Deep within the jungles of Karufr lies a massive temple built from stone blocks, hand-carved by the builders of the Massassi. The ancient race made its home on the planet after joining forces with Clan Taldryan, having been freed from stasis years ago. Now, an entire civilization exists, hidden far from the prying eyes of Karufr's citizenry. As a Jedi, you are one of the few to have access to their secret base.

You step onto the temple grounds and watch the fearsome warriors train in small regiments with their crude weapons. The entire temple is in a state of anticipation as the Massassi know they will soon be called on once more to aid the Dark Jedi of Taldryan in battle. The temple is shaped like a giant pyramid, towering into the sky, and serves as a backdrop to the training ground.

The War Chief notices you and gestures you forward. He clears the area around you with a bellowing command, and the Massassi warriors present form a wide circle with you at the center. A moment later, you realize you're not the only Jedi to visit the temple—the crowd parts slightly to allow the newcomer to enter the ring. The gathered Massassi holler in good cheer. They want to see a fight.

The Chief raises his weapon to the sky and barks a command. The Massassi begin to stamp their feet against the ground, creating a loud, steady beat that seems to get your blood pumping. With little choice left, you lock eyes with your opponent and ready yourself for a fight.

Calindra's eyes narrowed when she recognized the person crossing the circle of muscular red warriors, and she suddenly understood why she'd been summoned to the Karufr temple, though she couldn't be a hundred percent certain that it was the Sadowan that...

"You left me in the bowels of that pirate base to die..."

'So much for that,' she winced as she felt a lead weight settle in the pit of her stomach. Calindra was relatively new to lightsaber combat and she doubted that the Sadowan was here to teach her. "Now.. Now," she stammered as she put both hands in front of her defensively, "I think you did call me blondey first..." she said with a grin as she finally accepted the inevitable confrontation, though she fervently hoped that this was only some sort of initiation.

The wind picked up and russled through the trees as the Massassi kept their rythmic stomping. Meanwhile, Calindra and Anima continued to circle one another: two tigers gauging each other in the cruel and harsh wilderness. She considered her blaster, and it simply would not do; nor would the standard issue lightsaber at her side. She was pretty certain that it would spell the death of her too. 'Swift kick to the nuts...?' That wasn't going to win her any points either. Besides, it was still a bit too early in their relationship...

Suddenly, Anima twirled on himself, snapping his leg from behind him. His heavy boots would have broken her jaw, but she had immediately dropped to a crouch and twirled with her leg stretched outwards. She connected with his ankle, and Anima's was suddenly swept away from under him. He started falling, but the momentum from his round house kick spun him back on his feet, but not before Calindra had gotten in a good jab to his ribs as she passed him by.

"What was a lady to do," she beamed at him, a look of angelic innocence crossing her face.

Anima's hand slid to his ribs out of habit more than pain as his body curled around the point of impact ever so slightly, making a mental note of where Calindra's strike had made contact. The human woman wasn't the most physically imposing of opponent's the Rollmaster had faced during his tenure in the Brotherhood, but even the strongest wall could fall when struck repeatedly with accuracy. Despite his rigorous training, the Battlemaster's ability to endure was far from infinite. Still, he found himself grinning ear to ear. Fighting was one thing, but presented with an opponent that readily provided him with an opportunity for hand-to-hand was more rare.

The prospect was exhilarating.

"If anything," the Juggernaut stated flatly, "a lady showed her true colours."

"That, by the way, don't happen to be 'blondey'," Calindra retorted, but the Sadowan wasn't focused on listening.

Turning his head to track Hejaran's movements, Anima plotted the path she seemed to be travelling and threw himself into a forward roll. His biceps bunched with strain as he pushed his heavy frame up off the ground mid-roll, flowing from roll to headstand and allowing his boots to swing out like clubs towards his opponent. Calindra spun to the side, shifting directions just in time to evade his kick. As he came to rest, carried just past his target, the human sought to once more rob him of his footing. The Rollmaster felt the trickle of warning through the Force, having trained himself to be attuned to the tremors as passively as he was able. Anima carried his momentum forward, throwing his arms forward like a trebuchet whilst kicking off the ground. He managed to cartwheel mid air, his face passing an inch above Calindra's foot.

