#darthtanit

[mindscapeartist]

Ludus Summus, 24

Darth Tanit allowed the moment to pass, standing amidst the kicked up dust and debris from the sudden push that slid her back several feet. The stumble it caused was due in part to the fact that she had not expected the young woman to do such a thing. She stood upright, out of her attack stance and looked at the woman from where she stood, then to her former master and current peer, Darth Verrin. "My friend, it is my judgment that this young woman has potential among the flock. She stood against me without backing down, and gave me her best. To me it means she has some ability to manage her fear. If she can do that now, I imagine that she may yet become a great Sith." Tanit said, praising the woman's efforts and clearly ending her assault. She had seen quite enough and had been satisfied with what she had witnessed. Even with the flaws and mistakes in her stance and approach she chose to press on and do her very best. That in and of itself was enough to the ailing redhead to give her a good mark in her favor.

Tanit looked at Miss Tsintah after speaking with Verrin, "You should be proud of how you stood against a superior opponent. One of the most important lessons any aspiring Sith must learn is to control and manage their fear. Fear is the one thing among the Sith that truly causes the most self-imposed chains. Through the power you seek, and with a dauntless approach, those chains will not bind you. Learn that lesson and hold onto it, and you will have a bright future." She offered her hand to the prone figure to help her rise to her feet, "Do not expect the same charity that I have shown you from others though. Be cautious, but remember to work on being in control of your fears and doubts."

[mindscapeartist]

Ludus Summus, 23

Barely managing to regain her footing, Kai realized at long last what was happening. She is putting me on the defensive, I must stop attacking and focus on holding off her attacks, she thought; her feet shifting to form a gap approximately a shoulder-width apart, one boot slightly forward to help balance her weight. Darth Tanit was not a woman to be trifled with; as a Sith Lord, she could give many men a run for their money. Simultaneously, too - the Korun thought grimly. Though she was ravaged by some unnamed and terrible illness, the Dark Lady showed no signs of tiring. Relentless and almost savage in her demeanor, she reminded Kai of a brutal predator from her homeworld of Haruun Kal, the fearless vine cat.

Taming an inward sigh, the Initiate watched Darth Tanit push forward, her posture cautious yet ready to strike. It was definitely unlike anything the Sith showed Kai before, so not a Shii-Cho technique. Doubtful Kai would be learning that any time soon, the Korun thought grimly, bringing down the hilt-end of her lightsaber to the level of her navel as she readied for an incoming blow. Moments ago, she was picking herself up off the floor physically but now, her mind was scrambling mentally, attempting to read the Dark Lady for signs of what she would do next. The Sith was not giving anything away, and why would she? Kai was the learner and she, the master. Resolving to simply do her best and not worrying about failing, Kai darted to the left, spinning away from her opponent's reach.

Narrowly missing tactile contact the first time, the young woman barely got a breath in before Darth Tanit re-attempted the move - this time, lashing out with a swift leg sweep, knocking Kai's next breath out of her. The Korun landed flat on her back, her weapon tumbling out of her palm with a dull clang. Her head turned, gaze darting after the escaped training saber. Thrusting out her right arm, Kai reached out for the tool Darth Verrin gave her, her eyes closing tightly as she visualized the weapon, its weight and its exact position in her mind.

Once she felt the perfect picture in her mind, she beckoned to it with her thoughts firmly centered in the Force*, as if willing it to return to her by the sheer virtue of her will.

The effort, as valiant as it was, seemed to no avail. The lightsaber did not move. And Kai was on her back, hurting, disarmed, and clenching her teeth in exasperation. This lesson was soon to be over; perhaps it was over before it even began. Darth Tanit would undoubtedly not waste this chance and have her either pinned physically or wrenching under the anguishing strain of her Force powers.

