He could leave that there and was almost tempted, but being a smart ass only runs so deep.
...Which is plenty deep but not quite that deep.
"In training scenarios, we tend to use lower powered weapons or an agreed upon signal for surrender." He hadn't really had to work hard to come up with one for Anakin, it had just... been there, from familiarity. Others had been Jedi and had used the force or a word, and with newer trainees lower powered weapons that were painful but not deadly. "I suppose simply saying 'stop' will suffice."
"Do you plan on losing a limb or being consumed by flames?"
Could be a joke or he could be completely serious. Either way he did not plan on losing anything. One of his hands was mostly cybernetic anyway.
Sith training sometimes used swords that were not as deadly as a lightsaber, but could still kill someone. That the Jedi would use something 'safer' was not all that surprising.
"It will be a Sith planet. I may be hallucinating. I may also spontaneously burst into flames in the presence of that much dark." A pause. "So possibly."
"Stronghold, perhaps. I can only imagine the difficulty of moving or aiming it."
Yeah, he was joking. He was being an outright smart ass. "Though I should tell you that I'm not certain I've heard of more than a handful of Jedi respond to even that level of concentrated Dark Power to the degree I did. I am apparently delicate."
Yeah still smart assing. About the delicate part, anyway, in spite of being more than a foot shorter and probably well under half the weight of Malgus.
That was either a continuation of the joke or simply a statement. Though this Jedi is apparently ... quick witted, he has yet to see any indication of physical skill.
Though avoiding death is in itself a skill.
He's reserve full judgement (beyond his disdain for Jedi) until he saw it first hand.
"That was the implication of delicate," he said, mildly.
"I'm going to sleep. Wake me when we need to land, and try not to run into an asteroid."
He knew that was unlikely. He was snarking, but without offense. He was also tired, which meant moving to a bench to sleep until they landed was next on his priority list.
...He clearly had a great deal of concern about being weak.
One: He was not so deeply asleep that, after years of serving as a general in a war, flying and on a variety of ships, he could have slept through the change in the vibration and sound of the engines that preceded landing
Two: As they got through the atmosphere he could Feel the planet and energy that saturated it.
Dromund Kaas, was essentially Malgus' homeworld and once the Capital of the Imperial Empire. Those who were to be Sith Masters either came here or Korriban. The cities were once great and powerful --
Now reduced to ruins, mostly hidden by foliage that ran rampant around the planet. Finding a good landing spot was not the easiest task, but he got them close enough to the Academy, or what was left of it. Most of the wildlife scattered with the ship's approach.
Malgus rose and gestured towards Ben to exit the ship. While he did not have to lead the way outside, he was going and only partially because the Sith wasn't completely sure he wouldn't just take off with the ship.
He kept feeling steadily more uncomfortable as they landed, tension creeping up the muscle on either side of his spine, into his shoulders and neck, but he said nothing.
He didn't even complain about leading the way off the ship though he made it about six steps before his steps slowed, then stopped, his eyes fixed on nothing apparent, his pupils dilated and he started hearing - fortunately quietly, voices.
Also fortunately they weren't saying anything yet.
Unfortunately this was horrible and had he the option of taking the ship and leaving he might have.
"Welcome to Dromund Kaas," Malgus said while stepping ahead of Ben. He gestured for him to follow. The Jedi could try to run, but at this distance he would not get very far.
Vines of the jungle planet crept around the walls of the building that despite the years was somehow still standing. Some of the other imperial ones scattered around were not so lucky.
As perhaps a show of his power, the Sith stepped towards the mostly covered entrance. With both hands raised he used the force to grab the invasive plant life. Pulling his hands apart the vines snapped and shattered, clearing the way.
"Ignore the whispers of the dead, and be glad we are not on Korriban where they would be much louder. More invasive."
Which should at least give the Jedi some comfort that he's not the only one who hears it ...
"Shall I clap?" he asked, voice pretty strained at the moment but still without any rancor or malice. It was, still just him mouthing off in a quiet way.
He was terrible at ignoring voices in his head, dead or otherwise, and he was horrible at pretending that he didn't feel the Darkness in this place surrounding him like an oppressive, suffocating, force - pun intended.
