Attack on Dantooine Outpost: Dude Where's My Darksaber?

[Sreeya]

ooc: Death Disabled

The Jedi outpost on Dantooine was somewhere Talia had been several times prior. She was always welcomed by the Jedi, and it began years ago when she brought in the first captured Sith to prove that they were truly out there. Tonight they came with a whole new purpose, and it had been one that had been itching at her for a long time now. The Jedi were in possession of a weapon that rightfully belonged to her people, but they kept it under lock and key for ‘archival’ purposes.

Talia had been largely in the shadows since she handed the title of Mand’alor off to Ral. Even she couldn’t deny that there had been stagnation in her people, and she privately didn’t agree with the truce with the Jedi. Though she considered them friends at one point, in the end Talia simply didn’t trust most Force users. She had seen enough of these ‘Jedi’ fall to the dark side. There was some bitch that switched sides at least three times and yet these peace-loving hippies kept welcoming her back with open arms.

With Korriban serving as the site of a great battle, most Jedi were called forth to attack the Sith. There were rumors that the Jedi were making a huge push into the core to reclaim the planets from Sith hands. Talia decided to take matters into her own hands and vow to claim an artifact that belonged to the Mandalorians, and she had little regard for where the non-aggression pact played into this.

Her abrupt whims surprisingly had a motley crew of Mandos that agreed with her line of thinking. While Ral took a huge force of their people to Korriban, Talia and a few others instead descended down on Dantooine, wanting to capitalize on this opportunity to strike out against the Jedi when they were distracted.

Talia knew her way around the outpost and led her group towards a back entrance that didn’t have too much attention on it. Her bounty hunter days taught her to be discreet well, and the others with her were well trained in what they did. For now, she was obscured behind boulders and foliage not too far away, quietly observing the area while smoking a cigarra.

Caed had gone in ahead for some recon and suggested that he would find them a way in. Talia only bought half into this, already thinking about plan B and C. If anything involved Caed doing any form of heavy lifting, she assumed it would be a complete fail.

Plumes of smoke escaped through her nostrils as she looked back to the others, “I don’t do speeches, but if any of you shits die here today, don’t let me see it. These tree huggers killing us is a god damned embarrassment,” With that, she spat out the cigarra and popped her helmet on, comming Caed, “What’s taking so long? Did you pass out again?”

She barely got the message out before she saw a Jedi guard walking over towards the entrance. Talia sighed as she watched him. Caed would have a slight surprise when he opened the door, "You'll have to punch a fairy in the face when you come out, fyi."

@Phoenix @Insalius @Arclight @Ecclessey @Loco

 

[Phoenix]

Ah, the Jedi. Dak didn't really care about the Jedi or the Sith if he were being quite honest. He felt like they were all a bit irrelevant and potentially full of themselves. He'd met individuals in both that were all right and he'd met people in both that were obnoxious. Killing either group came right back to what this all was: good business. His loyalty was to people, not nations. So, when Talia had come up with some cockamamie scheme to break into a Jedi temple - or outpost, or whatever they called it - he had obviously been on board with it.

Besides, this saber should have been theirs anyway. The Jedi should have known better than to not give it back to them. Time for a little blood and glory, or whatever those other people said. One thing he knew was that these days, his armor was looking way too clean. He almost looked respectable, which was completely unacceptable as far as he was concerned.

Aren't we supposed to do victory smokes after we win? he snarked to Talia, lopsided grin hidden behind his helmet, rifle in hand. He saw the Jedi strolling around outside, completely oblivious to the raiding party outside. So much for Jedi senses and intuition amirite? he muttered, more to himself than to the group.

If Caed doesn't show up, we're going to need to find another route, he mused, knowing the thought would have already crossed everyone's minds. These were professionals after all - even if they didn't really look it - and the type of people you wanted at your back.

 

[Insalius]

Perhaps it was luck that Tal had decided to not go with the other Mandaloreans to Korriban, though the Nav'ir thought it was more a choice of desire than anything else. This was Talia Al'Saif, THE Talia, and embodied what he believed was the strongest among any mortal beings in the galaxy currently alive. Even being in her presence threatened to make the young man shake in excitement, yet he believed he was far more composed than that. He had decided to follow her instead of the current Mand'alore and he would do everything he could to prove that he was the right choice to bring along. ESPECIALLY to fight the Jedi guarding the Darksaber.