With one final, frantic move, Kai threw out her left arm with her palm out flat as if signaling the oncoming opponent to stop. This time, she felt the Force surging through her body and mind, as if something finally 'clicked' into place. Her body and mind were one. She could sense the potential energy surrounding and binding her shift into a kinetic impetus; a brief wave that left her palm and surged toward the oncoming Sith.

Not that she expected the Dark Lady to cease her momentum or abandon whatever intent she had in mind for the Initiate. It was far too late for that now, the Korun knew. But she would not abandon the fight until she either lay unconscious or Tanit herself ordered a stop to it. It was not the Sith way to give up.

Attempting Telekinesis* and then Force Push (Novice) to keep Darth Tanit from coming closer/pinning Kai.

[mindscapeartist]

Ludus Summus, 21

Verrin continued to watch over the lesson, keeping a wary eye on other practicing students in the nearby area. Some had taken an interest, after all, seeing both the elderly Darth and the sickly one offering the instruction. No doubt some wondered what made this new girl so special, to warrant the attention of two experienced Darths.  Others saw it as a learning opportunity, to better their own skills and knowledge. Either way, Verrin didn't want any interruptions.

Tanit sidestepped the first diagonal slash, and ducked the horizontal to place her center of gravity lower. With her posture this low, she stepped inside the woman's strike zone, close, and instead of igniting her lightsaber she drew the hilt out and intended to use the weighted end as a club. The flurry of strikes caused her to move from side-to-side, taking steps back until the proper opening showed itself. She let the student work though the motions of Form I, watching what looked like desperation. Her body was weak, but to Tsintah's credit she refused to be cowed. That had earned her respect. To be a student facing an impossible task that she did not back away from was more admirable than the small population of acolytes that avoided hardship.

Darth Tanit let the vertical attacks come, and by the time the fourth one was raised up, the redhead thrust a flat palm directly into the woman's chest, using enough force that she would likely be winded. The follow up was to be a leg sweep intended to knock the woman to the ground, whereupon the hilt of her lightsaber would be used to club either the left or the right leg, not to break but to bruise heavily. She was intent to drive home the lessons, even with violence. Pain was an excellent teacher. Pain was what had Tanit seeking new ways to ease her pain, to repair her failing body. Blood dripped lightly out of the right corner of her mouth as she grit her teeth. She remained wordless, knowing that the young woman, even if she did not find herself the victim of every maneuver Tanit threw at her, would likely need a moment before the lesson could progress from physical to verbal.

The  aggressive flurry of randomly placed vertical attacks intended to drive back enemies that was (usually) highly effective against most lightsaber styles, was not going to be nearly as efficient against Darth Tanit. The Dark Lady continued to be one or two steps ahead of Kai at all times, and the Korun expected as much. Still, she went about her business, executing one stroke after another, until she ran through the entire gamut of Shii-Cho's movements. Still, she was no closer to landing a strike on her instructor than she was to see the flat palm strike coming her way. By the time she did, Tanit's palm landed squarely against her chest, knocking the wind out of Kai. Struggling to retain her footing, the initiate's left leg stepped back, supporting her weight in a wobbly, albeit still upright, position. Just when she was able to catch her breath, Darth Tanit's leg came out in a sweeping force, intending to rob Kai of her footing and cause her to land on her backside. 

A sense of frantic urgency overcame her, as the Korun attempted to jump over the sweeping leg. Every muscle and tendon surged into action but, even so, it was all too little -  too late. Kai went down like a heap of stones, having enough foresight to avoid any future trouble by utilizing whatever leftover momentum she had, to roll away from Darth Tanit's follow-up move. Out of the corner of her eye, the initiate saw the Dark Lady's arm come down upon Kai's lower body just as the girl managed to roll away and out of the Sith weapon's intended arc. Just then, she thought to have heard something strike the ground, but did not care to look; she was too busy scrambling back to her feet in a determined effort to regain her defensive opening stance.

