in it. You should be able to release it in ways you specify, use it to fuel Force manipulations. This is where we branch off from Jedi calm; a Lightsider would let it all drain away rather than employ it to advantage."

[Kes'La Bardo]

"Ah, I understand. This is quite amazing to say the least. Nothing like boxing up a little power." She said with a sly smile. Kes liked the sound of that, those stupid Jedi who sought out to waste such a tactful gift.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Yes, yes. Now give it a shot. Try to make, say...this blaster explode."

He levitated a small, cheap blaster to the arched doorway of the enclosure, as it offered a safer distance from the blast epicenter than sending it into the sky above them would - no matter how far up. In truth, his TK abilities were so weak that he might have managed a couple of hundred metres before the weapon fell on them anyways.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes tapped into her new realm of power. She concentrated on the blasters epicenter and shot a wave of the Force into it.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Je'gan released what was left of his Force-grip quite calmly.

"You aimed for the center of the blaster...do you know anything of electronics?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes winced inwardly. "Not really, Master."

She looked away from him. "I was brought up to kill with blades, swords and daggars and very little on blasters. As far as that goes. I couldn't break into a bank, the Dark Angels had roles they played. Mine was to kill."

Kes looked down at a pebble by her boot and kicked it. "I suppose that sounds pretty lame."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Rest easy. You completed the exercise as required. We just need to work on finding weak points.

"You're familiar with striking vital locations, are you not? Organs, for example? To a blaster, that would be any component that is essential to its operation...and nothing is more so than the power pack."

He levitated another blaster through the arch.

"Try again. Make sure to keep control of your anger."

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes took a deep breath and focused a band of controlled hate on the weapons power pack.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Je'gan nodded at the substantial explosion, raising a barrier between the Sith and the blast epicenter to slow the debris. A chunk of ragged plasteel that had been part of the barrel skidded past his feet.

"Very, very good. And you're in complete control over you anger in there?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

"At this time, yes, Master." Kes replied with a nod. She was ready for more.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Burn it as hot as you can while still maintaining control."

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes'la nodded and focused everything on that little cube pictured in her mind. It was filled with hate and malice and burned like lava.

The inner side of Kes was well into concentration, studying every movement within that cube of hate. But, the outer side was having trouble keeping up, her heart rate and breathing quickened and she was starting to sweat.

"I...can't burn...much hotter, Master. Or I'll lose it."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Constant 'temperature', then. See how long you can maintain that level of hatred."

[Kes'La Bardo]

"Yes, Master." Kes answered and remained a deep state of concentration, holding the cube of hate within the limits that she could remain in control. Watching the cube, she began to realize just what kind of hate she held and just where it could get her.

It was this level of hatred that would empower her to do many, many things.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Now...make this rock explode."

At the arch, a small boulder appeared in midair, round and easily two feet across.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes traced the fissures with her mind as she opened her eyes looked at the rock, with a quick mindset she reached out with her hand, sending a violent surge of hatred straight into the deepest fissure.

The effect...caused the rock to explode into a multitude of peices.

Before any of the debris hit, Kes held up her arms and placed an invisible barrier between them and the work she had accomplished. Bits and peices of rubble flew and bouced off her shield.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Nice job, Kes. Note how much bigger that rock was than the others you've fragmented.

"You can reduce the level of hate now if you want to. We're going to move out into the main training grounds. Have you been practicing with Kurai?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

"Yes, I've given it a couple of good swings here and there. It's got to be the nicest weapon I've ever handled. The balance is excellent."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"More or less to be expected. It was built by a Jedi Master-hang on." Je'gan frowned, leaning a hand against the archway as he searched his memory. His booted toe scuffed bits of debris around.

"No," he said at last. "it was built when he was a Sith Warrior. I think that's between Apprentice and Knight. Ehh...you think that's good, you should try his newer sabers. I stole one of them once, used it for my early saber training.

"Come on, then. Show me what you've learned."

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes nodded and stepped out into the main training area behind her master.

Taking a few more steps away from him, she brought out the sabre known as Kurai.

The blade came on a second later and Kes brought the blade back as if waiting to be attacked by some invisible being. She had drawn herself into the Force and let her anger and hatred guide her moves.

Kes was elegant in her sparring moves, it came to her more like a dance, a deadly dance.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Nice," he congratulated her, Magor's blue blade hissing as it made contact with the grey flame of Kes' weapon. "Very nice form."

He angled his saber down to stop a low slash dead, brought it back to ward a higher cut up and away, and moved in with a precise and flowing combination of flicking stabs to knee, hip and head.