He was pale, and he was actually, if only slightly sweating.
The dark side could be very smothering as it attempted to consume all around. It was like a thick cloud that threatened to cover everything. To a Jedi it must feel terrible, as the light feels like an annoying pressure in the force to a Sith.
He smirked slightly at the Jedi's obvious discomfort. He was holding up well all things considered. Anyone with a weaker mind might have broken already.
"I did not know you were so eager, but yes." He gestured lightly and his lightsaber flew to his hand before he ignited it. "But are you ready for one?"
Malgus lifted his own blade slightly towards his own face as something of a salute. Not really in a mocking fashion as he did to goad the Jedi at the temple though.
While his own posture was not defensive, it wasn't aggressive either. He waited a few moments to see if the Jedi would attack first.
When he didn't move, Malgus went to make the first strike. He leaped forward with speed aided by the Force and intent to slash at Ben's midsection.
He deflected and evaded the slash, but he did so with the absolute minimum of motion necessary, and that really did set the pattern.
He evaded, he dodged, but he only very rarely did anything particularly... visually appealing or even visually anything much at all. Even when he 'attacked' it was turning deflection into an opportunity, and mostly using Malgus' momentum against him.
The suffocating weight of the dark-side around him certainly affected him. He was expending more effort, working harder, than he might have otherwise been.
He wasn't outwardly doing much but his hair darkened with sweat, but he also didn't fall off balance, become uncentered or sloppy.
He just... did his thing. Was himself. Quietly, undramatically, simply in a very particular kind of zone, doing what he did and fighting as himself.
"You fight defensively. There is little aggression in your movements." That actually was not a critical or judgmental statement. But it was a statement. Or at least an observation.
It was straightforward and lacked flair, but showing off rarely was a true testament of skill. Malgus' own attacks were aggressive on the other hand. He pushed with strength and while he was not opposed to acrobatic like movements, he did not utilize them in this fight.
No this was a far simpler one. If it were a real battle he'd have added other abilities into the mix.
"Do you want praise for noticing the obvious?" he asked, mildly. He isn't being insulting, and isn't angry even here and now. It's simply a continuation of their discussions - and the physical discussion happening in swordplay.
However, it's a controlled defense and when he's pushed as far as he intends to go - or indeed can go - by Malgus' offense, he abruptly and smoothly switches to an Ataru sequence, using it to change his geography - to literally move himself to a better position on the ground - and then slips right back to Soresu.
Which brings him to another observation as the Jedi switches styles. Now that is interesting. He's adaptable. But that isn't the only reason Malgus finds it interesting.
"You stance changed to one reminiscent of a Jedi I once fought. Said to be the greatest Master they had at the time."
Malgus own attacks stay aggressive, though even and controlled. He could make more abrupt movements but as this was a test of skill and unfortunately not a fight to the death, he did not see the need.
All things considered he was kind of holding back.
He could tell that Malgus was holding back, and it presented a mild sort of issue. Because now he was positioned where he wanted to be, had room to retreat if he wanted but no need as of now.
"Ataru was the first form I learned."
A pause: "You're going to need to either hold back less, or call this." Because he wasn't expending a lot of energy and Malgus could probably kill him, almost definitely even, but with this sort of test and primarily leaning on an form that was about patience, waiting, and minimal movement and momentum all conserving energy he could stay here forever. He was also entirely fast enough to deflect or dodge Griveous' four saber spinning nonsense. (Not a Master, the Master.)
The Dark weighting on him was making it harder, but he could still stay within a low stakes test for hours and it was just not that interesting.
Instead of stopping the fight, he surged forward. If the Jedi wanted him to stop holding back, so be it. He put more momentum into his moves, striking not only fast but hard. The focus to be to drive the Jedi back into a corner.
"Master Ven Zellow fought with your same calm. But he made a mistake."
The problem with him was not the speed, unless Malgus managed to use one sword at the crazy blinding speed of Grievous with four -
But the strength behind the attack was an issue. Because Obi-Wan was more than a foot shorter and at best half the man's weight. He could and did use the force to augment but every time their blades met it jarred his arms clear to the elbow.