[mindscapeartist]

Ludus Summus, 20

Kai was far from sobbing, but she did feel an uncomfortable influx of tears stinging her eyes, causing vision to become slightly blurred, much to her frustration and dismay. Not that the girl gave up on fighting the urge to release the waterworks with every ounce of her willpower, but Darth Tanit's vice-like grip was simply too strong for the initiate to resist. Pain was a rite of passage for the Sith, the Korun reminded herself silently. Just do what you can, and if you must cave in at some point, then so be it - everyone had their own threshold of pain and as untrained and weak as Kai was, hers was likely of a much lower tolerance than most of the initiates' housed within.

The one thing she did not want to do, was pass into unconsciousness. Though she might be spared the agony of death, Kai could very well be cast out from the Academy, for failing her first basic lesson in lightsaber combat. The shame of it alone seemed impossible for her to bear and so Kai struggled to maintain her balance (even though she was already on her knees), as not to fall backward in a posture of absolute humiliation and defeat.

Remember the pain you feel now, and be gracious that you are able to feel it...

The Dark Lady was correct. If Kai were unable to feel any pain at this point, she would most likely be dead.

There have been many students in your position that have maimed themselves pushing too hard. Learn your lessons with measured ambition, Tsintah, or you will see yourself undone.

Had this been a different teacher such as Darth Verrin or Master Rohl, perhaps the consequences of this particular lesson would not have been so difficult to stomach. Then again, maybe they were even more ruthless and severe in their approaches. Kai simply had not spent enough time with each to get to know their darker sides, just yet.

A coughing paroxysm seized Tanit again, and the Sith expectorated more blood, vibrant blotches of it hitting the ground before her. Kai waited in silence before the seizure passed, then got to her feet slowly as her instructor had commanded. She felt drained, exhausted. There was very little energy left in her, even if Darth Tanit's warning of not holding back this time around, did raise a fresh alarm in the back of Kai's mind. Her brain was buzzing, focus drifting all over the place. The more she struggled to gather her concentration in one solid focal point, the less confident she felt. An image of her father teaching her how to fight with a staff came to mind, but then again, her father's consequences even at their worst, consisted only of being sent to bed without supper or having been told to sleep with the dogs, outside.

This was very, very different. And it felt like her future was on the line.

The Dark Lady assumed a somewhat defensive stance with which Kai was unfamiliar; although at this point the Korun seemed not to care. This was not a lesson she could win, nor could she impress the instructor with mimicking what she had managed to memorize. To top it all off, the initiate lacked the endurance and the foresight to help her stay on her feet in this artless display that was her knowledge of a barely scratched surface of Form I. Did she feel utterly defeated? Yes, physically. Her spirit however, was still undaunted and pressed her to continue, no matter what. The Sarlacc was a resilient creature, after all. Could Kai, in her limited wisdom, adopt some of its mannerisms and finish this day without failing completely?

Assuming the basic opening stance, Kai's dominant foot was placed back - an aggressive position hinting to an imminent forward step. Drawing her training saber, she held it in both hands at hip-height, directly in front of the navel. The blade angled 45 degrees upward just as Darth Tanit had shown her before. She would open with a basic yet fluid attack: a simple diagonal overhead slash, followed by a horizontal cut. Expecting that to be easily parried, she was already preparing for a direct block of her own, perhaps more than one - depending on the Dark Lady's intentions. If her defense was successful, she would continue on with an aggressive flurry of randomly placed vertical attacks, intended to drive back her opponent.

[mindscapeartist]

Ludus Summus, 19

Darth Tanit wrenched lightly again and released the woman's arm from her command, "Remember the pain you feel now, and be gracious that you are able to feel it. You retain both the ownership and use of it, though I could just as easily remove it from your body and remove the temptation to go beyond the parameters of instruction." She continued on. Her tone was still ripe with irritation as she looked at the writhing sobbing figure. This was something that would be conditioned out of the woman if she was going to be able to carry herself forward as a Sith. To show weakness was to invite destruction. At least she was able to answer the question, though she had still disappointed the redhead.

