Rules are simple...

1.) Anything goes in the ring. (low blows, Force attacks, Ewok hostages, etc)
2.) Bring your own weapons. (no weapons are supplied in the ring, bring only what you can carry)
3.) Success is determine by posting skill. (ie. length, big words, creativity, etc, either an opponent admits when he is defeated, or in case of a deadlock, an admin will intervene and declare a winner. If a person fails to reply within 7 days of the last post, then the last one to post will be declared the winner by default by an Admin.)
4.) Do to state of the art simulators and excellent ringside medical teams, all duels are non-fatal unless otherwise stated before the match.
5.) Winners may be awarded prizes by the admins. (Prizes may be showboated in your sig)
6.) All matches are 1-on-1 affairs unless specifically stated otherwise before the match.

Seeing the unsuspecting Arian in the dueling ring, Ixtren quickly jumped into the arena."The Mandalore challenges this meager bat person to a duel."

Zhu E'XingXin saw the Mando sneaking up behind her brother. She was about to send a warning through their Force link when the Mandalore issued his challenge.

Getting a running start, E'XingXin used the Force to assist and speed her jump. Slamming feet first into the Mandalore's back, she backflipped and landed in a ready position by her brother's side.

"I accept, Mando Man."

Ixtren's HUD picked up the motion behind him but not fast enough for him to dodge the blow. Thus his opponent's momentum caught him off guard and sent him toppling forward. Yet the Mandalore was not about to be upstaged so quickly. With equal parts grace and showmanship, he rolled back to his feet, this time fully facing both opponents like nothing had happened.

"So there are two of you. Very well. I like a challenge."

And with that the Mandalore attacked. Firing precisely calculated patterns with his assault rifle in one hand, he closed in to slash with his mythosaur staff. The long axe-like weapon darted in fiercely like a spear, jutting for one of the Arian's torsos.

His attack was extremely sophisticated and complex. His suit allowed him to automatically feed firing coordinates to his weapon while simultaneously plotting vectors for his melee attacks. In a way they fought not only him but his suit as well.

Thus the Mandalore fought with the blazing speed of an assassin droid. His blows were blazing fast, always parrying away the strikes of his foes while trying to slip inside their defenses.

Alas the Arians were fast. Only a Force user could move so quickly. Yet their speed was aided by long practiced experience. Their swords moved in sequence not only with their bearers but between the two of them. Darting in and out, alternating fluently between attacks and parries, the two of them fought almost as one split entity.

Ixtren withdrew his mind from the suit's attack algorithms, letting his instincts take over. Instead he focused on his foes, trying to understand just what they were and what they represented. The flow of battle was too familiar for them. Only people of the same blood could work so well together.

Then again, if they were Force sensitives, they were probably melding their minds.

Zhu E'ren was taken aback momentarily as the Mand'alore issued his challenge, but with his sister at his side there was no doubt in his mind of his ability. He drew his Sith sword, the legacy of Aria's history and the unique weapon most suited to carving through modern Mandalorian iron.

Knowing himself to be the weakest of the three combatants, E'ren made himself into the shield, knowing that he would never be in E'XingXin's way and that she would never find him an impediment. Her sword flashed millimeters away from his unarmored throat after E'ren parried the Mando's weapon and held it away.

He slashed with his own weapon as he brought his arm back, and flipped away before the human could turn the weapon back on him. Before the weapon cut down on his sister, he reflected on his limited Sith knowledge and directed a focused beam of pure anger and will at Ixtren. It materialized into a Force blast, a beam of Dark Side energy radiating dark violet light, and struck Ixtren's weapon, threatening to disarm him of it.

The Arian twins worked in perfect concert with each other. Where E'ren slashed, E'XingXin blocked. It looked like a delicate dance where one miss step could end the others' life.

The three combatants danced and parried, their blades and blaster bolts singing into the air. Such noise was not a distraction to E'XingXin. She had seen the melee battles, had trained en mass with the priests of Aria, and she had the Force as her ally. No sounds would keep her from focusing on the moment. To her, nothing was better than the thrill of the battle, the sweep of her blade cutting it's song into the air. She lived for this moment, and fed her power with her passion.

