The Abiding Force: A Knight of the Empire (Star Wars)

11: Worthy Adversaries

Val dove instinctively as Chiko pulled him down and away. The lightsaber passed over them in a swirling arc. Val rolled to his feet and ignited his own weapon. The green blade of the enemy's lightsaber was descending upon him as he struggled to regain his footing. His enemy was a hulking Iktochi man, his face concealed behind an armored visor of grey durasteel. Two pointed horns protruded just below the mask threatening to skewer Val if he was not careful.

Val drew his opponent's next strike downward, pinning the saber into the floor plating, sending sparks cascading across the floor. The Iktochi tried to kick Val back to free himself, but Val was faster. It didn't send him reeling, but the bigger man was off balance as Val's own kick landed. The Iktochi stumbled a few steps but recovered. The two opponents stated each other down for a few seconds, standing still as they planned their next moves.

A howl of rage drew their attention. Val spared a glance in its direction, finding Chiko locked in a vicious battle with two opponents wielding vibroblades. Val fought back his momentary panic as he turned his attention back to his own plight. The Iktochi moved forward deliberately, moving in medium strides with good balance. There was a scream of pain from Chiko's direction as Val took up the attack.

He feinted high then twisted into a long lunge aimed for the Man's chest plate. The Iktochi countered well, battering his stab away and turning the momentum of the block into a glancing strike that sparked off of Val's armoured shoulder. Val winced as it grazed his flesh, knowing that if it were not for his pauldron the battle would have been over then and there. The sting of his failure made him cautious, he fell back to reassess his opponent, but the Iktochi was too intelligent to allow him that.

Val matched each of his opponent's strikes, but was not nearly as strong as the bigger man. Even worse, his opponent had a reach advantage, standing a head taller than Val. The Iktochi attempted to disarm Val with the same glancing wrist strike that Val had been taught by Korta. He seized the opportunity to reverse and his blade found purchase on the Iktochi's right flank. Blue-red blood vaporized at his weapon's touch, sending a sickening burnt iron smell in its wake. His opponent lashed out wildly, nearly catching Val through his neck before stumbling past him and collapsing to one knee.

Val wondered if the strike had touched the man's vitals. If Iktochi physiology was similar to human, the liver and kidney may have been ruptured. A scream from his right heralded the approach of a new opponent. Val barely had time to turn before she was upon him. Her vibroblade was barely perceptible as it flashed in a flurry of blows so quick that Val relies entirely on instinct to weather through. He made a split second decision, hoping his armor would stand up to the attack.

He deactivated his saber, lunging forward to grab her sword arm by the elbow. She landed a single glancing blow that sparked off of his shoulder before yelling in surprise as he wrenched her into and arm bar. She twisted with the momentum and managed to flip free, but lost hold of her blade as she did so. Val flopped his newly acquired sword around and leveled it at her. "No!" The Iktochi roared in pain and desperation as it attacked Val from his flank.

The man was slow now, clumsy and losing strength quickly. He stepped back, evading the wild strike. The second whipped out immediately with surprising speed and Val reacted unconsciously, catching the saber's blade with his own while simultaneously driving the vibroblade's tip through his enemy's chest. Blood coated his hands as the larger man coughed behind the mask. Val let go of the vibroblade as the man fell, the weapon lodged too deep to easily pull free.

Val turned back to the woman but was pushed off of his feet before he could complete the maneuver. He flew back, feet sliding across the floor as he fought to remain standing. He recovered in time to see Chiko deliver a final blow to a kneeling man, sending him crashing to the floor, lifeless. She didn't see the woman approaching from behind green lightsaber descending toward her exposed back. No. Val thought, reaching out to grasp the enemy before she stole Chiko away.