She paced for a few moments, letting the training pit calm as she seethed to keep herself from lashing out more aggressively should disappointment be the order for the rest of the day. "You are to learn the basics. Embellishment comes with skill and understanding. As with learning how to harness the Dark Side, attempting too much with the Lightsaber can just as easily destroy you. There have been many students in your position that have maimed themselves pushing too hard. Learn your lessons with measured ambition, Tsintah, or you will see yourself undone." Tanit finished her admonishing lesson. It was an important one to learn, one she learned harshly herself. Pain and the fear of pain were often the best motivators and the keys to success for acolytes and those hopefuls that wished to become acolytes. Darth Tanit now swam deeply in pain on a constant basis, and with it she tapped the Dark Side to try and knit some of the easier internal wounds together.

A hard bloody cough followed her anger fueled lecture. The cloth had not been lifted in time, and blood splattered onto the ground. Tanit spat the rest and wiped her mouth with the cloth, "Stand up, stop your sobbing, and show me how much you want to learn. This time I will not be holding back on you. It was a mistake to teach you without consequence. Come at me." She was firm with her direction. Tanit assumed a stance with which Darth Verrin was quite familiar. It was the defensive posture for Teras Kasi, the martial art which Tanit had elected to specialize in during her formative Sith years. The danger of the form was that it had been carefully constructed to keep one's mind as a blank slate to those attuned to the Force. This was to keep the practitioner from telegraphing their attack vectors and defensive maneuvers to those with precognitive abilities. The secondary danger though, was Tanit's bone-crushing physical power. She stood in wait, ready to counter and attack against the simplicities of Form I. Now she was intent on driving home the lesson in the attack zones on the body with anguish rather than a loose leash.

[mindscapeartist]

Ludus Summus, 16

There was a sensory twinge, an irritation that Tanit could feel watching the woman go through the motions. She did not break contact with her, having been given that same feeling before in the Force. It was not difficult to place, and while she was watching her caution and alertness was rewarded. The flash of a metal blade and the swing of the lightsaber. Both of them from different directions but both of them blunted by the precognitive warnings that those attuned to the Force were granted. Now her irritation had elevated to pure anger. She had granted this woman the instructives all students should have with her own time, and chose to attempt to break form.

Darth Tanit dashed backwards and glowered like a scorned professor. The student had some nerve, and she was not going to stand by and watch this overly ambitious attempt get someone killed because they felt they could impress someone with creativity. Now was the time to teach another lesson to Kai, and that was to teach that nobody was beyond reproach. Tanit grasped at the Dark Side, drawing its power into her body and channeled its power directly into Tyro Tsintah's shoulder and forearm on the same limb that held the knife. She held her hands out, squeezing firmly to cause maximum pain to her victim, "You are here to learn velocities and proper technique for Form I, not to draw a secondary weapon and make a fool of yourself." She admonished firmly.

Tanit began to twist the grip she had on the arm, slowly, not attempting to break it rather trying to instill into her that her arm was in peril, "If you consider yourself so adept that you can draw a second blade, then what use is my instruction? You choose to ignore the basics. Maybe you would be better suited to learning the simple fundamentals of lightsaber combat if you had only one arm. Adversity breeds strength, or culls the weak. Tell me, Miss Tsintah, who does this arm belong to? Do you want to be strong or do you want to be culled from the flock for your ignorance?" She asked, wrenching lightly in order to cause more pain, "Choose your answer wisely." her voice and glare was full of venom as she continued her use of the Force.