Using the Force to augment her strength, E'XingXin ducked low when E'ren unleashed a blast of energy. Gauging her brother's attack to not be of sufficient strength to completely knock the Mand'alore down, she brought her grandmother's blade back in a two handed grip and swung hard. Putting everything and more into the swing, she aimed for the small chink in the Mand'alore's armor at his ankle.

The Iron Man now had a choice; face losing his weapon, or face a broken ankle.

The blast of Force energy hit the Mandalore's assault rifle, melting it into slag as it simultaneously flew out of his grip. Then the female swept low and hit the back of his ankle. The blow destroyed his balance. He fell back sharply, landing on the side of his knee and propping himself up with one arm, still clutching his staff with the other. The female was already coming at him again with a bloodlust look in her eye. He feebly blocked her next swing with his staff but the blow had too much against him. She had the high ground, the momentum, the Force...every advantage. Without hesitation she followed with another blow. In that second he saw her summoning every ounce of strength she had, both arms raised high above her head as she brought her sword for a heavy over the top swing. There was no time to block. He simply watched it come.

Angel or demon, the winged warrior brought her sword down in a great gush of air and audible scream of frenzy. The ancient blade rushed down with swift vengeance. A loud ring filled the air as metal crashed upon metal, echoing with a great vibration.

The Arian looked down at her prey laying motionless on the floor. There was a shallow gouge in the forehead of the Mandalorian's helmet. For a long moment she paused looking down at him.

Ixtren looked back.

He wasn't dead.

The Mandalore gave his head a tiny shake as he spun in a circle on the ground, sweeping and scissoring the Arian's feet, bringing her down to the ground with him. Quickly he sprang to his feet, still pinning the Arian down but aware that her partner couldn't be far off in retaliation.

XingXin's eye's were mad with fury as she looked up at the Mandalore. Still clutching her sword, now slightly bent, she stabbed forward. But now the Mandalore had the high ground. With the long swinging arc of his staff, he hit her blade at the base of its pommel with so much force that it flew free from her hand. He longed to finish her here an now with one more blow but his helmet sensors were showing the other Arian going in for the kill.

Thus he rolled away from XingXin, leaving her on the ground, and rolled toward her brother. E'ren slashed at the spinning ball of metal, but Ixtren was already coming up, staff held horizontally as he blocked yet another blow.

However he had already lost his advantage, and the battle was again spilling into the Arian's favor. Once again it was a two on one battle. Only now they were beginning to realize that this Mandalorian was better armored than most.

If only they knew. Ixtren smiled beneath his helmet as he exchanged blows with E'ren. I'm the only being in the galaxy with a full suit of Generation IV armor.

Yes. This was going to be quite the battle. Even the Mandalorians weren't quite sure of the full effectiveness of the new beskar. With only one suit of the new material, it was too precious to be lent to comprehensive testing in the labs. All that was known was Mandalore Beviin once took a blow from a point defense turbolaser and actually survived. For them, it was all the testing they needed.

E'ren wanted to help his sister up, but he knew that he could not spare the attention. Instead, he made three feints with his sword, all in the outer ring of defense, drawing Ixtren's attention and defenses as far away from his body as possible, before dropping low and bringing his leg in for a swipe at his ankles.

The gambit succeeded, slamming into Ixtren and sending him stumbling, but at a price. E'ren was almost sure that he had broken a bone or two in his foot against the man's strange armor, and had to flap his wings twice to maintain his balance. By the time the two regained their balance, E'XingXin was back on her feet and hacking at the Mandalorian, doing little damage but keeping him off balance.

The warlord came in hard and fast, striking at the Mand'alor with the heavy hilt of his weapon rather than risk the blade in ineffective slashes at his armor. He battered Ixtren's temple, aiming for his viewports and sensors as he drove himself into a Force-strengthened battle rage.

