When Mathorn exited the turbo lift, Briza stood waiting right outside with two yellow training sabers in hand. She threw one of them to him, and he had barely caught the saber before she attacked him head on. He had to throw himself to one side, otherwise he would have been cut in half on the spot. , The tip of Briza's blade did however singe his left leg, making him exclaim in surprise. "Ouch! Your blades burn, what kind twisted training saber is this?!"
"That's what we Sith lords use for practice. The blade's edge has a poison that burns on impact with living skin tissue, to simulate real burns from a lightsaber." Briza grinned with a mischievously smile on her face. "Don't worry, the pain won't last for long." She reassured him.
Mathorn gave her an angry glare in return. "You sith just love your pain, don't you." And attacked with a quick over head downward swing.
Briza blocked the blade and redirected it to her right, all the while she replied with a grin. "No... only the weak will ever feel this pain." And replied with a kick toward Mathorn's head.
Mathorn dog his head to avoid the kick. "So the rule is ether not to get hit, or to endure it... I can work with that." Mathorn smirked widely as he got into gear, and counterattacked from a lower angle.
Briza's smile widened, as she danced around the swing and quickly countered with a quick stab at Mathorns chest.
Having gotten used to the wight and feeling of his sith training blade, Mathorn quickly redirected the stab, and moved on the offensive.
Both combatants were skilled with the Djem So fighting style, which meant both blocked the incoming attacks with a considerable amount of strength and followed up by quickly going on the offensive. They fought back and forth to measure each others strength and endurance, but since none of them gave in, Briza began implementing her skills with Joyo, the fast and all aggressive fighting style.
Mathorn found it increasingly difficult to keep up with his fast moving sister's onslaught of swings and jabs, he had however fought various sith who were skilled in this their preferred fighting style, so he knew it had one particular problem. It had no defense. As he was being forced back into a conner, he jump up onto the wall behind him, and with his legs, launched himself over Briza and used Ataru, the acrobatic fighting style his little sister was famous for, he made a swing mid air aimed at Briza's neck.
Briza had to quickly roll out of harm's way, but still gained a painful and noticeable red mark on her neck."He is more agile than I expected!" She cursed herself for underestimating her brothers skills with a blade. It went from fighting a juggernaut like opponent, to fighting one that was jumping and spinning around, trying to attack her from every conceivable angle. But just as her opponent made another somersault attack, she used her saber to block and redirected the slash with the one hand, while using the other hand to hurl Mathorn away with a powerful force push. As Mathorn got back on his feet, she used the force to summon another yellow training saber, catching it with her left hand.
Mathorn sighed a little as he looked over at his half sister, who was swing around with her two blades. "I was wondering why you didn't use two blades to start with?"
"To test you of course." Briza replied a little playful, adding in more curious tone. "Tell me Mathorn, are you skilled in dual blade fencing?"
Mathorn shrug his shoulders. "Not really, I prefer a single blade in combat. You have more strength and control with a two-handed grip, plus dual fighting lacks a proper defense." He argued.
"Then how about I let you attack me and we'll see, if your theory holds any water." Briza replied invitingly and made a wide open gesture with her blades.
Mathorn attacked head on with a fast and powerful mid leveled swing, but his blade was elegantly redirected by only one of Briza's blades, while the other jabbed at him. He instantly jumped backwards, but not fast enough as he felt a burning pain from his stomach were Briza's second blade had just struck him.
"You react quickly, once you are focused, but as you can see, just because I can't block your blade to a full stop with a one-handed grip, doesn't mean I won't be able to adjust its trajectory." Briza smiled as it seemed that her lesson had hit home.
"Dammit! Two to one." Mathorn cursed and attacked anew, but his sister's two blade fencing style constantly made sure he couldn't get in close.
First he tried to dance around her guard and followed that up with spin attacks from various angles, but he constantly had to disengage to avoid receiving more injuries. He simply lacked behind in finesse and fencing talent. Were it not for his strong legs, enabling him to sprint out of reach and jump over his sister when she got in close, he would have gotten chopped several time already. "How the hell am I going to beat old sis' blade skills." He pondered as he ran.
"Are you running out of ideas on how to counter my dual fencing?" Briza asked, with a wide grin. It felt good to be the superior dualist.