[mindscapeartist]

Ludus Summus, 13

Tanit sidestepped the attack with, for how she had been in the past, rather startling speed. In doing so, she pushed herself beneath the blade and the arms swinging downward and instead of hitting with her full strength she left the back of her fist against the woman's face in a gesture of attack but not an actual attack. Her other hand went up and intercepted the clutched weapon, holding it with frightening strength for a woman of her stature and apparent health. "Body zone one, the head, and by extension the neck. Clearly, this is the most vitally protected zone of attack. To lose your head is obviously the end of your life. While the fundamental tenets of Shii-Cho are meant to be used non-lethally, as it was created by the Jedi, it still teaches each area of the body as a position to attack. The reason behind this was that the very first form was created at a time when the Jedi were transitioning from traditional swords to the earliest protosabers which had their powerpacks strapped to belts." Tanit was educating not only in the manner of Shii-Cho's use, but in the basic history of the form. To understand one's self as a warrior was to understand their methods. Should this woman pursue the path of the warrior, then it was up to Tanit to offer her a head start to make sure that she carried the Sith on strong independent shoulders.

"When you raised your weapon to attack you telegraphed your motions with your eyes. While I do not expect perfection from a new student, one of your best allies will be your mind. Battles can be won by simply outmaneuvering your opponents rather than overpowering them. Try to focus your mind on the goal and not the process. You raise your weapon, but you raise it and it seems as though you are not fully confident in your ability to learn it. Feel the blade. Your eyes will betray you, but the Force will not. Center your mind on the lightsaber. If you attack without using your eyes, then you will be that much harder to read. Now, return to the base stance and try again." She said, putting herself back in a neutral stance in order to resume the lesson in the hands-on approach she had started with.

[mindscapeartist]

Ludus Summus, 11

A sniper, Tanit? I have a very hard time picturing that, and yet.... There is something about this woman that speaks deadly calculation and impenetrable guile.

Kai's gaze broke away from Verrin sharply, as soon as the Zabrak ceased speaking. All attention now focused on Darth Tanit, as she spoke of the most fundamental form of lightsaber combat: Form I, also known as Shii-Cho. The Korun surmised that this most basic of saber techniques was the foundation for all the others that followed, although she kept that thought to herself not wanting to interrupt the ailing Sith Lord.

She watched with undisguised awe as Tanit pulled out her weapon which was far from what the initiate expected to see. It was old and battered, as if she had put it together using scrap parts from some disreputable junkyard. Fortunately, the Korun knew better than to judge a weapon by its outer shell, alone. Inside Darth Tanit's lightsaber beat a vibrant, crimson blade. Its emergence snap-hissed a deadly warning to all enemies who had the misfortune to lay their eyes upon it.

Watching in silence, her body upright in taut attention, Kai listened as the Sith Lady explained what she expected of the initiate. Tanit moved on to display some Form I footwork after which she showed the girl how to hold the weapon in proper position in order to execute a horizontal slice. Following this up with a demonstration of a vertical slash, Darth Tanit encouraged Kai to mimic her previous movements. Once Kai had attained a sufficient level of comfort with the basics, she was invited to come at the Sith. At that point, Tanit would teach Kai about various target zones of control and attack.

All of this is logical and encouraging, Kai thought.  Now onto putting theory into practice.

Kai's feet came shoulder width apart as she activated the training saber given to her by Darth Verrin and held it firmly in both hands, resting the lower end of the hilt at the level of her navel, tilted at a forty-five degree angle. Beginning at rest position, she stepped with her right foot, bringing her weapon up in an overhead strike. Right foot moved to step behind, as if facing an invisible attacker in the direction opposite to that which she started from. Another step forward brought the lightsaber up again in an overhead strike, repeating the same basic motion from before. Left foot stepped out to mid-line, an invisible shoulder strike sweeping left as she moved forward and then repeated the motion but with a sweeping shoulder strike to the right. The two shoulder strikes were repeated, first to the right and then to the left, before Kai swung her left leg around counterclockwise, bringing her lightsaber down for an imaginary block.

Here we go. Coming at you, just as you asked. Let's hope I do not suffer for it.

Just then, the Korun's weapon swung upward in a swift, jerking motion as the initiate took a sudden step toward Darth Tanit, aiming to lower the shimmering crimson blade onto the woman's unprotected head.