[Kes'La Bardo]

With her right hand comfortably gripped around the sabre handle, Kes stepped with just the right timing and met her master's sabre in well-maintained blocks. She side-stepped just a second then took her sabre into a new slash. A diagonal line from Je'gan's upper right to his lower left.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Their blades clashed, Magor unyielding in its defence. Je'gan spun to his left, looping his blade around behind his back and slashing down.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes'la blocked the blow barely, or it would've split her head open. She parried and thrust in set of multiple manuvers, attempting to find her master's weak points. After a few minutes of this, she wondered if there were any.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He was spinning back to the right, twisting his saber this way and that for the brief moment it was outside his field of view and trusting his impeccable danger-sense to do the rest.

"That's good, combination attacks are good. The downside is that if you use the same combination too often, it becomes predictable."

As he spoke, Kes was re-using the first combo she'd tried, a set of horizontal and vertical chops. Recognizing it and seeing the way in which her body tensed for the moves to come, he slashed up at her hand just as she began to raise Kurai. He wouldn't have put it past her to have adapted faster than this and laid a trap for him, though, so he was at least partially ready for deviation from her pattern.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes moved back just as Je'gan's blade went to clip her hand. Sparring with a lightsabre was quite a bit different than with swords.

The apprentice surged forward with a jab to Je'gan's thigh.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

In a strong foward-facing stance, he slid his saber down and took Kes' with it until their hilts collided, then rocketed his left fist at her solar plexus.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes took the hit with an 'oaf' and took a step back as she attempted to gain back her composure. Kurai held out in front of her, to block any attack.

Kes took the itiative again and surged forward, but in the last second spun and kicked her master in the chest with her boot. She was on him in a flash, with a new set of slashes and swings.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The kick caught him by surprise, but his stance held strong, and he was in position for the lightsaber attacks.

"Don't use quite so much of your arm in a swing," he advised, parrying madly. "Pull your left hand back a bit; that's the final part of the move."

[Kes'La Bardo]

"Yes, Master." Kes answered quickly as she did as he told her. She slashed again at his hip.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Je'gan flipped the tip of his saber's blade under Kes' and up, lunging in with a thrust for her chest.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Intuition kicked in and Kes dropped to the floor and rolled. Still within stricking distance, the apprentice swept the sabre at her master's feet.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He bent his wrist down towards the ground, feeling a minor ache begin as his delicate fencing-style grip stopped yet another full swing. From there, his blade's tip reversed direction and slashed at Kes' feet.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes'la leapt out of the way, just before her feet got taken off. Her hatred began to increase to give her more strength as she regained her composure and went for her masters left side.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Je'gan took a measured half-step back, swinging Magor up in front of his face with the sizzling blade pointed down. He put enough power into the maneuver that Kes' weapon stopped dead, then snapped out his arm for her stomach.

[Kes'La Bardo]

For the second time, she felt the hit coming, but this time was able to avoid it with a step back.

Her master was a very good fighter and she was starting to get used to the sabre now, it was much different than the normal sword.

Kes needed to improve on her speed though and her cuts weren't what she liked. Much too choppy.

With some new added strength Kes, arched Kuraiup and went for her master's chest.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

This was one of those situations where classical fencing and Form Two disagreed. Having spent roughly a decade fencing, and only the last year on the lightsaber discipline, Je'gan's reflexes were honed for something with a hilt.

Azubah had a hilt, hyperdense and loaded with cortosis nodules.

Magor didn't.

So when he messed up the block, it hurt, producing a hissing and a nasty smell. Gritting his teeth, he abruptly flipped the curved-hilt 'saber to his left hand and cradled his right against his stomach.

He became a blur of motion, spinning his left hand wildly and capturing Kes' blade in a spiral of blue-grey fire. A step, a spin and his Apprentice's saber was pointed way up in the air, with Magor on a collision course for her throat.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes' had made contact between her sabre and her master. She was in shock really, but it didn't compare to anything of what happened a few moments later.

The Apprentice didn't even know what was happening and before she knew it her blade was taken upwards.

What the.... She couldn't think as she saw his blade coming...she couldn't react fast enough. This was it...

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The backhand stopped dead less than two centimetres from her skin, and Je'gan's thumb moved off the contact.

"You've learned very fast," he said, in a voice that was only slightly strained. To someone who had taken Force Lightning, who'd had half his body crushed on two occasions, a minor saber burn was run-of-the-mill.

That didn't make it any more comfortable.

"Tell me, Kes. What do you know of Force shields?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes'la released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding as her Masters sabre clicked off.

It took her a couple of seconds to regain her composure, but she did and fastened Kurai back onto her belt.

"Only what you've taught me, Master."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He cocked a sardonic eyebrow, realizing abruptly that he hadn't replaced his own saber, and did so.

