[center][h2]Eri'Moram and Jerus Je'and-Aboard the [i]Resurgence[/i][/h2][/center]

Jerus sighed before nodding, pulling his blade and top half of his armored robe to him with the Force. “Suppose we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Speculating could lead to a more awkwards situation than we need right now.” Putting the top half of his robe back on and hooking the lightsaber to his belt, Jerus looked at the Sangheili. “Anything else? Gotta go change into my armor before the next meeting, Samus and I are heading out on a couple of bounties soon.”

Eri gave a sound that may have been close to a laugh. “Hmph, I suppose if they draw their weapons on me, then we shall know from which time they were taken from. I will be sure my energy shields are active when I enter the room.”

It was still going to be some time before the meeting between their fleet’s delegates was set to begin, and there was little else that Eri could do beyond give her warning. At the very least, it would not come as a surprise to her allies if these Humans had a hostile reaction to her. It did leave time for Eri to prepare, though she also took note of the abilities that Jerus had displayed yet again. She could not see the device that was causing it, yet he could obviously make use of it freely, even casually. It reminded her of the battle, and the proficiency he had shown. Eri might have taken the time she had now to prepare further for their upcoming meeting, but she felt that she had the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity. How capable was he, really? 

“Perhaps so. I recall from the battle that you prefer that blade on your belt, even against the enemy. The Humans of my universe are capable warriors, but small and frail as they are, they always prefer their ranged weapons. My people...find honor in swordsmanship. Do the Humans of your universe have a similar tradition, or are you an exception to them?” Eri asked. 

Jerus chuckled as he looked down at the lightsaber on his belt before pulling the length of metal from his belt. “I suppose once upon a time, when there were more Jedi and Sith in the galaxy, some members of the Order probably found great honor in crossing blades with a Sith Lord. But that was long before I was born. In this day and age? I’m a rarity, even amongst the various beings that still partake in swordplay, being Force Sensitive as I am.”

He lead the Sangheili female over to a nearby viewport, where a mixed flight of V-wings and ARCs flew by on their patrol. “The Jedi Order was the paragon of good before Order 66, leading the charge in the Clone Wars against the CIS and before that, against the forces of the Sith, the anti-thesis to their own order. History says that during the Jedi Civil War, the military made training with melee weapons far more widespread and, ultimately, required in order to counter the sword wielding soldiers of the Sith Empire.” Jerus had an inkling of why she was asking, but he decided to push forward with his question anyways. “Any particular reason you’re interested?”

Eri struggled to keep track of all the names and events that Jerus was mentioning. She had been given data files with historical information about this universe, but that had not been the focus of what she had been committing to memory. He mentioned Jedi and Sith, words that she had seen, but that she did not understand fully, particularly in regards to this “force sensitivity” he mentioned. Whatever it was, Eri was not one to learn just by talking away for hours. She preferred to learn through action. “If this Jedi tradition of yours values skill with a blade, I would test it against my own. No other technology or devices, just one warrior’s skill against another. That...lightsaber, you call it? Do you have versions with low enough power for training?”

Jerus shakes his head as he deactivates the blade, approaching a workbench and opening up the weapon. “I’ve never found an intact training saber in my years of bounty hunting, only lightsabers, but I can adjust the power on mine to match the output of a training saber.” A couple of minutes of tinkering and he closes up the casing and walks back to the training area, igniting the blade again. The two blades were less brilliant in their glow, but still very present.

“I accept your challenge, Eri’Moram, and give the first strike to you.”

Eri was curious to observe the inner workings of Jerus’ weapon, though she did not draw her blade right away after he activated the weapon. “A usefully versatile weapon, it seems, but I will need a few minutes yet. My blade is still quite lethal, and cannot be modified so easily. I do, however, have a low-powered training blade in my quarters, and aside from that, I would not fight you in my combat harness. I wish to compare our skill, not our technology. I will return in a few minutes.”

[hr]

Just as she had promised, it did not take Eri any more than ten minutes to make her way back to her quarters and gather what she needed. She now carried two energy swords hanging from loops on a cloth belt, rather than magnetically attached to a set of armor. Her training attire consisted of a pair of pants made from a surprisingly soft-looking material, perhaps silk or something similar, and a somewhat darker brown belt. She was shirtless with no shoes, which made her thick, leather-like saurian hide easier to see than when in armor. Also apparent was the fact that her kind were more muscular, and stronger than even other species of their size, with a double set of pectoral muscles and high muscle density aside from that. A Sangheili combat harness did give some enhancements to the wearer’s speed and strength, but those were minor improvements. The vast majority of their physical capability was, evidently, biological. 

