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"Fierfek, they're so little." Cye looked out at a group of future clone commandos. They all stood at attention in their blue gray uniforms waiting to begin their training in martial combat. "I can't spar with them. Even if they're already skilled I'd overpower them." She looked to Kal Skirata. "You're going to have to be my sparring partner, Kal'ba."
"And here I thought I'd finally have some time to myself." Kal stood with his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a frown that didn't match the mischief in his eyes.
Cye shook her head, her face tight as she twisted her mouth in a half frown. "I suppose I can start with the forms. They'll need to learn them anyway. I was just hoping to show off a bit I guess."
"Because you didn't show off enough in the mess hall?" Skirata chuckled.
"They weren't all there."
"But they damn sure heard about it," he replied. "You know how to make an impression, Cye'ika."
Cye yawned, raising her arms over her head and stretched from side to side. Her side was tight, but there was no pain. For all her dislike of the Kaminoans they had excellent doctors. She rolled her shoulders back and looked up to the ceiling to pop the upper vertebrae.
"How about some basic defense, then?" I asked. "Deflection, grappling, shut down techniques. You up for that? I promise I won't hurt you too badly. Just your pride." Cye grinned and he snorted at her prodding. She nudged him with her elbow as she walked front and center.
"Just try not to make my ankle any worse," he said as he limped after her. "And make sure I look like I put up a fight when you kick my shebs. I have a reputation to keep up."
"You only have to earn the respect of a hundred and four commandos, Kal'ba," Cye replied as she nodded towards the boys. "I don't have my own group to look after. I have ninety-nine other groups to train. I have a reputation to make. Just don't pull my hair out. I didn't bring anything to tie it back."
"That's fair," Kal said. "I guess I shouldn't make it easy for you though."
She looked back at him and smirked. "I'd be disappointed if you did." The young clones hadn't moved since they'd entered, just another point of note to remember they weren't normal little boys. Cye didn't dwell on that thought. It would take her down a spiral she didn't want to ride.
"Listen up, boys." Cye kept her expression neutral, but Skirata could sound damned intimidating. "You're in luck. Our previous martial combat expert met a fortunate end. You'll be learning from the best martial grappler in the galaxy now."
"My name is Cye," she spoke up as he gestured towards her. "Today you'll be observing and then we'll be practicing basic defensive stances." She looked over to Kal and gave him a wink with the eye the boys couldn't see. "You'll need to pay close attention. Stay sharp b-"
Kal was a blur as he lunged. The old man was fast, and an experienced fighter. Cye blocked the first two swings and a kick to her kneecap before he landed a glancing blow to her chest with his elbow. He followed up with a solid hit to her ribs that nearly made her double over. He wasn't making it easy at all.
Cye grinned fiercely as she played into her defensive training. She focused on blocking and avoiding hits, wearing Kal'ba down over the next couple minutes. It was as natural as breathing to her. Kal knew it too, but he played into it for that time so that his boys could see that a strong defense is as beneficial as doing damage to an enemy.
"Come on Kal'ba," I goaded. "You can do better than that." It was time for them to finish up the exercise. Kal growled with anticipation, going so far as bearing his teeth to intimidate her.
Demonstration went out the window and the dirty fighting began. The only line Cye didn't cross was injuring Kal's bad ankle, and for his part Kal didn't intentionally pull at her long hair. The idea flashed through her mind that the clones might not be able to keep up with what they were watching. Kal was so fast, Cye didn't have time to think, she just had to trust her instincts and her muscle memory. Thinking about her moves would only slow her down.
Skirata the Scrapper created an opening when he stepped into a kick to his hip and head-butted her chest, knocking the wind out of her. He wasted no time taking advantage of Cye's fight to breathe with a punch to her gut and slammed his fist against her ear. Instead of reeling back to avoid his attack Cye lurched forward, using her new, lower center of gravity to knock him off balance.