E'XingXin saw her brother's attack and suddenly understood. Inside that shell, there was a squishy being.

So it's just a matter of removing/disabling that shell, she thought to her brother. Or, just getting to the being inside, my dear sister, he replied.

E'ren had been doing a good job distracting the Mand'alore, but now E'XingXin came around again to launch another attack. This time she activated her grandmother's lightsaber to add to her defense. Engaging the Mand'alore in an extended series of slashes and parries, E'XingXin studied him.

She had to give him credit, he fought well for someone untrained in the ways of the Force. But that was also his weakness.

Signaling her brother to come and double team with her, she streamed her idea to him. E'ren attacked with powerful swings, demanding the Mand'alore's attention while E'XingXin began a subtle assault into the Mand'alore's mind.

Still holding her ground she attacked both physically and mentally, gradually planting the seeds for doubts and fears to sprout in the Mand'alore's mind when he wasn't paying attention.

Too slow. Loosing ground. Fraggin Force is too fast to keep up with... These thoughts filled the Mandalore's mind as he tried to regain his initiative. They'd knocked him off his feet again. Plus the female had a lightsaber now. The humming beam of light struck his armor with a loud, hissing clash of static.

Watch the lightsaber. Don't let it cut through. Remember what happened to Fett.

Hold it...

Why was thinking this? His armor was immune to lightsaber strikes...

I'm doubting...pessimistic...I'm never pessimistic! What's...sithspit...prugnuficating sithspit...they're using the blasted Force to attack my mind!

Jedi mind tricks only worked on weak minded individuals. Even Sith mind control was only as effective as the amount of will the user poured into it, and right now the only two possible users were still dividing their attention toward physical combat. The Mandalore was barely able to resist the psychological attack, but he couldn't completely shake off its influences.

Have to hit back. He drove into the female Arian with a brutal series of attacks with his bladed staff. Her lightsaber took off his auxiliary antenna, reducing his 360 degree sonar, and adding to the damage already done by E'ren when he bashed the external data feeds on his suit. Her blows pounded him, constantly battering him inside his suit, but he pushed on, knocking her back...then he spun on the other Arian.

E'ren was too far away to simply turn around and swing at. So Ixtren activated his boost thrusters and flew into his opponent like a human missile. The hard beskar plates crashed into the Arian's tensed muscles. The Mandalore's audio pick ups were blown so he couldn't hear if he'd crushed the poor man's bones. Regardless, they barreled across the floor in a tumble.

E'ren battered the off-balance Mando, but when the man turned to assault the Regent's sister he found himself powerless to stop him. He simply couldn't move fast enough. As he prepared himself for a Force assault of his own, something that would hurt the Mand'alor enough to inform him of how poor of an idea that was, the Mando hit him.

He didn't hit him with a weapon, or make an attack. His body simply hit him. Hard.

He heard a crack, and a moment later felt a searing- almost paralyzing- pain jolt him as he hit the ground. Well, at least I don't have to worry about my broken foot, he thought.

Drawing on the same rage he had intended to defend his sister with, E'ren drew the Dark Side toward him. The air collided with a resounding clap, throwing Ixtren off of him in what was tantamount to an explosion of air. The Mand'alor hurtled through the air, where he met the waiting lightsaber of E'XingXin.

XiXi swung her saber in a magenta arc, and E'ren heard the familiar sound of crackling electronics and weaponry. The armor itself, on the other hand, seemed utterly impenetrable, and the Mando hit the ground beneath E'ren at a fourty-five degree angle.

While working slowly with his arms and wings to rise, he focused primarily on the being before him. Your anger is powerful, but it is not enough to complete your desires. Your anger must be given focus- a target. It must be willed to do as you desire. With anger combined with will, you can crush and overcome the vital organs of the weak. E'ren recited in his mind, willing his anger to overcome Ixtren's lungs.

E'XingXin screamed as she felt her brother's pain. Their link stretched more than just into the Force, they were linked mentally and physically as well. She sent encouragement along this same link as well as a reminder that he was not powerless.