Eri placed down one of her energy swords on the workbench Jerus had used before, then drew and activated the other. The blade was stable, though far dimmer than the energy blades he had seen on her energy lance in the past. She lifted up the weapon and pressed the blade against her bare arm. “To show you that I have no ill intent, as you can see, this energy sword is of a lower power and will not harm you…” She began, lifting up the sword to reveal only minor, surface burns on her scales. “...much.”

When Eri returned, Jerus would be found missing the top half of his robe again and levitating in the air, his legs crossed and the unignited lightsaber levitating in front of him. At the sound of the Sangheili entering, he stood up from his levitation and grabbed his lightsaber from the air, watching her set down the other energy sword, as she’d called it, and then ignite her other one before putting it to her arm, proving no ill intent.

Nodding, Jerus likewise did the same with his on his arm, though when he removed it, it left a welt instead of a burn. “So, with our honesty proven, let’s begin. As I said, the first strike is yours.” Jerus slid into what was clearly a familiar stance as the twin lightsaber blades ignited once more, humming quietly, almost in anticipation.

As headstrong as Eri tended to be overall, she was not quite so reckless when it came to battle itself. Her primary mentor was, after all, Vael. She approached slowly, keeping her blade held at a mid-to-low guard in front of herself. Her energy sword was over a foot longer than one of the blades of his weapon, which, especially combined with her height and the length of her arms, would give her a considerable advantage in reach. She could threaten him from out of his range, so the impetus would be on him to aggress onto her, as the fight developed. To start, Eri opened with a simple thrust towards his shoulder to test his defenses and reactions, and from which she could easily retreat.

With practiced ease, Jerus spun away from the thrust, deflecting it with the least amount of the rear facing blade as was required before countering it with a thrust of his own aimed at her left thigh, allowing the hilt to slide forwards to provide him extra reach. This would allow him to, in turn, test the Sangheili’s own reflexes and defenses, letting him better flow with the fight rather than trying to bludgeon his way through it.

While surprised with his speed, Eri herself was far from a novice. She had not initially expected him to be able to reach her at all, but he was able to get more reach, more quickly out of his blade than she had anticipated. Still, it only required a short backwards step for her to be out of even his extended range, and she was easily quick enough to react. Leaning in as he was, Eri had the opportunity to swing for his head, and she did so with enough force that it would be difficult for a Human to parry, and impossible to block directly. 

Jerus didn’t hesitate, spinning his twin blades so that he might intercept her blade with the front blade on his own, matching her strength and locking them briefly into place. Holding for only a moment, Jerus can’t help but to bring himself to grin briefly and give the Sangheili a wink before breaking away and coming in for a series of quick jabs, aimed at different parts of her body.

As calculating as she had been in her approach, even Eri could not have expected Jerus to be able to even resist the force of the blow she gave, let alone to [i]match[/i] it. Even half her strength should have been more than a match for him. To her credit, she did react quickly to Jerus’ lightning fast counter attacks, far moreso than any average opponent. She blocked the first, the second, then the third jab he made, but the fourth with the reverse blade found its mark on her chest. She growled, though not from the mere fact that she had lost the round. There had to be something more to him than she could see. “What is the meaning of this? Is your body enhanced in some way, like the Spartans of my universe?”

Spinning away and resuming his ready position, he shrugs. “In a way, I suppose. Remember that Force Sensitivity I mentioned? It has the natural ability to increase the strength, speed, and reactions of those who can wield it. When my parents were training me, they taught me how to increase those natural boosts. It’s why Jedi were so powerful, among other things. They were faster and stronger than any opponent without the Force could be naturally.”

While Eri did resume her guard, she did not yet make any motion to continue with their next bout. “Natural ability? I do not understand. Mere physics would not allow one as small as you to be able to resist my blows so directly. Humans are not too much stronger than Unggoy, not without their technology enhancing them. What is this ‘force sensitivity’? There would have to be something much more than just muscle under your skin.”

This draws a chuckle from Jerus, but instead of speaking, he closes his eyes and reaches out towards Eri, who finds herself levitating off the ground post-haste. After a moment, he sets her down and opens his eyes, replacing his hand on his saber. “The best I can give you is that there are beings, human and alien, in this universe who can control and use the cosmic energy that flows through and around them. To quote my father, ‘The Force is all around us, flowing in all things and binding us together.’ It’s...rather hard to explain.”

Upon finding herself with her feet no longer on the ground, Eri was, quite understandably, alarmed. Her first instinct was to take a swing at Jerus, though he was out of her reach. However, he was met with a snarl even after he released her. “Cosmic energy? You expect me to believe that is natural? I have seen such before in my own universe, among the [i]technology[/i] of the Forerunners. Their devices move even the largest of objects with no discernable force acting upon them, but that is still technology. You would have me believe that there is some Force in this universe that a living being can manipulate with only their mind? Then why did none of our opponents on the enemy ship use it? Why have you not taught your own men to use it?”

