"Listen to me, Mandalorian;" spat Jaster's opponent from the upper balcony of the academy stadium. "You'd better just hang up your robes, or I'll make sure you regret it!"
Jaster grinned as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and gazed up at the insurmountable gap between himself and his fellow student, whose force-powered leap had placed him miles above the Mandalorian after a vicious battle Jaster had definitely came out worse from.
"Come down and fight, Jedi." He tried to maintain what Jakome called 'his temper' and not become angry at this arrogant prick's taunts, but this bastard was really starting to get on his nerves.
"Linux!" the Jedi Knight's voice boomed out from the observation area off to the pair's right, scolding the Jedi brat for his tone. "Watch your tones, my two swordsmen!"
"Tell him to face me like he's got a pair, Azekel." Jaster sneered, more to Linux than for the Knight's benefit.
"Jaster! What did I just say?" the Jedi snapped shortly, but the ploy had worked and an angry Linux landed next to the Mandalorian, his green safety saber darting quickly in to cut at Jaster's side.
"So you want another beating, do you, mercenary?" the brat jeered, though his rashly aimed blow was easily deflected by the Mandalorian, who leapt backwards with a weak counter aimed at Linux' stomach. Landing a few feet away from the Jedi apprentice, Jaster had just enough time to set his feet before having to leap again to avoid a follow up charge.
"And they say you gave Master Jakome a challenge?" Laughed Linux haughtily, "You run like a coward from a student!" Jaster grimaced under another blow, countering weakly to the student's right then slashing hard up across his opponent's face, a blow that was easily parried. Thinking fast, the Mandalorian tried to recall just how he had held up against the Jedi Knight, this brat's teacher, in the Hangar bay on Glade 6 just a few months ago. He'd had the element of surprise, for sure, as well as ... anger ...
"Jaster!" cried the Knight from far below, sensing the Mandalorian's change, but he had no time to stop the events that followed, they happened so fast.
Linux, following the Mandalorian on a leapfrog journey up a series of platforms across the training arena, never had a chance to see the attack coming. Thrusting his arm out suddenly, the Mandalorian drew on the built up anger he'd been foolishly repressing during the past few months here and knocked the unsuspecting student backwards to the hard second main platform, his practice saber skittering across the floor as he landed with a hard thud. His legs pumping with forceful hate, Jaster landed lightly beside his opponent before Linux had a chance to stand or gather his saber to his hand and brought his own red safety saber down hard onto the Jedi hopeful's chest. The brief static sting of the safe blade didn't do justice to the rage unleashed in the Mandalorian's strikes as Linux shielded his face feebly with his arms.
"You want a fight, Jedi brat? I'll give you a fight!" Jaster laughed, his eyes flaming wickedly as he pushed the prone Linux up hard against a nearby pillar with another painful thud. The red saber cut ruthlessly across the youth's chest and stung Linux' face as Jaster easily parried the hapless apprentice's own weak force push, and then concentrated on the student's gasping throat ...
"Jaster!" The Knight's tone was urgent now, and Mereel dropped his prey instinctively to parry Azekel's own blade as the Knight landed next to the two from the observation platform below. "What do you think you're doing!"
Back-flipping agilely away from the Knight's defense, Jaster's hate transferred to his tentative teacher as he charged back in, his former tiredness vanished and his attacks fast and ruthless. Caught off guard once again by the Mandalorian's onslaught, Azekel backpedaled away and pushed hard at the young man in front of him, sending the Mandalorian flying backwards, but Jaster reoriented himself and landed easily on his feet in the set defense position.
"Come on, Jedi!" He taunted, "Is that the best you've got, old man?" His defense stance melted away to a new charge as the two sabers locked in combat again as Linux slid up from the wall, his hand caressing his throat gingerly as he watched the two spin and flip lightning fast before him, Azekel being once again pushed back ever so gradually.
"Ah!" Jaster cried, breaking free from a blade lock suddenly and pushing Jakome backwards into the far pillar across the platform to a chorus of gasps and cries of surprise from the students below. Jillian Ansk and Al-Gere Korst, the class' best sword fighters leapt up to the platform as Azekel leapt to his feet and Jaster turned to meet these newcomers to the fight.
"So many Jedi for one opponent?" Jaster growled under his breath, his long brown hair swishing this way and that as he scanned his enemies; for that is how he now saw them, how he always remembered seeing them ...
Jillian sprang first, her purple blade flashing brilliantly to knock the Mandalorian back, but Jaster parried and slashed across her stomach, doubling the student over and then shoving her lightly aside to parry a follow-up from Al-Gere, who soon tumbled backwards and over the ledge of the platform with a grunt of pain and surprise. Azekel again locked the young Mandalorian in a blade draw and gritted a few words in between thrusts and defenses.
"Don't let way to your hate, Jaster!" He tried, "Let yourself calm down; you are merely training, there is no need for hostility here!"
"Save it, Azekel," spat back the Mandalorian shortly, "Your damned self control is your weakness!" And he struck heavy across the Knight's defense, battering the Jedi's defense again and just barely catching his balance after the teacher's force push to send Azekel tottering back to keep his balance. Seeing Jillian and Al-Gere preparing for a new assault, the Mandalorian leapt, incredibly high, impossibly high for the two apprentices, to the top platform to regain his posture and better prepare should more of the Jedi decide to join the fray.
"Hey you!" shouted a voice from behind him, and he whirled just in time to lock blades with a strange young woman he'd not seen at the academy before. Her light brown hair pulled back in a fighter's tail behind her and her higher student robes furled loosely about her frame, the Mandalorian regardless saw she was exquisitely beautiful from her face and build. He allowed a slight grin as they held blades.
"Stay out of this, cutie pie; I'm a pretty dangerous man, if you hadn't noticed." He jeered at her. To his slight surprise the girl only smiled.
"You're pretty angry, yes, but I don't think you're all that dangerous." Their sabers crackled and sparked under their holds as Jaster frowned now and replied, less haughtily.
"What makes you so sure?" He heard the thump of Azekel landing behind him, but he didn't much care as the two blades eased up in the lock and the girl's smile broadened a pinch.
"I see it in your eyes; you just need to learn a little more control."
Her blade pulled away and deactivated with a hiss as Jaster leaned back, his anger fading and being replaced by respect and just a bit of calmness. He spun his saber thoughtfully for a moment, aware that Azekel behind him hadn't moved any closer, and the rest of the students had eased off to let the girl talk him down ...
"It's a trick!" He whispered suddenly to himself, defensively, "You Jedi love your mind tricks ..." he said, but the girl shook her head.
"Your mind is too strong for an apprentice like me." She replied calmly, her saber in her belt and her voice level and honest. "You just have too much anger. Please, put down your saber and let's talk."
Jaster held his skeptical look for a fraction longer, and then relented, his saber crackling off and his stance relaxing. Azekel walked up as he gazed across neutrally at the girl's smile of approval.
"Jaster ..." The Knight's breathless tone of scolding began.
"You're just lucky I'm a sucker for a pretty woman, Azekel." Jaster cut him off, turning away from the girl and walking insolently away from the shocked Jedi. "Punish me later; I've got to talk to Skywalker." And he leapt easily down the platforms to the ground and the wary, angry looking students; but there was a measure of respect and even fear in their glares, so he strode passively past them to the doors.