Cecelia Martez

"*Some say that the reason for mastering swordsmanship is to be able to stay two steps ahead of those they call the enemy. For myself, however I seek mastery to the end of divine principle. Should I attain this, my heart will be as still water, calm and quite, like a clear mirror lucid and bright, able to cope instantly with any situation.*"
―Cecelia Martez[src]
**Cecelia Martez** was a legendary member of the Police Grand Army who served as head of security at the Jade Sanctum during the Second NoHead War, considered by many as one of the best swordmasters and makers in American history. After Operation: Purge was enacted, she met her end at the hands of Sebiscuits Cardarphen during the Attack on Jade Sanctum.

## Roles

She is a major character in *Sebiscuits: Apocalypse*, *Before The SMSB: The Promises of Sheriff Baldric*, and *Before The SMSB: The Dominion of the Dark Lord*, a background heroine in *Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Mae* and *Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Sheriff Bladepoint*, and a posthumous heroine in *The Super Babies: Final Clash of Brethren*, *S.M.S.B.: Where Are You Now?*, *Agents of the S.M.S.B.: The Inferno Relit*, and *Sebiscuits: Renascence*.

## Biography

### Early life

At the age of twelve, Cecelia Martez ran away from military school in 1986 to join the circus where she performed as bareback horse rider. Over the next few years Martez worked with several circuses including ones on Neptune and in Spain.

### Battlemaster

Cecelia Martez's natural aptitude with the sword was noticed by Sheriff Eli Baldric, who encouraged her interest in the martial arts. Inspired to join the Police Grand Army, she furthered her studies in the army, where she developed a vicious and fearsome dueling style and conversed with various mutants, warriors, and artisans. Despite being a moderately controversial figure, Martez became extremely popular amongst the Police Grand Army. Hence, she became the first Battlemaster when the Administrative Office held an election in the Blackwing Sanctum, and many aspiring swordsmen set their hearts upon her counsel.

In 2000, Martez was introduced to the contentious and troublesome student Bladepoint. Despite being its founder, Bladepoint's defiant ways had nearly gotten him expelled from the Grand Army on more than one occasion, and his superiors in the organization, none being underage, were exasperated. Envisioning the great officer he had the potential to become, Mistress Martez took young Bladepoint as her pupil and together they worked toward finding his center. Martez eventually helped him deduce his memory was wiped and had him rest in a hot tub while he went to find help for him. When she returned alone, she asked him if he remembered his identity, to which he confirmed he did, wondering how she guessed, to which she professed to having her means. Under Martez's extended guidance, Bladepoint's understanding of mutantry and his sword skills blossomed, inspiring a strong bond of devotion between student and Master. Though it never entirely disappeared, Bladepoint's rebelliousness eventually subsided, and he went on to become Mistress Martez's most accomplished apprentice.

During the Blackwing Operation, Martez prioritized defending small children from the invaders, playing a crucial role in ensuring hundreds of underage cadets survived the very first stage of Imperialization. In 2017, one of Martez's classes on the Ten Stils of swordplay were recorded on the Great Datapad.

### Second NoHead War

Stationed in New York in the late 2020s, Cecelia Martez made her home deep within the Jade Sanctum. During the time of the star system-spanning Second NoHead War, she taught swordplay to hundreds of students, as indeed the ongoing war placed emphasis on cadets' combat training in favor of other abilities. She did not entrust all of them knowledge of Brosartt, a boundary which young Jason Sedgwick lamented.

### Operation: Purge

In 2029, when the Operation: Purge go-ahead was given and Sebiscuits Cardarphen — now a newly christened lord of the Order of the NoHeads — led the NC Corps in a raid against the Jade Sanctum, Cecelia Martez's skills marked her as a priority target for elimination by the overlord himself. Though others would direct the Sanctum's defense the night of Operation: Purge, Martez nonetheless played a major part that fateful night. She was in the process of giving sword lessons to a small handful of students when the baby began his murderous rampage. Deep within the ruined Jade Sanctum she prepared for Cardarphen's coming, directing underage cadets in the Sanctum's defense. Realizing this, Cardarphen went on a hunt for his former mentor.

Ultimately, Martez herself proved unable to defeat a raging child prodigy empowered by the Master Crown herself. Following a flurry of sword strikes in which she effortlessly evaded his violent mystical attacks, she was hacked from abdomen to leg. She could only look on in shock and fall to the ground, where she shortly died. This incident was recorded by a security camera.

Martez's body would soon be found by Baby Intelligence when he returned to Jade Sanctum. This caused the superhero great grief and he deeply regretted lacking the strength and speed to save his beloved mentor.

