Kyp looked curiously at the young Ky in front of him. She seemed utterly
indifferent to him. For some reason, that bothered Kyp. Not normally used
to wanting women to pay attention to him, he was puzzled by this sudden
urge to make Ky-Ra notice him. Yet he knew next to nothing about her
culture, a fact that he thoroughly regretted now. He remembered vague
rumors that the Ky's secretly had Jedi blood in him, but other than that
bit of gossip, he knew very little about Ky-Ra's world.
"Look," he said finally, reaching out and touching the young woman's arm, "why don't you explain to me some of what is going on. I admit I know very little about any of this, but I'm willing to learn."
Ky-Ra looked at him in surprise. She seemed to appraise his sincerity, then nodded.
"Ziostians are warriors of the Jedi tradition," she said as she tapped a code into a wall pad and part of the wall suddenly slid back, "we fight like Jedi. Maybe not the same style or weapons exactly, but if you ever saw us in action, you'd think we were Jedi if you didn't know better."
"What weapons?" Kyp asked, suddenly very curious.
Instead of answering, the Ky reached to her back and grabbed what looked like two lightsaber handles that hung just below shoulder level on a razorback strap that crossed her back. As she pulled up on the handles, what looked like the laser blade of a very thin lightsaber ignited as though she were pulling it out of a scabbard until she was holding what looked like a thin lightsaber and another weapon about half the length.
"This is a le-art," she said, holding up the longer weapon, "and this is a kray-sha. Ziostians fight two handed. A good warrior can hold off several attackers at once with these two weapons."
Kyp tilted his head and looked at the two blades, glowing a light silver in the refracted luminescence of the room. The le-art looked like a delicate weapon compared to the heavier kray-sha, which did not have the reach of its companion. Kyp felt rather skeptical about the abilities of either of those weapons, though he'd wait to make his judgment until he saw them in action.
Ra seemed to sense his reluctance to comment on the two blades and she suddenly gave a shrill whistle. Almost immediately two guards in basic military uniform appeared in the room. The Ky flashed both guards a rather devious look and expertly spun the blades in her hand. The guards must have had some familiarity with such a display, because both gave indulgent looks to their leader then reached up and ignited their weapons. Within a second all three combatants collided in a riot of colored blades that sizzled as they connected. While it was simply a sparring demonstration, Kyp immediately recognized the superior fighting prowess of Ky-Ra. As the three spun away from each other, it was the Ky who rounded first and settled into the offensive position. Under any other circumstance, Kyp would have suspected that the guards were holding back to humor their leader, but with a fighter's eye he could tell that both guards were doing everything in their power to hold the agile young woman off. The Ky herself was a blur of motion, one minute holding off a blade with the delicate le-art, the next throwing her weight fully behind the stouter kray-sha. Kyp was suddenly convinced that the Yuuzhan Vong had a fight on their hands if any of the other military fighters were near the caliber of their Ky. Ky-Ra spun away from the guard on her left, then with a blindingly fast motion shot her elbow back, catching the second guard squarely in the elbow, sending his le- art flying. In the next movement she had upended the first guard and with her le-art pointed at one throat she flung her kray-sha in the direction of the guard retrieving his weapon. The kray-sha caught the lost le-art and sent it spinning. Then with another flick of her hand, both the le-art and the thrown kray-sha shot across the room into the Ky's waiting hand.
Kyp watched the display in shock. Obviously the old warrior's tales about Ziostian's being able to 'do things' hadn't been an exaggeration. With a flourish, Ky-Ra pulled the three weapons she was holding in a sharp salute to her guards, then with a flick of her wrist tossed the one guard's le-art back to him.
She stood in front of Kyp flushed with her sudden exertion, her curly hair hanging loose in some places from her clasp. A slight smile graced her face, giving her normally harsh looks a battle hungry beauty. Kyp felt an overpowering urge to grab her and drag her to himself. He gave himself a bewildered shake from that notion before it could take hold. He had no place even considering such things about a woman he barely knew. It wasn't the time or the place or the woman for that matter.