"How would you go about creating such a shield?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

"By using the Force as an imaginary barrier between you and whatever is attacking you."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"That'll stop absolutely nothing," he said flatly. "Imagination is for mentalics. You have to carry out imagination in the physical world.

"How?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

OOC: Sorry, I was very ill when I made that last post....

That hadn't come out right, Kes shook her head. "I didn't quite mean the way that sounded, Master. By using the Force as a boundary between myself and the attacker. Basically, like placing an invisible durasteel wall around me and reinforcing it in the places of attacks."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

OOC/ My apologies; I have a tendency to forget things. A lot. Verrry bad memory.

IC/ "That's one way to do it," he allowed. "That'll work best against other Force manifestations, like the power bolts some of our apprentices are forever tossing around.

"Say someone fired a blaster at you, and for whatever reason you couldn't dodge it nor deflect with your lightsaber. A shield," he said softly, "is all about manipulating what is already there..."

[Kes'La Bardo]

"So, how is this done. It would have to take a split second thought."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"It would, yes. Sorry to say, unless you've got insanely good concentration skills and reflexes, that's going to be beyond you for a while.

"There are other uses for shields, though, uses that don't require quite that much speed.

"We'll take things one step at a time. Reach out through the Force. Feel the air move around you. Can you feel it?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

Reaching into the Force, was becoming second nature to her now. "Yes, Master. I feel it." She wanted to learn more, so much more.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Good, good. Now, for the purposes of this exercise it's not necessary for you to use the individual molecules of air. You condense and harden the air as a whole, and reinforce it with willpower.

"You were more right earlier than I let on. You do use imagination and willpower. It's just that first, you need the physical foundation for the shield, and that's the air.

"Try it small. Don't worry if you can't get it on your first try."

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes concentrated on working with the air. But, it did nothing and she smirked.

"This is a bit harder than I thought." Kes took a deep breath and tried again, this time she managed a spect of hardened air.

"Ugh..." she groaned.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"That's quite good, Kes. Now that you know how to do it, you can practice on your own time and we can move on.

"What should we look at next?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

"If I can explode rocks, can the same be done of bone or nerves, Master?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Yes, but you've got to know anatomy intimately, or have sufficiently advanced Sense skills to compensate, to learn on the spot. Anatomy is a tough study...learn it if you think it's worth it. Me, I'd rather use direct influence on the mind's pain centres coupled with shrapnel or something, but it's up to you. It would certainly be off the beaten path.

"You know what we're going to do now, Kes? We're going to learn the Force Choke."

[Kes'La Bardo]

The Darkness of the Force was part of her now, Kes could feel it, breath it, use it. But, her knowledge was still weak, but growing with every measure that her Master taught. She listened intently, learning more and more as each day passed.

"I am ready, Master." Kes spoke as her attentions focused on Je'gan.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Reach out through the Force and try to feel my throat, the way air moves through it as I breathe."

[Kes'La Bardo]

The apprentice concentrated deeply and did as he instructed. "I can feel the air, Master."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Stop it."

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes'la concentrated on seeing the air stop, not moving at all. It was quite an intense feeling that edged it's way into her. A feeling that she liked.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He drew an experimental breath, albeit with difficulty.

Good, he said telepathically. Keep going.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes'la vividly pictured his esphogas in her mind and made an invisible hand wrap itself around it and begin to slowly squeeze it shut.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He let the choking persist for some time before forming a half-corporeal nexus around his throat and blasting her grip to oblivion. His lungs expanded fiercely as he rubbed his throat.

"Excellent for a first try. Do it again; see how fast you can get to a full choke. Keep some energy, though. I might decide to let you feel some of your new techniques yourself."

[Kes'La Bardo]

"Yes, Master." Kes nodded and took a deep breath. This time the picture was clearer and she knew pretty much what to do, so it happened a bit faster.

She was ready for an attack of the same, knowing he could do it in a flash.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He showed no discomfort aside from a subtle tightening of the neck, instead nodding in approval before again shattering her grip.

"You've learned fast. And now..."

He Force-choked her with a sizeable fraction of the power he was capable of, meaning fairly weak as far as standard telekinesis went. That didn't mean she could breathe, though. Far from it.

[Kes'La Bardo]

It happened so fast Kes hadn't been prepared for it. It felt like a vice around her neck. She wanted to cough, but couldn't even manage that.

Concentrate, don't panic. Kes had to remind herself as she thought of a Force shield between herself and her master.

She had to act quickly before she passed out.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He shut off the choke, a look of concern flashing over his face.

"A good thought, but you see, there's not much connecting me to the choke, so whatever you have to do would have to be in the area of your throat.

"Let's leave this until our next session. Think on how to defeat a choke.