She rushed forward in a battle rage, eager to avenge her brother. She was encouraged to see her brother attack the Mand'alore and followed through were he could not. When she reached the armored offender, she leaped into the air corkscrewing her body into a fury whirlwind. Her used her magenta lightsaber to strike at the Mand'alore's back finding a seam in the armor she pressed hard, hoping to melt or break through the armor and reach the man inside.

Moving her body through the corkscrew, she struck the Mand'alore's legs with such a force she heard a crack. Whether that was the Mand'alor's leg bone or his armor giving way to her attack she did not know. Since her body was no longer spinning and she had appropriate leverage, she twisted her grip on her saber's hilts and tucked her legs in allowing her to slam her heels into the Mand'alor's side. Pushing off of his body like a springboard E'XingXin shoved the Mand'alore off of her blades leaving him stumbling for footing once again.

Can't...breath. Ixtren's lungs gasped for air that wasn't there. It was like drowning without water. Relentlessly...frantically heaving for air, the Mandalore began to panic. Blows came at him from behind. He fell, but nothing shook him from the terrified realization that he was going to suffocate.

He had only one last card...

...so he played it.

The Mandalore rolled over on his side as he lie on the ground. With one arm outstretched, he fired the chemical launcher mounted on his forearm. Black spots began to bubble in his vision as his brain starved for oxygen. Yet he still saw the yellow stream spray out toward his target. The half liquid, half gas vapor engulfed E'ren.

Ixtren couldn't keep his eyes open long enough to watch. The blackness was too strong. He started fading out.

But the poison was already working. The thick yellow liquid sizzled as it made contact with the Arian's flesh. Instantly it seeped through the skin and into the bloodstream. Meanwhile the vapor tried to fill the Arian's lungs with liquid fire. It was a fast acting chemical. First it would burn and paralyze, then it would stop the heart and wrench the entire body into convulsions just short of two minutes' time.

E'ren saw the Mando roll over, and he thought that his Force Grip had failed. No, he felt from his sister, the human is desperate. E'ren sent back the emotional equivalent of a nod, and before he could react, the Mando sprayed a yellow cloud at him.

As soon as the caustic cloud began to pass over his shattered feet, he began to discover what it was. His skin began to tingle and then burn, and he quickly ceased his efforts to rise in an attempt to blow the cloud back at the Mando. He only partially succeeded, dispersing the cloud to near-invisibility and inhaling enough to collapse in a burning, coughing fit.

His willpower- and therefore his grip- weakened, but E'ren took a different approach as he spread his telekinetic grip, pinning the Mand'alor's body to the ground without taking any overt offensive action against him. His coughs allowed the enemy to squirm and struggle, but there was only so much resistance left in him.

E'ren looked to his sister, pleadingly, yet confidently. He desperately needed her to end this, yet he didn't feel alone at all.

He was Zhu; he was never alone.

Zhu E'XingXin was enraged. "No one... hurts my family!"

Her anger boiled forth, exploding through her body and out her fingers in the form of Force lightning. Sending the lighting arching across the air and into the Mand'alor's body, she caught him into a Force grip to slam him into the wall hard enough to crate a large dent in the durrasteel wall.

E'XingXin heard a scream that died down to a moan as the Mand'alor surrendered to his injuries and E'Ren's attack.

Rushing to her brother's side, she lifted his head onto his lap. Opening herself to the Force she cradled his presence and assisted him to recover.

The Mandalore has been defeated.

((OOC: LOL! I was unconscious since my last post. I think we'll call it 'death by electrocution.'))

Adelaide Grenada stepped into the ring, wearing her customary combat jumpsuit. Her long hair was tied back into a ponytail, and her hands were empty. Her lightspear and twin vibrokamas were slung across her back, waiting for use, and her Cressya blaster was clipped by her left hip, in a cross-draw holster. In the middle of the dueling ring, she stopped and did a few stretches as she awaited her opponent.

Otto was apprehensive about signing up for the Dueling Ring. He'd seen a lot of matches on tv, and they always appeared entertaining, but inflicting damage on another being was not his idea of fun.

