The Kid Gloves Come Off

Mar anticipated her using the force on him. It was a typical move many jedi, regardless of skill level, tended to favor. He was no different, granted, he preferred pushing hapless enemies off of cliffs or into hazards like ventilation fans. A cruel, yet effective tactic. Here, he let Serenity strike him with the blast of force energy, he wanted to feel it, to get a sense of her skill and determination.

She was holding back. She was hesitant to actually attack him with all she had. This he would have to get her to stop doing.

So he raised the bar. He came at her more fiercely, striking at her, and not at her lightsaber with increasingly faster strikes.

"Your enemy is Sith," Mar said as he came at her. "They will not be so merciful. I was not as merciful..."

He needed her to feel the fear, feel like she could be in danger. She wasn't, of course, Mar was in total control of the situation, and he had no intention of outright hurting her, but she needed to learn and he needed to see just how much she had already learned. So far, he was unimpressed with the obvious atrophy she was showcasing. He had his work cut out for him.

He decided to surprise her with a force ability of his own, yet it was more subtle than a dramatic force push. He instead focused on sending a nearby box of dehydrated foodstuffs careening into the back of her head while she was focused on deflecting his attacks.