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Both players did an excellent job of respecting the other. At no point did I feel that either side was frustrated, dismissive, or angry. This was a fun sparring match, and it felt like it. On the one hand, I would’ve liked to see some more emphasis on the difference in skill in this fight. Kahla never really acknowledges or struggles with the fact that she’s an apprentice fighting a lorded duelist skilled in enhancing his physical capabilities with the Force. On the other hand, Mordecai is an angry duelist, whose preferred fighting style is the tried-and-true Sith method of all out assault fueled by emotion. It never really feels like Mordecai is genuinely giving his all, which follows since this is an educational experience instead of a deathmatch. This is a positive that follows from the point above. Mordecai matches the intensity of his opponent and never lets loose in the fight, keeping the fight fun and interesting as a result. This was a very beat-for-beat fight, with each blow choreographed and countered with clarity. There was a bit of confusion over the positioning of Kahla’s saber in her third post. I got the general gist of where the attack was ending up though. She wound her saber up over her shoulder, but just as she reached Mordecai, circled it around to her other side, she twisted her body, her wide horizontal swing accelerated towards his chest. She carried the swing into a spin, by now the blade had met the far side of herself, but had still dragged towards her lord's head. One tip I want to give Zendrin is to double check her character sheet is updated before a duel, particularly for Force abilities, and to a lesser degree combat skills. I can infer from the duel that Zendrin has had experience fighting with her lightsaber, but not much beyond that, like style, form, etc. I noticed she empowered one of her thrusts, and I don’t really know if that’s a skill she knows. Just something small would help. I have to really compliment Kahla on part of her final post. When she took the kick, mitigating but not outright cancelling it, and dropped to the ground “like a sack of vegetables,” I grinned a bit. Then she got up, more resolved than ever to finish the fight. That was a fun beat. In a fight that had been fairly even in intensity and without many twists or turns, it made me wonder for a second how she was going to respond. How would she deal with this? The answer emphasized and developed her character, and made me feel like I knew her a little bit more. The highlight of the duel. That’s not to say that Mordecai was lackluster. The dialogue between the two of you was fun and established both characters. Plus Mordecai taking a step back to handle a phone call was pretty funny, and further established the tone of the duel. Plus plus he acknowledged how the distraction nearly ended him. Final ruling… MORDECAI WINS While both players did well, Mordecai’s skill and experience in this exact kind of fight nabs him the victory. The fight never really shifted from a saber-to-saber duel, and neither side improvised anything clever or unconventional enough to make me consider giving them the advantage. Excellent duel on both sides.

Blimp could barely comprehend the goings on of the sole Mandalorian survivor as she towered over him. He felt the pain, each swing of her blade coursing through his nerves with fiery furor. The red head of the Troig gritted his teeth in pain, able to do little else to stem the assault. In the back of his mind, atop his brainstem boiled a cauldron of rage. Even through his pain, his hatred seethed from his very being. If Shim had not been dead yet, he surely was now. The crime lord forgave little in his business dealings; nor did he allow offense to go unaddressed. Yet here he was, powerless to stop what could very well be the end of his days. Instead the Mandalorian administered enough aid to assure that the Troig would not die on this desolate rock; at least not soon enough. This was no aid. It was torture to the finest degree; an art to the level Blimp himself could respect. And still, he hoped for death. With Shim’s lifeless head atop his chest, he wheezed as he lay there in the darkness. Death would be a welcome release and it would not come. In the dimness of Kessel’s setting sub, Blimp waited for what, he did not know; but if he lay there long enough, the icy hand of death would descend and take him to be with his other half, his soul, the light to his darkness. “I am coming Shim” he hissed. He was not afraid of death. He welcomed it if it would come. Even as he awaited the icy embrace, his words tinged with compassion for his other head; the explosive rage boiled beneath his scalp. He did not know who that woman was. He did not need to; her armor was enough. Who she was, he did not know, but what she was, who she called her own. That was enough. Honorable warriors. He spat, the phlegm sticky and clinging to his dried lips. His vision clouded red with pain and anger as his thoughts dwelt on two things, death and hatred. Finally, Blimp faded into a void of rage and semi-consciousness. He was awoken as an otherworldly force hefted him from the ground. Pain shot through his wounds and drove the battered beast to a pinpoint focus. ‘Nok Morliss? So the blind insect is a sorcerer as well’ For a moment, he was surprised. The Nemodian had more tricks up his sleeve. Still stranger yet, he had come for the Troig in his defeat. Staring intently into the eyeless mask of his business partner, he raised a feeble hand to point towards the lifeless bodies of the slain Mandalorians, devoid of their armor and arms. “The Mandalorians lay in ambush. Shim . . .” he paused, gritting his teeth against the surge of loss. For the first time, Blimp was truly alone. “Their bodies.” he hissed, “and whatever spice you can salvage.” His thoughts lay in revenge; but even if Shim was gone, the two heads had shared a telepathic-like connection. Their thoughts, their body, both were mingled together. Blimp had lost his other, most would argue his better, half. He owed a debt to the raiders that had accompanied them. He knew what happened to anyone who left a debt unpaid. The Hutts had taught that lesson all too well. Death would not come; but with Nok Morliss’ help, perhaps revenge lay on the horizon. It was all that kept his heart pumping.