Unfortunately, he needed the credits.

Suck it in Otto, you can do this. Just keep in mind the other guy is probably some blood thirsty Mando.

That thought made him feel better, so he took a deep breath and walked out into the ring with a lightsaber in one hand and a blaster in the other.

The roaring cheers of the crowd were electric. Goose bumps ran up his arms as he let the cheers wash over him. Spot lights were roaming around the dirt floor of the arena, while the rest of the crowd was left in dark blackness sparkled by the flashing of holo cameras.

So this is what a holostar feels like.

He looked across the arena just as the announcer was calling his name.

"Hetzer from the Jedi Order, versus Adelaide Grenada, also from the Jedi Order..."

Adelaiede? Great...as if things couldn't get worse. Now I have to fight someone I know. A fellow Jedi.

Otto almost backed out. He didn't know what the repercussions of backing out on a fight would be, but he didn't much care. Besides, there probably wasn't much they could do to stop a Jedi.

It was only the reminder that no one really got hurt in the dueling ring that kept him from leaving.

Don't worry, it'll be just like a sparring match...I hope.

Not seeing any other choice, Otto ignited his emerald blade and stepped forward, his blaster still hanging loosely by his side.

Adelaide marked the verdant bar of energy hovering in front of Otto's face, but she didn't feel like engaging in melee combat just yet. With one quick movement, she drew her blaster from its holster on her opposite hip and began firing beams at Otto. She knew from prior battles that the beam output carried a higher kinetic energy than simple bolts, and would therefore be harder for Otto to deflect.

Otto saw the blaster flick into Adelaide's hand and by reflex, he immediately reached for his own. Years of training drilled into him came rushing back. By the time he had his blaster in his hand, and a beginning aim, Adelaide's blaster bolts were already flying toward him.

The speeding beams of light gave him just enough time to adjust his aim and fire. He hit the first beam dead on, deflecting the shot a mere meter in front of him, the back wash splashing heat in his face. His second shot blocked the next two meters out, the third three. His fire was gaining ground, his reflexes sharpening, his speed edging faster and faster.

His paladin's training allowed him to beat back Adelaide's fire with his own. The challenge brought a thrill to Otto he hadn't felt in a long time.

Adelaide's eyes widened slightly. She had never seen Otto pull a trick like this. It was impressive, first that he could actually do it, second that he was able to deflect Cressya beams that way.

It was time for a new strategy. Still firing, she rushed across the arena toward her opponent. As she leapt into the air, she reached back and pulled the middle rod of three strapped across her back; her lightspear. She held it away from her body, three brilliant orange tines of light flickering into being, shooting out as the weapon extended to its full two-and-a-half meter length. As she began to fall, she sheathed her blaster and gripped the weapon with both hands, stabbing down at Otto.

"What the-"

Otto had to cut himself off as he watched the strange weapon spring into action. He dropped his blaster and drew his beskar katana, simultaneously deactivating his lightsaber and putting it away.

Just as he had the weapon in hand, the full might of Adelaide's light spear came down. The weight of the strike brought him down to his knee, but he kept it from touching him, just barely. Adelaide was now bringing the weapon back, spinning it for momentum, and again it lashed out at him.

Otto met the deadly forked trident with his katana. The blade hissing as it made contact with the lightsaber tines. After the third blow, Otto realized Adelaide had the advantage or both reach and force with her innovative blade.

Have to use it's bulk against her.

He knew he needed to close in. It was the only way to negate the advantage or her weapon. Alas her skill with the toy was nothing to scoff at.

Lunging forward, she caught his hip as he tried to flip away to the side from another blow. Luckily it was only a graze, but it still burned like a holy fire.

Otto stood back up in a fighting stance. His weight resting lightly on the balls of his feet. Both hands lightly gripping the hilt of his sword. Patiently he waited for Adelaide to strike again. This time parried the weapon to the side and rolled forward, elbowing her on the rebound.