Mathorn attacked in his usual attack pattern, but once their blades were just about to clash, Mathorn quickly summed the force to his right hand and force pushed Briza's left lightsaber out of her hand grip… or that was his intentions. What really had happened was that he had forced Briza's left arm back a bit, his force push barely penetrate Briza's force bobble.
Instead of counter attacking with her blades, Briza elected to use force choke, before remembering her promise to Tikala and what had happen when the Sith brute had tried that on Mathorn... so instead she just held him in a tight force grip. "Had you been a bit quicker, or put more power behind it, it would have worked." She lectured her half brother.
"Won't work on me." Mathorn replied with a grin. He focused and unleashed a force wave that broke Briza's grip on him with ease.
Briza smiled when Mathorn once again stood ready to continue the dual. "I think that was enough for today. We never know when we will be needed at our best."
"Oh... come on sis, it was just getting good." Mathorn replied. In all honesty, he was glad it was over for now, he would need time to figure out a way to counter her dual blade technique.
"Don't call me sis!" Briza warned, as they put their training blades back on the rack.
"Yes sis-ter." Mathorn joked with a grin. But one firm look from Briza told him exactly how screwed he would be, if didn't shut up this instead.
In the meantime Tikala and Terrow had been looking over a massive amount of transponder codes from various freighters that had docked with the space station at Dathomir, which also had matched with the transponder codes from the Tenkan Syndicate.
Afterwards Terrow had put up a link to the imperials main datacore, which would alert him if a ship with matching transponder codes entered imperial space.
And Tikala had arranged that she would be notified if any of the freighters were sighted in republic space.
"I don't think anyone ever have had the Empire's and Republic's databases so well intertwined, as we have them right now." Terrow smiled satisfied, at the result they had achieved. "Now we just need a hot line to the Cartel on Nar Shaddaa, and we can call it a day." He said jokingly.
Tikala nodded as she replied in a bit of a disheartened tone. "I just wished that the Republic and the Empire would work this well together in all their dealings. Then I would believe an everlasting peace was possible."
Now it was Terrow's turn to nod. "I believe so too, but I know a lot of people at the office, that wish to start the war a new, or to continue this cold war, as it is now." He mimicked his slightly older sisters tone, but his facial expression changed into a small smile. "Well, I see no reason to dwell on that for now."
"You are right, a negative out view can clouds once judgment." Tikala agreed in a soft voice, as they continued to monitoring data traffic in real time.
As they waited for the next pile of data to be received, Terrow decided to ask a question that had puzzled him greatly. "If I may ask, You seem so different from Mathorn. You are the way I pictured a jedi, calm and focused, yet... Mathorn seems chaotic and aggressive... were you taught at different temples?"
"We were both trained at the academy on Coruscant, but while I were brought to the jedi temple at a very young age, Mathorn first entered when he was in his early teens. He had only been in training for half as long as I." Tikala paused for a moment before continuing. "And before he had truly completed his training, he lost his master. A great jedi. But with no one available at that time to continue his teaching, he had to be taught by the various of masters who could spare some of their time. To add to that, I personally believe my Brother was introduced too early to the dangers of the dark side."
"I see." Terrow said as he contemplated what he had been told. "But there is still one thing that puzzles me. If the dark side is as dangerous as you say, why haven't Briza become a lunatic killing machine?"
"I am not sure." Tikala had to admit, she still knew too little of her sith trained sister to say anything for certain. "It may be her strong feelings of love for you and everyone who she feels a kinship towards, that keeps the light in her, stopping her from causing harm on others, as she would feel the pain echoing in herself too."
"You are partly right. I was tortured in the past... she told me once, that she had felt the pain I was going through. It had been unbearable and had made her both frightened out of her mind and furious all at once." Terrow elaborated.
"I guess I stand corrected." Tikala replied in a soft voice and continued in a low voice, mostly to herself. "There is much I don't know about the dark side of the force."
Terrow shivered when he spoke, as bad memories rose to the surface. "I can't say I know much about the dark side, only the pain it can cause."
"I am sorry to hear that you have been through something so gruesome as torture." Tikala spoke with sorrow in her voice, as she lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Terrow casually smiled in return. "It is so long ago that it barely matters anymore."
Tikala mimicked the smile, but said nothing in return, as they both returned to the task at hand.
"Another question if I may." Terrow politely requested.
"You may." Tikala smiled with a hint of laugher.