So, that's the way she's going to be. The Rollmaster worked the gears of his mind quickly, processing what he had seen so far. Whichever exact form the Palatinae was applying didn't overly mattered, what mattered was its structure. From what he could tell, she seemed intent on avoiding his strikes and taking away his advantage. More than likely she would pounce the instant he lost his footing and press her own advantage — something he had no intention of granting her.

Anima opened himself to the darkness that permeated his being, pushing his muscles beyond their limits with a sudden infusion of the Force. He pivoted hard to the right with a sudden surge of speed, raising his left leg as if intending to deliver a roundhouse kick. Calindra ducked and sidestepped, a maneuver meant to both avoid the strike and put her in a position to counter-attack. It was a feint, however, as Anima continued the spin and pushed off the ground with his other leg. Now airborn, his body spun into the horizontal plane just as he extended his left leg. The Assassin's eyes widened, no doubt responding to the Force causing the skin to crawl up her spine. She managed to raise both her arms to defend from the sudden attack on a collision course with her jaw. The ferocity and strength of Anima's spin-kick crashed against her forearms, the woman grimacing just a moment after impact as the fire of pain scorched through her nerves. To her credit, Hejaran managed to deflect just enough kinetic force to prevent any lasting damage as his boot pushed through her guard. Both fell to the dirt hard, a small cloud puffing out from the point of impact.

The Rollmaster was first to his feet, quickly raising his right arm to wipe the perspiration threatening to fall into his eyes from his brow. He quickly spit to the side before taking a deep breath and focusing his mismatched gaze on Calindra, who was rising with less haste than he. As she did so, he gave her a quick once over with his eyes. He could tell by the rate at which her chest rose and fell that the human was taking long, deep breaths, hoping to quell her burning muscles with a fresh intake of oxygen. The Juggernaut could press his advantage, relying on his superior strength and stamina to overpower the Palatinae — but where would be the fun in that?

Anima was having a blast!

"Those true colours, it seems," Anima managed to continue between steady breaths, "would be survival at all costs... I respect that." It seemed that his arm had been less than effective as a drop of sweat slid over his right eye, the liquid caused an instant stinging sensation that caused his head to twitch involuntarily, seeking to shake the droplet free. He wiped his taloned hand gingerly down his face, giving it a sudden swipe downward in order to send cascading droplets towards the dirt. "Does 'a lady' have a name?"

The question seemed ill timed, but it made so much more logic within the man's mind. During the Red Fury onslaught they had been trapped together, hunted by the vaunted Pirate King. There had been more pressing matters than names during that time, plus neither had really said much at all. It was there — as he had mentioned — that she left him to die. She had utilized cunning in using her blaster to sabotage a passageway and cut off her pursuit, which just so happened to have included Anima at the time.

Besides, she had offered up fists when so many before her had reached for their weapons without a second thought. Such an act of kindness, to the Rollmaster, deserved manners in kind.

Anima was a killer, but he was not without his honour.

"The lady does have a name," she said with a grin. If anything the grin was wider, despite the sheen of sweat that made her tank top stick to her back and causd her bangs to stick to her forehead. She tried to ignore the pain in her forearm as she kept her eyes wearily on her opponent whom, she was relieved to see, hadn't drawn swords...

She’d have loved the grace with which he leapt about if she'd been a spectator, but faced with a Cerean jumping bean as an opponent was a bit mind boggling. How the heck did you counter that, if at all?

Her Dulon master would have said that you didn't have to. That such a display of force was exhausting and meant to intimidate and awe, then her master would have gone to the trouble showing them a technique that could harness the energy and use it against the opponent.

It just so happened she missed that day...

She had to acknowledge Anima's athletic abilities, but she knew that he was tiring himself out quickly as he kept on jump-kicking as he was. Which meant that they were nearing the end of the sparring. Someone was going to have to make an example of the other very soon if there was going to be anyone with any bragging rights. Alternatively, they needed a really good story that people would talk about for years.

Anima faked left, and jumped again. This time, however, she was ready and leapt as his leg whirled towards her. Having saved her energy, she vaulted in the air, tucking as she did so. His leg passed where she had been moments ago, and to outsiders it would have looked like she had jump/spun perfectly over his leg, her middle twirling and moving with the kick as his leg passed her by. However, at the very moment that the leg passed by harmlessly, she clutched it firmly with her hands and propelled herself with it.