So he adapted - more sliding Malgus' blade away with his own than direct blocking, more dodging and, yeah, a lot more work in staying away from him. He did not, however, allow himself the easy backing he'd been using. At least not immediately - he still retreated, but on his terms.
Which had this been some sort of climatic battle, Malgus might have caused a tree or something else to topple upon the Jedi.
But since this was not, he stopped his assault taking a small step back. Not in retreat but just giving some small space.
"He thought his actions gave him an opening to strike, but all it did was give me an opportunity. It was his apprentice that later attempted to hunt me down."
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Most of the time.
Malgus had no intention of losing control as he still needed the Jedi alive. The local wildlife might not be so lucky if his rage were to take over.
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He could leave that there and was almost tempted, but being a smart ass only runs so deep.
...Which is plenty deep but not quite that deep.
"In training scenarios, we tend to use lower powered weapons or an agreed upon signal for surrender." He hadn't really had to work hard to come up with one for Anakin, it had just... been there, from familiarity. Others had been Jedi and had used the force or a word, and with newer trainees lower powered weapons that were painful but not deadly. "I suppose simply saying 'stop' will suffice."
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Could be a joke or he could be completely serious. Either way he did not plan on losing anything. One of his hands was mostly cybernetic anyway.
Sith training sometimes used swords that were not as deadly as a lightsaber, but could still kill someone. That the Jedi would use something 'safer' was not all that surprising.
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Was that a joke?
Maybe.
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He assumed the Jedi was joking, if not he was being highly overdramatic.
Though a planet where Jedi just instantly burst into flames would be the most effective place to hold a new Sith Temple.
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Yeah, he was joking. He was being an outright smart ass. "Though I should tell you that I'm not certain I've heard of more than a handful of Jedi respond to even that level of concentrated Dark Power to the degree I did. I am apparently delicate."
Yeah still smart assing. About the delicate part, anyway, in spite of being more than a foot shorter and probably well under half the weight of Malgus.
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That was either a continuation of the joke or simply a statement. Though this Jedi is apparently ... quick witted, he has yet to see any indication of physical skill.
Though avoiding death is in itself a skill.
He's reserve full judgement (beyond his disdain for Jedi) until he saw it first hand.
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"I'm going to sleep. Wake me when we need to land, and try not to run into an asteroid."
He knew that was unlikely. He was snarking, but without offense. He was also tired, which meant moving to a bench to sleep until they landed was next on his priority list.
...He clearly had a great deal of concern about being weak.
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Malgus took the time to familiarize himself with the controls. Modern ships had some differences, but the basics were sti the same.
Which is why he didn't bother to wake the Jedi when they approached the planet or when he went to land.
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For two reasons.
One: He was not so deeply asleep that, after years of serving as a general in a war, flying and on a variety of ships, he could have slept through the change in the vibration and sound of the engines that preceded landing
Two: As they got through the atmosphere he could Feel the planet and energy that saturated it.
So, he sat up, rubbed his eyes and waited.
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Now reduced to ruins, mostly hidden by foliage that ran rampant around the planet. Finding a good landing spot was not the easiest task, but he got them close enough to the Academy, or what was left of it. Most of the wildlife scattered with the ship's approach.
Malgus rose and gestured towards Ben to exit the ship. While he did not have to lead the way outside, he was going and only partially because the Sith wasn't completely sure he wouldn't just take off with the ship.
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He didn't even complain about leading the way off the ship though he made it about six steps before his steps slowed, then stopped, his eyes fixed on nothing apparent, his pupils dilated and he started hearing - fortunately quietly, voices.
Also fortunately they weren't saying anything yet.
Unfortunately this was horrible and had he the option of taking the ship and leaving he might have.
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Vines of the jungle planet crept around the walls of the building that despite the years was somehow still standing. Some of the other imperial ones scattered around were not so lucky.
As perhaps a show of his power, the Sith stepped towards the mostly covered entrance. With both hands raised he used the force to grab the invasive plant life. Pulling his hands apart the vines snapped and shattered, clearing the way.
"Ignore the whispers of the dead, and be glad we are not on Korriban where they would be much louder. More invasive."