The blow caught her on the shoulder, knocking her off guard just long enough for him to continue to keep in close for the attack. He quickly feinted for her exposed leg, but she blocked. He whipped around for another strike at her shoulder, and again she blocked, but he was gaining momentum as she was losing it. He then struck for toward her thigh...

Otto had gotten underneath her defense, and it was now all Adelaide could do to repulse him. The long shaft of her lightspear was a hindrance at this close range. She could shorten it, but she made the snap calculation that she wouldn't be able to in time. But she thumbed the button anyway, reducing it to a managable meter-and-a-half.

Then her thigh exploded in fire.

Adelaide staggered back, and immediately collapsed on the side of her wounded leg. Her blood appeared everywhere. Anger at being hurt blazed in her, and she drew on the pain, focusing it into a weapon. As she rolled onto the ground, she screamed and lashed out with her hands, releasing everything she was feeling directly at Otto in the form of Force energy; lightning and a telekinetic push. Hoping it would buy her some time, she fell back supine, panting, trying to dull the pain and stanch the wound.

The wave of Force energy blasted Otto off his feet and back into the air. The sizzling tendrils of Force Lightning made his whole body spasm in a cold numbness. The ground slam into his back hard, but it helped break the hold of the tingling currents of electricity.

Still clinging to his katana, he slowly got back to his feet. He saw that Adelaide was mending her wound. Normally he would have pressed the advantage of her distraction and attacked. But instead he kept his distance and waited until she was ready.

To him this was very much a typical sparring match, only amped up a little. He was interested in seeing just how this would play out, so he let Adelaide make the next move.

Adelaide maintained the pressure on her wound with both hands, willing the Force to mend it, and wondered why she wasn't dead. She was immobilized, and as she lifted her torso to take stock of the situation, she noticed that Otto was on his feet, bedraggled from her Force assault, but still in fighting condition. He appeared to be waiting for her to get up.

How chivalrous, she thought, and sank back down to continue mending. After a few moments, her leg felt stronger, and she bicycled the limb to test its mobility. It seemed fine, and so she slowly got to her feet. She was a little lightheaded from blood loss, but that was a consequence of the duel; she would have to deal with it. She took a moment to focus herself and considered her next move. It would most likely be made by her, since Otto hadn't budged, and so overwhelming force would have to replace the element of surprise. She reached back and drew the two weapons she hadn't used yet in this duel; her vibrokamas. Holding them forward, tips facing the ground, she depressed the buttons, and the sickle blades snapped out with a 'schink.' She twirled them a few times, reacquainting herself with the weight of the weapons, and then charged. In front of her, Otto tensed, holding his katana ready. She met his guard and they began fencing; Adelaide utilizing the furious and battering style she'd developed for the weapon. When they had settled into a comfortable rhythm, Adelaide made a gambit. She parried Otto's strike with one of her vibrokamas on the shaft of the weapon, batting the blade away, while winding up with her other vibrokama to deliver a riposte. That was a predictable maneuver. However, since she was using the kama blades, the strike would be oriented differently than if she were to use the shoto blade...which Adelaide activated at the last second and drove toward Otto, while readying her other weapon to help.

Adelaide's weapon slipped in past his defenses. Otto watched in horror as his katana was batted away and the deadly vibrokama lurched for his abdomen.

He only time to twist his body to keep the weapon from cutting him in two. As he wrenched around, the humming blade hissed in excitement as it made contact with his flesh, searing it instantly as it cut through. The sinister blade sliced deep across his stomach, even with his reflexive turn. Cutting in hard, nearly 4 centimeters, as it dug through his lower ribcage and only coming out a little shallower, a mere 2 centimeters, as it the gash stopped at his navel.

He screamed in pain.

He was no longer there.

At that point, his brain and body took over. His sword wove patterns and parried as Adelaide's attacks continued. Meanwhile Otto's mind wrangled in torment, shocked into solitude. Fore those few seconds, he was not even aware of what was happening. Blissfully ignorant of the world.

He was on vacation.