"It seems you know much of tracking. From what I know of jedi teachings, that isn't something that is normally taught at your temple. Were you specially trained with such skills in mind?"
Tikala thought about the question for moment, pondering how best to answer it. "Well..." she began her tale in a calm voice. "Originally I was trained as a jedi consular, someone who studies the aspects of the force and at times work as a diplomat, because the council believed it was where my force talents would grow most naturally. But after I was put through a series of tests, they found I was better on my feet, than in a meditation chair or as spokesperson. As a result my training was shifted to a more combat oriented style. After I was deemed worthy of the title of jedi knight, I became one of the council's shadows."
"A jedi spy or an infiltrator of a sort?" Terrow asked for clarification.
"That, and much more." Tikala replied softly and elaborated. "We are the guardians in the shadows, a watchful eye. At other times, we go on missions were stealth is key, or check out rumors of importan-"
"Not to be rude! But take a look at this!" Terrow interrupted in haste, pointing a finger at a matching transponder code. The vessel broadcasting the code seemed to be heading to Dromund kaas.
Tikala looked at the transponder codes. They did indeed seem to be match one of the ships that had recently been on the Dathomir space-station, before it blew up.
Terrow pushed a button and started talking into a comm-unit. "Lord Briza! We have found something!"
A few second later, Briza and Mathorn stood behind them looking at the details of the ship heading towards the planet, which had just given it a clearance code to proceed straight into the heart of the imperial capital.
"Track the ship's destination. I want all of us ready to take the ship by force, immediately upon arrival." Briza ordered in a commanding tone.
"Wouldn't it be wiser to request the imperial army to detain the ship and then order the people involved to be transferred here?" Terrow advised, as it would seem the correct choice for a sith lord of Briza's power and status.
Briza shook her head in dismissal and dictated. "I feel a more personal approach is the best course of action, if we are to be sure."
"Yes, let's see for ourselves, if they feel like sharing stories." Mathorn added in agreement.
"Once we know the exact landing platform, myself and Mathorn will go in and force them to cooperate. Terrow, you will be our eyes from on high. Should something happen, you will gun them down. Tikala, help Terrow if you can, but stay out of sight. We can't have you exposed accidentally." Briza explained the battle plan.
Both Tikala and Mathorn nodded in full agreement. Terrow thought this plan could result in unnecessary risk to themselves, since they didn't know exactly who they were up against. But he didn't share his siblings abilities see through the force, so he decided to remain silent.
It was night when the Bounty hunters ship touched down on Dromund Kaas. Strangely enough, it didn't land at the Mandalorian Enclave in Kaas city. Instead it landed on outskirts of the city, were the poor people lived. It was a particularly gloomy place to be, dark alleys with beggars and shady characters wandered around nearby, like shadows in a play.
Terrow and Tikala both lay hidden above on a nearby skyscraper, each with their own par macro binoculars. Terrow zoomed in with his binoculars to better see the details of a being who wore a huge metallic armor, painted in an orange pattern. "Doesn't look like any Mandalorian, nor any bounty hunter armor I have ever seen before. Maybe it's a droid?" He pondered as his readout came out negative on any signs of life force on the thing.
"I sense there is a living being within the metallic shell. It looks really cumbersome." Tikala added calmly.
"Agreed, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be slow though. Any idea of the person within?" Terrow asked, pondering the purpose of their visit, to the more seedy area of the city.
"I can't get a proper feeling of the person's intentions, not without uncloaking myself in the force." Tikala informed.
"Better not risk it." Terrow muttered, as he noticed someone else, this time in green, exiting the ship and walked down the ramp. The second being was also clad in full metallic armor, but noticeable thinner and lighter than the orange counterpart.
"We are moving to intercept them." Came it from their commlinks in Briza's voice.
"Understood. Make sure to keep in sight at all times, so we can provide covering fire." Terrow advised cautious, as he put away his binoculars, and readied his TZ 700 sniper rifle for imminent fire.
As Briza put her comm unit away, she turned to her brother. "This matter should be handle with persuasion and intimidation, which means I will do the talking and you remain quiet."
"Ye-es my... Master... Lord... Lady... Princess." Mathorn muttered in reply, while grinning slightly.
"Shut up, and keep it shut." Briza replied irritated. This lack of manners needs to stop.