"I believe you," he said with an appreciative smile, "and I'm impressed."
"Naturally," Ky-Ra said, "now tell me something about yourself."
"Look," he said finally, reaching out and touching the young woman's arm, "why don't you explain to me some of what is going on. I admit I know very little about any of this, but I'm willing to learn."
Ky-Ra looked at him in surprise. She seemed to appraise his sincerity, then nodded.
"Ziostians are warriors of the Jedi tradition," she said as she tapped a code into a wall pad and part of the wall suddenly slid back, "we fight like Jedi. Maybe not the same style or weapons exactly, but if you ever saw us in action, you'd think we were Jedi if you didn't know better."
"What weapons?" Kyp asked, suddenly very curious.
Instead of answering, the Ky reached to her back and grabbed what looked like two lightsaber handles that hung just below shoulder level on a razorback strap that crossed her back. As she pulled up on the handles, what looked like the laser blade of a very thin lightsaber ignited as though she were pulling it out of a scabbard until she was holding what looked like a thin lightsaber and another weapon about half the length.
"This is a le-art," she said, holding up the longer weapon, "and this is a kray-sha. Ziostians fight two handed. A good warrior can hold off several attackers at once with these two weapons."
Kyp tilted his head and looked at the two blades, glowing a light silver in the refracted luminescence of the room. The le-art looked like a delicate weapon compared to the heavier kray-sha, which did not have the reach of its companion. Kyp felt rather skeptical about the abilities of either of those weapons, though he'd wait to make his judgment until he saw them in action.
Ra seemed to sense his reluctance to comment on the two blades and she suddenly gave a shrill whistle. Almost immediately two guards in basic military uniform appeared in the room. The Ky flashed both guards a rather devious look and expertly spun the blades in her hand. The guards must have had some familiarity with such a display, because both gave indulgent looks to their leader then reached up and ignited their weapons. Within a second all three combatants collided in a riot of colored blades that sizzled as they connected. While it was simply a sparring demonstration, Kyp immediately recognized the superior fighting prowess of Ky-Ra. As the three spun away from each other, it was the Ky who rounded first and settled into the offensive position. Under any other circumstance, Kyp would have suspected that the guards were holding back to humor their leader, but with a fighter's eye he could tell that both guards were doing everything in their power to hold the agile young woman off. The Ky herself was a blur of motion, one minute holding off a blade with the delicate le-art, the next throwing her weight fully behind the stouter kray-sha. Kyp was suddenly convinced that the Yuuzhan Vong had a fight on their hands if any of the other military fighters were near the caliber of their Ky. Ky-Ra spun away from the guard on her left, then with a blindingly fast motion shot her elbow back, catching the second guard squarely in the elbow, sending his le- art flying. In the next movement she had upended the first guard and with her le-art pointed at one throat she flung her kray-sha in the direction of the guard retrieving his weapon. The kray-sha caught the lost le-art and sent it spinning. Then with another flick of her hand, both the le-art and the thrown kray-sha shot across the room into the Ky's waiting hand.
Kyp watched the display in shock. Obviously the old warrior's tales about Ziostian's being able to 'do things' hadn't been an exaggeration. With a flourish, Ky-Ra pulled the three weapons she was holding in a sharp salute to her guards, then with a flick of her wrist tossed the one guard's le-art back to him.
She stood in front of Kyp flushed with her sudden exertion, her curly hair hanging loose in some places from her clasp. A slight smile graced her face, giving her normally harsh looks a battle hungry beauty. Kyp felt an overpowering urge to grab her and drag her to himself. He gave himself a bewildered shake from that notion before it could take hold. He had no place even considering such things about a woman he barely knew. It wasn't the time or the place or the woman for that matter.
"I believe you," he said with an appreciative smile, "and I'm impressed."
"Naturally," Ky-Ra said, "now tell me something about yourself."