"On to...hmm..." He examined the burn on his hand. "I really think I should get this tended to. I'll see you in, say, three hours?"

*** *** ***

A fresh bandage wrapped around his hand, he appeared in the same spot exactly on time.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes wasn't far behind, she'd been in her room most of the time. "Master," she greeted him accordingly with a bow. Kes saw the bandage on his hand and cringed a bit.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"I took far worse during my own training, Kes. Don't worry about it, really.

"Ready?"

He began to Force-choke her again.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes remained steady this time, she used the Force on her windpipe this time. Where it was closing, she was attempting to place a ring there to keep it open. So far it was working, but it took a great deal of concentration.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He let her hold the ring for as long as she could; when he sensed that it was about to fail, he stopped his efforts.

"I'm quite pleased. A half-corporeal construct like that is a marvelous way to counteract the Choke. I even use something similar.

"Careful, I'm going to start again. This time, instead of merely taking the attack, make your construct - your ring - explode, taking my Force Choke with it."

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes nodded. "Yes, Master." She readied herself for his attack again, going into the same Force thought to fight against his choke.

She held it for a few moments and then as violent as she could, she exploded the effort, shattering it into invisible shards of glass, hoping to take the choke with it as he had instructed.

Only time would tell.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Not badly done at all," he said, stopping the remnants of the choke. "Give it some practice, and you'll be able to break it entirely.

"Let's move on. With what you now know, what I've taught you in so many areas...I would like you to do your best to kill me." He smiled disarmingly. "It'll be good practice, I guarantee it."

[Kes'La Bardo]

"...kill you." Kes looked at him, he was her master. He knew what she could do and what she couldn't, this was truly a challenge for her.

With a brief nod, she stepped back and took a deep breath. In a flash, she brought out Kurai and attacked with an upper swing as her master's chest.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

His own lightsaber rose, horizontal just above his eyeline, and Kurai skittered twice from excess momentum. Viciously, he brought the saber down in an arc to his right, throwing Kes' blade off and then backhanding a cut for her head.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes ducked none too soon and made a slash for her master's side.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

His left hand snapped up to grip the saber under his right hand, and pushed to the right even as the right hand twisted clockwise. His saber sliced around - upside-down - to stop Kes' slash. A feral grin took over his face as he whipped his left hand back the way it came. Magor sliced up at Kes' stomach.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes quickly parried and caught her Master's before it could do any damage, spun and quickly swung the sabre towards his legs.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Magor sliced down in a diagonal. It impacted Kurai's blade and gave a little before stopping it entirely. Je'gan dropped back a few feet.

"A fencer has mobility," he said conversationally, "but no power. It takes serious effort to stop a strike dead-on. A fencer will usually try to redirect your strike rather than stop it.

"Ever heard of the lightstaff?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

Fencing had never been part of Kes' earlier training, whilst in the Dark Angels.

"A lightstaff? No, Master, never heard of one. What is it?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"It's a lightsaber with two blades, one at each end. Many people think of it as the ultimate weapon. It's not. Against one person it's a liability; against a fencer it's a deathtrap. If you chose, in time, to study the lightstaff, never go head-to-head with a fencer.

"Granted, I think that's pretty unlikely." He moved forward and lunged abruptly. "You've only got one target on your mind, now don't you?"

[Kes'La Bardo]

That target was always on Kes' mind.

Jacali Danner.

Kes sidestepped and parried, as her sabre caught Je'gan's she thought of him being Jacali.

The hatred within her rippled. "You know me too well, Master." She said as she held her stance for another couple of seconds before she backstepped and hammered a diagonal stroke towards his shoulder blade.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

A complicated, almost backhand flick of his wrist took Kes' strike over his head. With a quick "think fast", he brought the tip of his blade towards her left arm.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes' hate grew, some would say she was a psycho to point, but only when she wanted something so badly she could taste it.

She saw the blade coming, she even felt a tinge of heat, but leapt backwards, dropped and rolled to give her some much needed room and second to regroup on her next move.

Rolling back to her feet, she leapt into the air. It was a trick she had learned while training with A'jorrah. She soared over her master and landed in a crouch making a low sweep at his legs.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He hopped above the sweep, launching a kick in midair at the point of her chin.

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes was unable to stop it and took the hit painfully.

She grit her teeth as she fell back and through her pain channeled some more strength. She worked her jaw a few times as she got back up to her feet and faced her Master, ready again.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Enough," he snapped, dousing his blade. "You've acquitted yourself well. You're dismissed for the day. I'll comm you for our next training session."

[Kes'La Bardo]

Kes closed down Kurai and bowed. "Yes, Master. I'll be awaiting your call."

She turned on one heel and quickly exited the training grounds.