### Legacy

While still adjusting to his life-supporting armor, Baby Intelligence often reflected upon the actions that had brought him to such a state. One of his clearer memories was that of working with Cecelia Martex, his former sword instructor, wishing he had been able to save her. Sebiscuits Cardarphen regretted killing her immensely, often remembering crossing blades with Martez the night of Operation: Purge. Much later, Cecelia Martez's recorded knowledge of the Ten Stils, made in 2017, was found in the Great Datapad by the New Order, along with another of her recordings on the marks of contact. Meanwhile, a much smaller datapad including her knowledge was purchased by a rich man.

## Physical appearance

Cecelia Martez was a tall, bold woman with long, straight brown hair worn in a ponytail when she was younger. In 2029, she wore a taupe tunic with a utility belt with square buckle held in place by two D-rings with knee-high square-toed boots.

## Personality

"*Hey, if it's all the same to you, I think you're* really *easy on the eyes, know what I mean?"
"Sure, it's an understandable sentiment to have.*"
―Bladepoint and Cecelia Martez[src]
Cecelia Martez was an esteemed officer, possessing both great skill as a swordsman and a calmness of mind and spirit. Described as patient, focused, and directed, and representing the tenets of the Police Grand Army in their purest form, she had given herself over completely to the will of the deities she worshiped in private. Despite her great reputation as a warrior, her humbleness of character was such that she dedicated her life to training countless students in the art of the sword, leading by example and instilling in her students a sense of the Grand Army's values and beliefs. In her teachings, she stressed that her students' mindsets must be that of defeating the danger the NoHeads pose, not to wish utter destruction upon them. Where several other teachers had failed, Martez was also the only one insightful enough to see the great potential of rebellious cadet Bladepoint and emphasize with his misplaced sense of entitlement, help him overcome it, and reach through to him to make that potential become reality.

### Religion

Martez had given herself over completely to the will of the deities she worshiped privately, although she would never tell anyone who these religious figures actually were.

## Abilities

* **Master swordsman**: Known for having outstanding talents as a duelist, Martez became an incredibly skilled swordsman, gaining the rank of Battlemaster of the Grand Army, due to her exceptional prowess in swordplay, as a woman who incorporated techniques of mutants, warriors, and artisans into her swordsmanship. As the Grand Army's top swordsman, as well as one of the most powerful non-mutates in the star system, Martez's were skills described as being "nearly unparalleled" by any American. Her skill was such that it was the conviction of Galfalor of Eris that the renowned combatant X2 would be no match for the Battlemaster, should they ever face off against one another. Martez had developed her own unique style of swordplay, one relying on paramount unconventional and unpredictable movements. Martez had mastered all modern stils of swordplay and her understanding and knowledge of each was outstanding enough that she was considered the most prolific sword instructor in the Temple, with Sheriff Bladepoint himself being a close second. She was able to effectively train thousands of students in the use of the Stils I to VI, displaying consummate knowledge of the theory of each stil, making thorough comments on each stils strengths and weaknesses.
	+ **Stil VIII**: Martez was one of the few officers to achieve mastery over the Brosartt variant of Stil VIII but in addition to fully understanding the style's weaknesses and strengths, she was also aware of how dangerous it was due to its aggressiveness and potentially exposing the user to the darkness, hence her caution towards who she would entrust it to. For example, Jason lamented the fact that Master Martez wouldn't let him study Stil VIII.
* **Peak-human condition**: Remarkably quick and agile, Martez was in fantastic shape, capable of moving fast enough to be invisible to human's eye and often applied it to overwhelm her opponents; when dueling Sebiscuits, she was fast enough to move in front of Sebiscuits before the latter realized it.
* **Gifted intellect**: Cecelia Martez was vastly intelligent, campaigning to bring about social change and showing phenomenal insight in swordsmanship. In addition to her undeniable prowess in wielding a sword, Martez was equally renowned for her skill in forging and repairing them with high quality and great artistic design. Many of her works became regarded as prized possessions of high price value. Her skill could effectively use any form of material to create her swords, surpassing even George Thames II in this regard.
	+ **Expert leader**: Martez was a very competent leader, even if her endeavors throughout Operation: Purge were ultimately met with defeat.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 *Before The SMSB: The Promises of Sheriff Baldric*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Sebiscuits: Apocalypse*
3. ↑ *Before The SMSB: The Dominion of the Dark Lord*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Agents of the S.M.S.B.: The Inferno Relit*
5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `S3`
6. ↑ *The Super Babies: Final Clash of Brethren*
7. ↑ *S.M.S.B.: Where Are You Now?*