The unexpected move and sudden increase in weight dragged Anima down towards the ground as she finished her vault by using his leg as a spring board. He tried counter with his other leg, snapping it towards her, but she'd already landed on her hands and started to vault away from him. Anima, meanwhile, landed on his rear and his teeth rattled in his skull. A sharp stabbing pain and the taste of blood in his mouth brought him back to the task at hand... 'Krife's sake, I hate biting my tongue like that...'

He barely got a chance to get back up, but a swift roundhouse kick from Calindra forced him to lie on the ground and roll away. He was on his knees, ready to get back up, but she was forcing him to defend himself, keeping him on the ground as he focused his energy in blocking her fury with her fists. To outsiders it looked like a whirlwind of hand movements, some so quick that the eye couldn't follow, but Anima managed... Barely.

He blocked and parried as quickly as the blows came. His hands and arms were taking a bruising in the process, and the occasional hit that came through forced him to move his head left or right. They were Titans in the presence of mortals.

Unable to take the offensive, Anima changed tactics. Instead of blocking and parrying, he clamped one of her fists between his shoulder and chin, and eventually subjugated her other fist within his claw. There was some hooting and foot stomping around them. By the sound of things, the Massassi approved of the show.

Their eyes met, and she took in his pale grey eye, facial scars, and noticed the cloth hiding the other eye.

"Calindra," she said between gasps, as they both took advantage of the short respite his hold had provided them, "my friends call me Calindra." The breeze rustled more strongly through the trees. The freshness was welcomed and soothing as it cooled their skin.

At that, he pulled her backwards and put a boot to her middle, forcing her off and several feet behind him. She expertly tucked and rolled, and both opponents were soon on their feet again.

"Did you know there's a pristine lake nearby?"

Her eyes narrowed, sensing a ploy. "Is that so?" she asked as she circled him.

He looked at her, an expression of mock hurt crossing his face. "Why would I lie?"

"I'm more concerned with what could be in the lake rather than the fact that there could be one."

Anima burst out in laughter, and with a sudden move of the arm he grabbed her with the Force. Before she could protest, she was suddenly thrown backwards. She cried out in alarm as she passed trees, ferns, frightened critters; the wind whistling in her ears. In a panic, she tried to hold onto something — anything — to stop from falling when suddenly she landed in a large pool of ice cold water...

She sputtered to the surface, her body screaming from the shock and noticed Anima on a nearby rock: "You did leave me in that base to die... But I appreciated the opportunity back there." He explained as he removed his boots. "Figured I'd take you to the lake to freshen up..."

She gave him a baleful glare, but the anger died out and she started laughing. "I did leave you there..." she admitted, just before she used the Force to topple him into the water as he was passing his shirt over his head. "What was a lady to do?"

"That would be telling," Calindra said as she smirked, despite her exhaustion. "So, 'Blondey' it remains," Anima replied without missing a beat.

The Palatinae's eyes instantly narrowed, a sign that combat was about to resume. Sweat beaded over her skin, causing both dirt and hair to plaster across her face. She made a quick glance at her surroundings, finding that many of the Massassi that had stopped to watch their bout had moved on to their own sparring sessions. The subspecies of the Sith were no doubt expecting more from them, something flashy. She could do flashy.

Anima suddenly charged forward, taking a half-step before propelling himself forward with lunging strides. The Journeyman reacted quickly, clenching her eyes shut and falling into a crouch. At the same time, she opened herself to the Force and pulled it about her like a shroud, her brow furrowing in concentration as she focused on becoming nothing.

"Son of a—" Anima muttered before he stumbled mid step, the woman suddenly disappearing between blinks. Common sense told him that his opponent hadn't actually moved from her position, but the sudden uncertainty that came from not being able to see a pending counterattack robbed him of the momentum that came from a sure strike. When robbed of vision, nothing was sure and the Sith wasn't about to risk anything. The Juggernaut opened himself up to the Force once more, directing it like a conduit into his legs. He launched himself off the ground, the added jolt of power catapulting him further than he would have managed under his own power. Throwing his arms out, the Umbaran managed to spin his body about and land facing where he had last seen his opponent, just as her cloak faded and she snapped back into view.

Calindra drew her trusty blaster the same moment she felt the Force slip from her grasp, aiming sure and true towards Anima as he landed. She smiled so hard Anima thought her face might shatter. "Stop me if we've been here before," Hejaran hissed out as her finger squeezed tightly against the trigger repeatedly. Red bolts of deadly plasma screeched through the air, one managing to soar just over Anima's shoulder while the others homed in on his core. The Sith threw out his palms, tugging on his connection to the Force and willing it to manifest like a swirling vortex in his hands. The shots connected with his palms and sparked briefly before ricocheting in less lethal directions.

