#12 Mastering Her Blade

Posted on Sat Jun 15th, 2024 @ 11:42pm by Lieutenant JG Sheyla {Meji} & Warrant Officer Shannon Money {Meji}

Mission: Shakedown II
Location: Meji Sea, Danvers
Timeline: current

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Shannon Money was looking to some machinery in the Meji keep, tuning it and making sure it was up to par. A portion of the power conduits ran outside so, as she finished checking the interior conduits she then looked up to where they had been fastened along the ceiling and followed them. She stepped out into the courtyard as the sun was going down on the day after the BBQ. The familiar thrum of a lightsaber could be heard, and the change in audible sounds as it was being moved about with great speed and agility. It was not hard to miss the bright, cloud blue colored blade, its blue-white brilliance showing itself better as dusk came upon the this side of the planet. However, when Money looked to who it was she was surprised to not see Master Ro, but Sheyla.

After spending half the day with Resch, Green, Kara, and the Admiral, Sheyla had decided to come back to the keep instead to remaining at the temple. With the temple still under construction it was distracting and annoying for her. Wanting to commune with the Core on her own, to better harness and focus it as an ally, the Andorian had come back here. With the borrowed saber given her by Ro, sheyla then began to practice katas with it, following what she had seen Masters Kara and Ro do. As the hours went by she had combined control and sense to aid her combat training, allowing the Core to control her actions one moment, and then using it to obey her commands the next. Sheyla had no idea why but her body just seemed to naturally meld with the Core, and for her it felt more symbiotic. Her grasp of the power and skills provided were next level, according to Master Kara. Sheyla felt nothing special in that statement when it was made. It was not something to lord over others, just a fact. So, here and now, she stood stock still as she had the blade twirling around her as she grasped it in her right hand, each twirl around her body going to the opposite side than the last. Right, left, right left, repeatedly with a change every few twirls where she swung the blade behind her lumbar region. When she did that she would go from holding the saber with her right to her left, do two twirls, and then do it again and go back to the other hand. The blue blade was a blur so fast at certain points it looked like a circular blue streak even as it lit up Sheyla's featured in an eerie light while the darkness of night arrived.

Money had stopped walking, watching the Andorian using the saber, reminding her of an old Earth film she had seen: Conan the Barbarian (1982). In the film, after Conan had been ressurrected, he had stood on the beach and twirled his sword around with perfect combat expertise, and this episode of Sheyla's reminded her of that. Every movement, every nuance was perfectly timed. It appeared that Sheyla made no mistakes, and she had not hacked off any limbs with her speed since she had obviously focused herself for accuracy. Shannon watched as Sheyla stopped twirling the blade and then began to kata as if swinging and blocking an opponent, with pirouettes and spins included. Sheyla ended it all with the final pose with her left side facing the imaginary opponent with her left arm held out straight with hand splayed open, the saber hilt now held up and back by her right ear, the blade held along those same lines right next to her face and chest as it was being used to point towards the enemy in a perfect fencing stance.

Sheyla, breathing heavily and sweating, slowly recovered from her pose as she closed down the blade and put her hilt on her side. That was when sense told her that Money was nearby, causing Sheyla to look that direction. She smiled and walked over, wrapping Money in a hug. "Good evening, Shannon."

"You, too," Shannon replied as she hugged back before separating. :Nice footwork on the katas. I didn't know you had a saber already."

"I didn't and still don't. Well, not one that is mine, anyway." Sheyla explained. "This is one of Ro's, she let me borrow it. I'm sure she will want it back since it is one of a set she can lock together for the saberstaff."

Money grinned. "That, and like they keep telling us. There is no equal to the weapon we create for ourselves. I hear that the crystals are ready, but they will let us know when we can create our own sabers if we meet the qualifications to do so."

"That is true." Sheyla kept the secret Kara had imparted to her earlier in the day before she had gone her own way to collect some of the starfish for study, along with a few of the plants and other small life. They were all being kept inside a large aquarium in the back of Euphrates, awaiting transport to the new Amandora. She even still wore the Lara Croft style diving gear and belt, which had dried off a while ago since it was designed to do so quickly. "Pardon my departure, Shannon, but I have an appointment to get to. Not trying to be rude I assure you." Sheyla turned and began to walk towards the stone steps that led up to one of the walls around the keep. The wall that faced directly out to sea and was built on the edge of a granite cliff with a 100 feet drop to the surface of the water.

"An appointment?" Shannon asked.

Sheyla looked back as she ascended the steps. "Yep. Swimming with whales."

"Swimming with whales?" Money asked, then decided to remind her friend of something. "Sheyla, the gates are not that way."

As she ascended the last few steps to get on the even surface of the battlements for the wall, Sheyla gave a laugh as she picked up speed and ran for the furthest corner. The one facing the sea more directly, and a clearer drop. "Do you wanna live forever?!"

Money's eyes went wide as she watched the Andorian run forward and then leap into the air and dive over the side of the wall out of sight. Running up the steps she went to that corner and looked over.

Sheyla had dove over the edge of the wall and as she fell she flipped her body around and went in feet first, heels down to break the surface and not break her ankles by landing on the balls of her feet. Legs locked together she then wrapped her arms around her torso and plunged into the sea. Adjusting her eyes and slowing her descent to maintain her level, Sheyla looked around for a starfish, and seeing one, used telekinesis to bring it to herself. Grasping it gently but firmly she placed it over her mouth and nose and then ascended back to the surface. Breaking the surface she looked up and waved.

"Crazy bitch," Shannon said to herself as she saw Sheyla waving up at her. She waved back and then saw the thing on Sheyla's face. Was that a starfish, she thought to herself. Before she could get a better look Sheyla's head disappeared below the waves, her but popping up quickly as she bent and adjusted her body to swim under water, and then she was gone.

Sheyla made her way along the bottom of the Meji Sea, hearing the whale song not too far away. Going to join them and say hello, Sheyla spent a bit of time with them before breaking off to go back to the BBQ area and see if anyone else was out and about.

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