When the Jedi sentry appeared, Tal had calmed down enough to not just try to end the man and set off any alarms by doing so. He had his pistol in his hand, ready to fire if needed, and was always ready for a quick and silent death via his blastsword. He looked to those more experienced around him, following their lead as best he could. He knew that he was the least experienced there, which only added to his desire to learn from the best of the best, but he wouldn't let it drag the mission down. He would wait to move until ordered and not a second before hand. He knew that all of them there would have his back and he would have theirs with as much skill and strength as he could muster.

 

[Arcangel]

Dantooine was a planet that held many painful memories for Caedryn. Betrayal, loss, shame. Every memory the planet roused in him felt like a knife blade to the heart. A pain that could only be dulled by one thing. A nice cold beer and some female companionship. Ironic to the Mandalorian Duke, seeing as those had been the things that had ruined him in the first place. Yet there he lay, the lingering taste of Halmad Ale and a womans lips in his mouth. Looking to his side, he drank in the Jedi who lay sleeping beside him, and felt a pang of regret. Regret that was quickly ushered away as he forced his mind to her soft curves, not wishing to betray his intentions as his hand found his gunbelt sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. Deft fingers fished out a thin, cylindrical vial, a small dose of liquid suspended inside. Shifting to bring the vial close to her neck, a thin needle protruding from its plast covering, he felt a moment of hesitation. Shoving the hand and needle under the pillow by her head as she shifted and groaned, he once again forced his mind to calm as she turned towards him.

"Regret... what could you possibly have to regret, hopefully not me." The Jedi mumbled lazily in her afterglow, her hazel eyes opening to meet his. Free hand reaching out, he brushed the hair from her face before caressing her cheek. "I have many regrets love, a lifetime full of them." Propping up and bringing his face close to hers. "The things I've done, the people I've hurt, the women I've lost." Leaning in, he pulled her into a kiss, while his other hand drove the needle into her neck. Her embrace changed suddenly, from one of acceptance to a brief semblance of struggle as the potent tranquilizer entered her bloodstream. "This." He said sadly as he withdrew from her, watching her eyes roll back as she lost consciousness. She wasn't dead, but wouldn't be waking for some time, possibly not for days. And when she did she might not be the same. What shriveled lump remained of his heart was stabbed once more with guilt as he found her weak pulse, confirming that she still lived before binding her wrists and legs. Normally he wouldn't have used such a powerful tranquilizer, but one took no risks with Jedi.

Clothes and armor were swiftly donned, followed by his gunbelt. He had left his sword and helmet behind with Talia, as they would have ruined his disguise. Donning the Jedi's robes, he mused over how it had been surprisingly easy to seduce the Jedi Knight at the nearby tavern. It seemed that even Jedi were not immune to the monotony that the remote planet held. Hefting the Jedi's lightsaber, he balanced it on his palm before closing his fist around it. The temptation to ignite the blade was great, but he ultimately resisted it, clipping the weapon to his belt for later. He was not unexperienced with the weapon of a Jedi, though her preferred the solid weight of a blade. His comlink beeped, prompting him to answer it. "Oh hold your kar- No i did not pass out, and what do you mean again? Nevermind that, I'm in, took a bit longer than expected to procure disguise, never would have guessed Jedi were so feisty." Closing his newfound Jedi robes at the front and pulling the hood up over his head, he coughed to cut short a laugh. "If I'm coming out then i can think of a half dozen things I'd rather do to a faeries face, now shh, radio silence."

Smirking as he stepped out of the room, quickly closing the door behind him, locking it with the Jedi's keycard, he was off. His mind was the most troublesome part of this mission, and he concentrated with an iron will on keeping his attention on anything but the mission. Thinking back to his training with Kex, he went over lightsaber exercises in his head. Walking as if he belonged there, something that he was quite competent at, it wasn't long before he found himself walking towards the rear entrance. Walking straight up to it, he pulled the keycard out and scanned it in one swift motion, the door opening with a mechanical swoosh. Stepping out, he found himself shoulder to shoulder with another Jedi, who was busy relieving himself on the side of the temple. The Jedi hadn't been expecting company, and had been caught, quite literally with his pants down and mid stream. Caedryn however had been expecting someone, and in one swift motion clobbered the Jedi on the temple with the pommel of his stolen lightsaber, dropping the man like a rock to slump against his own leavings. "All clear." Whispering into his comlink as he waved to the surrounding foliage.

