Conflict and time for a comeback.
Ruby sat in her room meditating. Killing Adam has left her emotions in turmoil. Nothing was really clear for her anymore. And the line between good and evil was getting more and more blurry by the day. She just was not sure who she was anymore, or what she wanted. She used to belive in becoming a hero and protect people who can't protect themselves.
"Confused you are, you rose" Came a voice.
Ruby opened her eyes only to see that she was not in her room anymore. She could see stars all over the place "What is this? How did I get here?".
"Endless possibilities, the force has. One of your many powers, this is. Speaking through the force, we are" The voice said. It's speech pattern was a little strange, the words felt like they were in the wrong order.
"Who are you?" Ruby asked.
"Mean you any harm, I don't. An ally of the light, I am. Your inner conflict, I can sence" The voice said.
Ruby looked down on her hands "I killed someone... sure he was a bad person, a monster! But I... I don't feel anything anymore, I don't even know what I am anymore".
"Confused, you are. Struggling to find yourself, you are" The voice said.
"Yes. Who ever you are, you think you can help me?" Ruby asked.
"Strong in you, the dark side is. But still be saved, you can" The voice begin before a light appeared "Deep inside you, the light of hope is. Bring it out, you must. Only then, find peace inside you, you can".
"But how!? I don't even know where to start, I'm still learning about this force stuff! Please, tell me what to do!" Ruby begged "How do I stop this pain?".
"Answer that, only you can. Know what to do you will, if look inside of your heart you can" The voice said before Ruby woke up from her meditation and was back in her room.
She had no idea what happend, but that mysterious voice left her with alot to think about.
Back at the republic base Yang had finally recovered from her injuries. After having spent a lot of time inside a healing fluid called bacta her injury healed a lot quicker when combined with the healing effect of her aura. Right now she was training with Torian since she had gotten a little sluggish from the lack of training.
"Attacking a enemy base alone was very stupid Yang!" Torian said before blocking some of Yang's punches.
"I had a lead that my sister could be there! I could not just ignore it!" Yang argued before blocking a kick.
"You could have waited until someone could have come with you! You are lucky to even be breathing right now" Torian said before backing away a little.
"There was no time to wait!" Yang said before attaking again.
Torian takes a swing at her with his left hand, but she easily blocks it with her wrist, pushing his hand away from her. The interplay repeats with his right and her left, only this time Yang uses the momentum to turn and come back at Torian with a roundhouse kick. Torian bends backward to dodge it, his legs in a lunge. He gives his daughter a solid punch, pushing her back a few feet.
Torian moves forward, doing his own roundhouse kick. Yang joins both hands atop each other to block Torian's landing foot. With a loud cry she pushes it up and back. Torian regains his footing in a flip while Yang waits for his landing. Then she knocks him back with a single hit.
Holding onto his right bicep, Torian slides through the dirt, his feet flat on the ground until he comes to a stop.
"You are a warrior right? I thought hard battles is what your people lived for, so who are you to judge me?!" Yang said sounding angry.
"You're right. But a true warrior knows when to strike and when to hold of. And a warrior don't enter a fight he knows he can't win unless there is no other choice" Torian said "There is a big difference between fighting like a warrior and simply being reckless".
Yang looked down for a moment but by doing so Torian delivered a left hook right into her face. Yang rears back both from impact and surprise. She's ready to block his right hook and uses the turning momentum to deliver an elbow jab. Grinning the entire time, Torian blocks it and then dodges all the kicks she follows through with. Yang switches to punches, but Torian is too on point for her. While she uses her left hand to block an elbow thrust, Torian has grasped her arm and pulled it forward. The position puts Yang in the position of having her balance rely on the weight of one leg.
"And a warrior never let's his guard down in a fight" Torian said before he sweeps her forward leg, sending her onto the ground on her back "You have a long way to go before you can call yourself a true warrior. But with some discipline you have a shot at it".
Yang sighed as she simply laid on the ground and stared at the sky.
