New fanfic? Yes sir! Please note that this is a non-canon "Star Wars" fanfiction story set in a post-Return of the Jedi era. I don't own star wars, nor am I affiliated with them in any way shape or form. I am, uh, borrowing some of the planets, species, groups and stuff like that for non-profit purposes.

Rated T because people will probably make out at some point idk ok we'll see where this goes.

Without further ado, enjoy...

Coruscant- Early Morning

Atria Viula's POV

"I'm ready," I say as I thumb the power button of my lightsaber. Its blue blade snaps to life and hums at the ready. The light reflects off the beads of sweat on my brow, making me look sickly. I sweep the blade in a high arc above my head and bring it at the ready. My empty hand faces my Bothan opponent while my right holds my lightsaber back and horizontal to my body. My opponent holds his similar, green-tinted blade in both hands in an offensive position. We wait. Then he springs forward.

He starts with a series of horizontal slashes aimed to dismember me from the shoulder down and I instinctively adjust to parry each blow. The cracking of our weapons fills the air, a chorus of hissing snakes ready to kill. He swings towards my kneecaps and I bring my blue weapon down to catch his using both hands to hold him at bay. Our weapons scream at the prolonged contact, but we pay no mind. He pulls back with a flourish and goes for a series of head chops, alternating between downward and arcing slashes. I try not to hold my breath as I lose myself in the combat.

Slash. Block. Slash. Duck. Kick. Roll. Continue. In a span of ten seconds, the Bothan before me tries at least a dozen different strikes aimed to severely maim, kill or both. He spins to build momentum and tries to sever me at the waist with his tremendous physical strength. I make my first mistake in trying to block his lightsaber with mine. His blade pushes mine a mere finger's length away. I struggle to halt its course and the Bothan slams his denser body into mine while I'm preoccupied. I roll and land in a crouch with a little help of the force and lose myself in it entirely.

I feel my opponent spring forward to bring his blade in for a low sweep. I near effortlessly catch it with the tip of my icy blue sword and, with a sweeping motion, change its course to sail harmlessly over my head. I feel a flicker of fear in the alien warrior and gather the force within me.

He momentarily staggers from my counter and it's me who attacks now. With my weapon high above my head, I execute a barrage of two handed attacks aimed to disorient the heavier male in front of me. Left-right-left-right my blade goes with minimal effort on my part. I incorporate the occasional low aiming chop to keep my advantage, but he is skilled and counters my every move.

Just as sudden as an assassin's killing blow, a wave of force energy pushes me backwards and nearly off my feet. I chastise myself for not noticing my enemy gathering his own force powers during my onslaught of blows. I'm just barely able to throw up a force based wall of protection to keep his second push from knocking me to the ground. He uses my momentary lack of focus to bring his weapon in for a harsh diagonal slash. I just barely catch his weapon with mine and redirect its original course. Our blades cut downwards into the hard floor and send a cacophony of spitting sparks into the air. I pick up my defensive stance in anticipation of my enemy's next attack- but it doesn't come.

Instead of attacking me, the Bothan man turns his lightsaber off and attaches its heavy, metal handle to his belt.

"Good," he says with a toothy smile. "Maybe you'll actually scratch me one of these days."

I relax my posture and stow my own weapon in my robes before responding to my friend's playful teasing. "Yes," a similar smile curves my lips. "And maybe I'll stop taking it easy on you one of these days." He gives a deep chuckle while swinging a thickly furred hand over my shoulder.

"Come, my fleshy friend" he says. "I'd like to eat something before the sun comes up." We chuckle and head to the nearest dining hall.

Caath Bom'bassi was one of my closest friends. A Bothan male only a few years my senior, he stood a measly four inches taller than my five-foot-four inch frame and had soft brown fur that clung to every inch of his body. A fully fledged Jedi Knight, he had been helping me practice my dueling skills in preparation for my own Jedi Trials. I didn't know what they would be exactly, but I wanted to be prepared for anything. We had grown together in these very halls with a big-brother-little-sister mentality from the very start. It didn't matter that he was a hairy mammal from Bothawui with large, pointy ears and I was a "fleshy" human girl from Bespin; he was my friend and that was that.

There you go, a brief introduction to two main characters, Atria and Caath! I probably will stick with Atria's POV with minimal jumping around. Chapter two will be up in a few days.