Which should at least give the Jedi some comfort that he's not the only one who hears it ...
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He was terrible at ignoring voices in his head, dead or otherwise, and he was horrible at pretending that he didn't feel the Darkness in this place surrounding him like an oppressive, suffocating, force - pun intended.
He was pale, and he was actually, if only slightly sweating.
He also: "You wanted a battle?"
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He smirked slightly at the Jedi's obvious discomfort. He was holding up well all things considered. Anyone with a weaker mind might have broken already.
"I did not know you were so eager, but yes." He gestured lightly and his lightsaber flew to his hand before he ignited it. "But are you ready for one?"
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Even with Malgus' saber ignited, he did not ignite his own. His posture only subtly shifted, becoming more centered, weight more balanced.
"Eager to get it over with, yes."
He'd move with Malgus did - not before.
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While his own posture was not defensive, it wasn't aggressive either. He waited a few moments to see if the Jedi would attack first.
When he didn't move, Malgus went to make the first strike. He leaped forward with speed aided by the Force and intent to slash at Ben's midsection.
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He evaded, he dodged, but he only very rarely did anything particularly... visually appealing or even visually anything much at all. Even when he 'attacked' it was turning deflection into an opportunity, and mostly using Malgus' momentum against him.
The suffocating weight of the dark-side around him certainly affected him. He was expending more effort, working harder, than he might have otherwise been.
He wasn't outwardly doing much but his hair darkened with sweat, but he also didn't fall off balance, become uncentered or sloppy.
He just... did his thing. Was himself. Quietly, undramatically, simply in a very particular kind of zone, doing what he did and fighting as himself.
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It was straightforward and lacked flair, but showing off rarely was a true testament of skill. Malgus' own attacks were aggressive on the other hand. He pushed with strength and while he was not opposed to acrobatic like movements, he did not utilize them in this fight.
No this was a far simpler one. If it were a real battle he'd have added other abilities into the mix.
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However, it's a controlled defense and when he's pushed as far as he intends to go - or indeed can go - by Malgus' offense, he abruptly and smoothly switches to an Ataru sequence, using it to change his geography - to literally move himself to a better position on the ground - and then slips right back to Soresu.
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Which brings him to another observation as the Jedi switches styles. Now that is interesting. He's adaptable. But that isn't the only reason Malgus finds it interesting.
"You stance changed to one reminiscent of a Jedi I once fought. Said to be the greatest Master they had at the time."
Malgus own attacks stay aggressive, though even and controlled. He could make more abrupt movements but as this was a test of skill and unfortunately not a fight to the death, he did not see the need.
All things considered he was kind of holding back.
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"Ataru was the first form I learned."
A pause: "You're going to need to either hold back less, or call this." Because he wasn't expending a lot of energy and Malgus could probably kill him, almost definitely even, but with this sort of test and primarily leaning on an form that was about patience, waiting, and minimal movement and momentum all conserving energy he could stay here forever. He was also entirely fast enough to deflect or dodge Griveous' four saber spinning nonsense. (Not a Master, the Master.)
The Dark weighting on him was making it harder, but he could still stay within a low stakes test for hours and it was just not that interesting.
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Instead of stopping the fight, he surged forward. If the Jedi wanted him to stop holding back, so be it. He put more momentum into his moves, striking not only fast but hard. The focus to be to drive the Jedi back into a corner.
"Master Ven Zellow fought with your same calm. But he made a mistake."
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But the strength behind the attack was an issue. Because Obi-Wan was more than a foot shorter and at best half the man's weight. He could and did use the force to augment but every time their blades met it jarred his arms clear to the elbow.
So he adapted - more sliding Malgus' blade away with his own than direct blocking, more dodging and, yeah, a lot more work in staying away from him. He did not, however, allow himself the easy backing he'd been using. At least not immediately - he still retreated, but on his terms.
"And that mistake was?"
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Which had this been some sort of climatic battle, Malgus might have caused a tree or something else to topple upon the Jedi.
But since this was not, he stopped his assault taking a small step back. Not in retreat but just giving some small space.
"He thought his actions gave him an opening to strike, but all it did was give me an opportunity. It was his apprentice that later attempted to hunt me down."
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