Her body fought to get air back in her lungs, but Cye couldn't stop to catch her breath. She kicked him hard on his thigh and then again just above his kneecap to stun his leg and slow him down. She stopped Kal from hitting her in the head again, blocking his forearm and trapping it in her armpit. Black spots began to swarm her vision, her chest burning with the effort of trying to take in a breath.
Kal grunted as he shifted his stance. Her eyes lost focus as she snorted out the last bit of air from her lungs to open her diaphragm. A silver glint was the only warning Cye had to twist out of the way of Kal's knife. A burning heat flared across her ear as his knife managed to nick her cartilage.
The primal fight or flight response kicked in, and Cye was no longer sparring with her ba'vodu. Her lungs jump started and it sounded as if she inhaled a guttural reverse scream. She twisted her arm and body around his trapped arm and straightened in a jerk. Kal cursed as his elbow popped out of his hinge.
With one arm disabled she blocked another slash from his knife. As the air returned to her lungs she could finally straighten and she reeled back before planting a Keldabe kiss right between his eyes. The instant Kal stood stunned was the opening she needed to end the fight. She ducked under his knife arm and twisted around him, her knees planted just behind his to bring him crashing to the ground. Hard.
With one arm disabled he wasn't able to break his fall. Cye hooked her leg in between his and wrapped it around his thigh, locking him in place with her foot pressed into the back of his knee. Then she threw her left hand over his head and jammed her fingers into his nostrils and yanked backwards. She tucked her right arm under his shoulder and wrapped around his elbow to grip his hand with the knife in it and brought it to his throat.
"Check."
Kal rasped loud enough for the room to hear. Cye immediately released his knife hand and untangled herself from him. He rolled onto his back, chest heaving as he tucked the knife away up his sleeve. Cye sat up, resting her elbows on her knees with her head bowed trying to slow her heart rate down. Blood spotted on her shoulder from the cut on her ear. It hurt to take a full breath.
"My nose?" Kal said from his position on the floor. "Really?"
"No one thinks about nostrils when you're trying to control someone in a grapple," Cye said kneeling on his left. "Works great, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna remember that though." He hissed as she repositioned his left arm. "Careful Cye'ika."
"I know what I'm doing Kal'ba." She used her knee to hold his upper arm still. "You should probably look away." He did as she asked and relaxed as much as he could. "Alright, on two. Ready?"
"Just do it al- AH!" Kal shouted in pain and surprise as she reset his elbow. "Fierfek! That hurt."
"Everyone expects the shoulder to hurt more," Cye said. "But the elbow can seriously shab you up. How's your nose?"
"Fine," he said as he pinched it to make sure it wasn't broken. "How's your chest?"
"Hurts like hell," she replied. "But I can breathe, so I'll live." Kal took out a small can of bacta spray and bandage from his jacket and pressed the latter to her ear. "Thanks," she said as she took over holding it.
"Let's see the damage," he said, gesturing to her sternum. As Cye began to lift her shirt he turned to the clones. "Alright boys, pair up and square off. No dirty fighting until you've mastered the basics. Your training begins now." They immediately obeyed, only glancing up briefly as Cye turned her back to them while Kal administered to her. "I think I might have cracked your sternum, Cye'ika," he said as he gently pressed his fingers against the spot his head hit.
"I'll say," she hissed. "And I just got all fixed up. You're too hard headed for your own good Kal'ba."
He laughed as he sprayed the bacta along the base of her chest. "You aren't the first woman to tell me that, and I'm sure you won't be the last."
"Well I'm the only one who means it literally."
"I'll have to tell you some stories sometime," he said with a shake of his head. "But for right now, you need to get to work training my boys to take out people with decades more experience."
"Shouldn't be too hard." Cye grinned and laughed, energized from their exchange.
"Right," he said as he patted her shoulder. "You say that now, but these boys are more hard headed than I ever was."
"Challenge accepted."