Adelaide's smile of triumph at scoring a hit on Otto quickly disappeared into a mask of concentration as it suddenly became harder to fend him off. Despite the bleeding gash in his belly, Otto was fencing effortlessly, with a higher skill and power than he had possessed before. It wouldn't be long before the battle shifted in his favor. Adelaide knew full well the limitations of her weapons. Vibrokamas were both heavy and short, and optimally, were to be used in short engagements. Though she stood a chance by staying within the current cycle of parry and riposte, she knew she would need to change her strategy again to gain an advantage.

Though she was holding his weapon off, she sported several cuts on her shoulders, arms, and abdomen where his attacks had broken through her guard. And her wounded leg was hampering her maneuvers, making her own ripostes sloppy. As the fencing raged back and forth, Adelaide caught a glimpse of Otto's eyes. They were glassy, almost as if he wasn't there.

Maybe he can't react as well...

Drawing on the Force, Adelaide pushed out against his body with the same telekinetic attack she had used on him before. As he flew through the air, she charged toward him to renew the offensive.

Otto felt the Force hit him, and its sudden blast brought him back to reality. The pain of his stomach wound, the mashing of his muscles against the blow from the Force, and then the pang of the ground as it slammed into his shoulder blades.

As he was trained to do, he burdened through the pain and shifted his gaze to where ever his opponent was. He looked up...and she was there...a brilliantly lit vibrokama aimed for his head.

Out of instinct, he brought his sword up, but it was too late. Adelaide's blow had too much momentum, and he didn't have the time to properly block it. Thus the vibrokama slammed down onto his blade and pressed it to his chest. The vibrokama slid forward, rolling across his katana's edge, and seared into his left collarbone.

The pain was exquisite.

Under normal circumstances, or rather, among normal beings, a blow such as that would have been the end of the fight. Most sentients would not have been able to continue, let alone block the next certainly fatal attack. However Force trained warriors were a different breed. They didn't fight like normal creatures. When pushed to the edge, they achieved things greater than they could ever hope to accomplish in simple meditation. It was at this moment that Otto finally found that inner calm. His self submerged fully with the Force. Time slowed to a crawl.

He saw Adelaide, her strength in the Force glowing like a blue fire. Peering into her eyes, he could see her thoughts, he could feel her intentions. She was going to strike at his head with her other vibrokama.

Instinctively he knew this was bad, though the Force felt no pain and did not care about the outcome of this match. But it did show him how he could escape this dreadful end.

All of Adelaide's attention was on his upper half. Her guards were fully in place and no Force attack would penetrate those defenses. However, she gave no thought to her leg placement, or to that of Otto's. He did the only thing he could.

He kicked her.

The sudden, sharp movement brought him out of his trance, and time sped back into full swing. He no longer had the supreme guidance of the Force, but his attack had saved him...for the moment.

He had brought leg up and kicked Adelaide fully between the legs. For a male, this would have been a cheap shot, but even for a female, it was still painful. It had been enough to throw of her vibrokama attack and allow Otto to get back to his feet. Regardless, things still looked grim. He now had two vicious wounds. Both of them would slow him down.

Defeat looked to be imminent.

Adelaied came in again, and Otto was certain this would be it. The battle had dragged on too long for a sure victory. This was but a bloody mess. Neither opponent was at there top form anymore. Instead it was careless dance of savagery and will.

There blades met with force and with a clash of burning ozone. The sizzling beams of light cackled in fury. A low swipe blocked by a sharp parry. A high blow deftly swayed to the side. Spins and jabs. Feints and sweeps. Otto rolled his blade inside an angled strike, and lunged forward. His blade stopped with the dragging pull of another block and he spun away out of instinct to dodge the counter.

But there was no counter.

He looked down and saw Adelaide crumpled to the floor. A grievous wound was marred across her chest. The block he had perceived was the resistance of lightsaber plunging into her torso.

Adelaide tried to say something, but the words tumbled out in distorted pieces.

Then the arena's crowd bellowed into a cacophony of cheers.

"The winner is Otto Hetzer!"