Well, less lethal for Anima... unlike one or two unfortunate onlookers.

The Human cocked an eyebrow, paying no mind to the wounded cries as she rose to her feet. She grasped the weapon in both hands, tilting her head slightly for better aim as she began to approach her target with steadily increasing speed. The Sadowan was ready to defend himself more, if needed, but remained in a half crouch. He tensed as the shots rang out in a deadly chorus once more, but found no follow through to defend against. The red bolts scorched the ground at his feet, kicking up plumes of dirt and dust that hung like mist as the the particles caught in the steady breeze.

Anima squinted his eyes hard, reaching out with his senses, both physical and of the more mystical variety. The cloud before him suddenly collapsed inward, the only warning before an invisible concussive blast crashed heavily against his body. Not having time to prepare, the sudden shock caused his chest to convulse and force the air from his lunges, which had the added effect of knocking him somewhat off balance. The Sith was already backpedalling before Calindra's diving form was upon him, knocking him fully to the ground. He had expected to be able to recover quickly, but a heavy weight inhibited his movements. The human had planted herself firmly astride him, blaster barrel trained squarely between his eyes. Anima snapped his head to the side, but the heat of the weapon's discharge singed viciously against the side of his face, filling his nostrils with a mixture of burnt flesh and hair — an altogether unpleasant aroma.

Anima hissed from between clenched teeth, redirecting his hand that instinctively rose to cup his cheek to instead grab the woman's wrist. He forced her arm up, removing the lethal instrument from the equation. His actions were met with renewed force from his opponent, a force etched upon his body via a hard knee slamming into his groin. The world blurred at the edges of Anima's vision as the pain surged like fire throughout his body. No matter how accustomed to pain one became, not a single soul was ever truly prepared to handle such a strike gracefully.

Any who claimed such were damned liars.

The Sadowan had no choice but to bite his lip hard, drawing the coppery taste of his own blood as he felt his instincts snarling just below the surface. That part of him was screaming for retaliation, lusting after the blood and violence of such a rebuttal. He used pain to bring focus, to drown out the darkest parts of his being. Furthermore, he used that pain to restore the cycle of his power. Pain bred anger, anger turned to fire, and the fire of the Dark Side filled his entire being. Anima bucked hard against Calindra's weight, freeing himself up just enough to throw her to the ground beside him.

Sweat was now flowing freely down his face, falling in droplets to the ground as he hopped to his feet and crouched above the Palatinae in one fluid motion. The cold metal of his left hand slid across her throat, red beads forming around his taloned fingers as they pressed hard into her flesh. A mixture of pain and fear flashed through Calindra's eyes as Anima's mismatched gaze stared into them, watching as she fought to retain her composure while she struggled against his grip.

"Time to sleep, little blondey," Anima smirked as the muscles of his right arm bulged, using his power to further amplify the strength of the strike. His heavy fist slammed down, managing to slam hard against the woman's temple and flip the proverbial 'off switch'. The Sadowan felt her body go slack as her mind was sent into the sudden and dark embrace of unconsciousness, letting out a long breath as adrenaline faded and fatigue screamed from his overused muscles.

Anima wasn't completely sure at what point during the fight he had decided not to kill the woman, as he had originally intended after their previous encounter. Regardless, he had made the decision and that would be the end of that. It saved him both time and effort, seeing as the Rollmaster wouldn't have to hide what he had done or, for that matter, have to explain what happened to Locke so that the Consul could make an attempt at diplomacy with Xen'Mordin.

Yeah, that would have gone over so well.

"C'mon, lady," Anima muttered between gasping breaths as he slipped his arms under Calindra's still form, supporting her head with his forearm as he rose to his full height, "you haven't told me your name yet."

Turning to face the Massassi blocking his path away from the temple, Anima affixed their chieftain with a lethal glare, daring him to try anything. After a brief moment of consideration, an opening formed and the Rollmaster made his way towards the jungle, where his shuttle awaited a short hike away. It was going to be a long trip out of Taldryan space, and even longer still when Calindra woke up. More than likely she would try to kill him again the second she did so.

Oh yeah, it was going to be one hell of a trip.