"Do you know the weakness of your fighting style is?" Torian asked.
"Let me guess I'm sloppy" Yang said in a mocking accent.
"No, you are predictable. You rely too much on your strength. I could not match you head to head, but I could easily figure out your style and come up with a way to counter it" Torian explained "Being strong is useful and all, but if you rely to much on it, a clever enemy can find a way around it and in a life and death fight, a weakess like that can be fatal".
"Well thank you for telling me how bad of a fighter I am!" Yang said sarcastically.
Torian chuckled "You misunderstand. You are a solid fighter and your strength is undeniable. But a warrior needs more than strength and some fancy weapons to win a fight. In your case you need to learn to focus your strength and branch out your style so you can make better use of it and not just rely on it".
"And how do you suggest I do that?" Yang asked sitting up.
"I learned from experience that a warrior must know when to charge in and when to back of. Sometimes it's best to analyse your enemy, figure out their weakness and then exploit it" Torian said before taking out a picture of Khem Val "Take this Dashade for example. He is a prime example why your strength can't always save you. Not only was he able to match you blow for blow, he was durable enough to take you punishment and give it back. If you are gonna have a chance of beating him the next time you fight then there are key weaknesses you can use"
"Like what?" Yang asked.
"First you got his large size: He is big and strong, but I can tell he is rather slow and would struggle with getting his hands on a faster opponent. If you can figure out to use his size against him, then you can throw him of balance and leave him open for attacks" Torian explained and Yang made sure to listen "The second weakness will be trickier. And that is striking her weak points. Like his neck and joints. A well placed strike in a area like that could cause real damage and make him unable to move that body part".
"You sure know alot of comabt, don't ya?!" Yang said with a smile.
Torian smiled back "Ready for another round?".
Yang stood up with a smirk "Bring it on!".
They circle each other, arms at the ready. Torian makes the first move with a left hook, followed immediately by a right cross and a kick. Yang blocks and dodges, continuing to avoid being hit even when Torian flips in the air. She cartwheels, avoiding him and he lands across from her. They face off again, Torian doing a single punch and kick. Veering to avoid it, Yang rolls a few feet away before turning and rushing at him. They meet in the middle, each with their left hand on the other's right elbow, pushing against each other.
"Not bad! Now you are getting-" Was all Torian got out before Yang kicks his leg out from underneath him, making him fall on his butt.
"A warrior should not talk this much right?" Yang said before offering her hand "Copaani gaan?".
Torian smiled before taking it "Your mando'a still needs some work".
With Jaina and Blake. They had finished their own training and was on their way back to their room. Blake's entire body was sore after having received several hits from the training blades. Jaina really demonstrated why she is the sword of the jedi. They entered their room and locked the door.
"Sorry for being so rough. You told me not to hold back" Jaina said as she began to undress for a shower.
Blake was doing the same "It's ok. That shadow guard beat me real good. I need to get stronger if I am gonna have any chance of beating the empire".
"You are getting better every time we train. At this rate you will be ready for them soon" Jaina said as she pulled down her pants.
Blake smiled as she was now un her underwear "You are a good teacher. I can see why you are such a legend among your people".
"I'm not only good a fighting" Jaina said and giggled when Blake blushed at her naked body "I can help rub the soreness from your body. If you care to join me in the shower".
Blake smiled and took of her own underwear "Who am I to refuse an offer like that?".
The two girls entered the shower and Jaina began to help Blake wash her body while giving her a massage. Blake relaxed at the gentle touch of her lover's hands on on her sacred areas.
"Don't worry to much Blake. The info we got out of the Sadow guard was solid. It will soon be our turn to strike back" Jaina said.
And with that the jedi and faunus shared a loving kiss. Jaina loved Blake deeply and as soon as this war is over... She will ask for her hand in marriage.
.
I bet you know who Ruby was talking to. Writing his way of talking was a challenge.
And Copaani gaan? means, Need a hand? in mandalorian.
Tell me what you think.