Jerus found himself unsurprised by her disbelief and waited until her tirade was at an end before answering her questions, in order they were asked. “Alright, so, in order of the questions asked, yes, I do. This isn’t your universe, nor, based on the name change of those who call the Mists home, is it entirely mine, but I can still [i]feel[/i] the Force. There is no technology here or in my own home universe that allows for that power. Question two, the enemy didn’t use it because the Jedi are dead or scattered, just like in my home universe. Order 66 was used to wipe out the Order and send the survivors into the far reaches of the Galaxy, to be forgotten or hunted down at the Emperor's leisure. Nor was the genetic template used for the Phase 1 and 2 clones Force Sensitive, or any of the non-clone officers. Which leads into my third answer, which is that to use the Force, you have to have a certain attunement for it, an aptitude if you will. And as much as I wish that the men and women who enlisted with the Republic Remnant had contained at least one Force Sensitive being, they didn’t, and the genetic Template for our Phase Three clones, Damian Wren of the Mandalorian Clan Wren, wasn’t Force Sensitive either.”

However, Jerus knew this wouldn’t necessarily placate the frustrated Sangheili, so he did the next best thing. Pulling a practice blaster to his hand, he tossed it to her and resumed his stance. “Shoot that at me. Aim wherever you want, but shoot.”

Eri was starting to calm from Jerus’ initial display of power. His explanations were reasonable, though it was still difficult for her to accept that this kind of power could exist. Regardless, the evidence was starting to seem rather clear. Contrary to how a more...concerned individual might have reacted, there was no hesitation in the slightest for Eri to do [i]exactly[/i] as Jerus asked, not even to confirm that the blaster was not dangerous. If he was telling her to shoot him, then the risks were his business. Even with as small and awkward as the blaster felt in her hand, she was able to fire at him twice in rapid succession, first at his lower leg, then at his shoulder. 

Time seemed to slow for the young Force User as his lightsaber spun around in his hands, the blades moving to intercept the twin blaster bolts moving for his person. The first, aimed at his lower leg, went soaring off into the wall to the left, scorching it where it had impacted. The second, aimed at his shoulder, passed mere centimeters away from Eri’s head, scorching the wall behind her. All the Sangheili would have seen was the twirl of his blades and the only sounds she would have heard was the distinct sound of two opposing energy forces meeting before the bolts flew away from him. “My father called it precognition, the ability for a trained Force User to see just far enough into the future that they could pull off feats like deflecting blaster bolts. Could your Forerunner technology do that?”

“I do not know. Much of their technology is still a mystery to us.” Eri answered, more with honesty than any agitation on her part. As unbelievable as these abilities seemed, Eri could not deny them without simply denying the reality in front of her face. She could see no manner of technology on him, and he had displayed these abilities before in battle. She would have to accept that there was something inherent to this universe that went beyond her understanding. Between his ability to enhance his own strength and speed, and to quite literally see into the future itself, Jerus was an opponent far beyond anything she had anticipated. His capabilities went beyond anything she had faced before...but she was not one to be dissuaded by a challenge. Even one that seemed insurmountable. 

Rather than concede the fight, Eri once again took up a low guard. “Well do not think I will merely accept defeat, no matter what “Force” you have. Most of my opponents are physically [i]stronger[/i] than me; I am far from reliant on that advantage. And with precognition or not, I shall not be scared away so easily.”

Jerus resumed his stance and nodded, his blades still humming. “I wouldn’t expect you to, given your performance on that Venator a few days ago. Once more, first strike is yours.” The pair continued to go at it, exchanging blows over and over again for several minutes before Jerus finally held up his hand to stop the pair, indicating he had to go. “This has been enlightening, Eri’Moram. I appreciate your willingness to hear me out as well. But, I really need to go. That suit of Bes’kar armor doesn’t go on quickly.”

Again, Eri’s low growl did show some degree of agitation, but as Jerus might have picked up on by this point, the Sangheili did tend to show even mild anger freely. It did not sit well with her that Jerus could best her, and the fact that he had some cosmic force to assist him was not sufficient to calm her on that matter. If he could best her, then she needed to keep training, keep working to improve herself beyond him. To end their sparring now was...dissatisfying, but despite her own desires, she did understand that duties came first. “Very well...but I am not done with this. I will return later, and we will continue our training.”

Jerus nodded as he once more pulled the top half of his robe to him and put it on. "That's fine. How about for an hour a day though, instead of at random? I do have to run the Clones and Enlisted personnel through their drills after all. That agreeable for you?"