@Valen Pelora, @Sreeya, @Phoenix, @Insalius

 

[Loco]

If you had asked Shrasa a year ago what she thought she'd be doing now, "tagging along with a motley assortment of Mandalorian mercenaries led by the most notorious bounty hunter in the galaxy in a quest to recover an ancient Jedi artifact" would not have been the answer she would give. Part of her saw this as an illegitimate "first strike" but another part of her saw it as the same thing she was doing, in so far as it was seeking after something she was already entitled to... In any case, the restraint and professionalism of her new compatriots was impressive- not withstanding this "Caed", who seemed to be little more than a drunk and a womanizer- though she had to admit this was a rather unorthodox method of infiltrating an otherwise heavily guarded pseudo fortress.

Shrasa shifted uncomfortably in the bushes, nervously anxiously checking the charge on her Slammer carbine and sidearm again and again, even tough she knew they were loaded. She hoped there wouldn't be any gratuitous violence in this endeavor, though from what she had seen thus far in the galaxy at large was that Force users- both Jedi and Sith- were violent and unpredictable people prone to frequent betrayals and side swapping. They probably deserved this.

 

[Eccles]

"Like it kessing matters when she smokes," Lorr stood only a meter behind Dak and his teal-colored armor was surprisingly pristine compared to that of his more weathered companions. Most of Lorr's battles had been fought in the armor of the Border Alliance and the Republic, so when he finally got his Mandalorian plate out from the back of the closet it looked frustratingly new. It didn't help then, that his lifelong military life had him polishing the damned thing as if it had been a Republic set of plastic. "When you've defeated the Reclaimer in open combat on the streets of Coruscant with Ral Viszla standing there watching as a meek Coruscanti pleb," oh he wasn't going to pass up the chance to speak his mind on their passive 'warleader' "-you can smoke wherever and whenever the kriff you like."

In a subtle but often repeated motion the battle-eager member of clan Wren confirmed the status of his blaster rifle as loaded and ready to fire. "Caed will sho-" he began saying when the subject emerged from the temple and knocked the Jedi guard unconscious. In his excitement Lorr walked passed Dak and Talia in and raised his right hand as if to signal orders to the rest of the group, only at the last moment remembering that he wasn't in charge of this group and reaffirming his grip on the rifle. "So we go in, shoot everyone in sight and get our hands on that saber?"

 

[Valen Pelora]

Jedi and Sith had walked the galaxy for thousands of years. In the wake of recurring conflict and deep exploration of the Force, they left little secrets deposited all across the cosmos. The secrets were forgotten only to be remembered generations later. These discoveries varied in importance, but one thing was certain. Jedi were pack rats. They kept every useless shred of history they stumbled upon. It was always justified with the same mantra. Preserving the past. The vital pieces of forgotten times were locked away and forgotten again. Even the otherworldly artifacts were tucked away for safekeeping and rarely seen again. Holorcrons, tainted artifacts, and one very unique Lightsaber were stashed on Dantooine. Truth be told, most Jedi had no idea what the Darksaber was. Jedi Masters could not tell you where it was held. Even a certain baby-faced Grandmaster had forgotten it was in the Stronghold. The Darksaber was merely a strangely colored Lightsaber. It had historical value to the Jedi but little more. Its worth could not be measured by the people it was taken from.

The Stronghold on Dantooine was the beating heart of the Jedi Order. It was their single most secure location and the staging point for every operation. The Stronghold was constantly monitored from the security hub in the center of the Temple. Even with the majority of the Order fighting on Korriban it was stilly carefully watched. Cameras, Temple Guards, and sensors kept the heart of the Order safe. The Darksaber was locked behind durasteel, shields, and turrets, in the upper reaches of the Temple. Cathar Jedi Master Rel Vokar stalked about the hub. Something about tonight felt, off. He simply could not place his finger on it. He had noted the strange man Jedi Orthen dragged into the Stronghold with her. He did not frown upon gratification but her choice in men was questionable. Rel instructed the Rangers to monitor the feed outside her chambers. Post-coitus-strangers wandering about was the last thing they needed.

“Master Vokar?” He turned. “Someone is leaving Jedi Orthen’s room, someone much larger than Jedi Orthen.” His feet clanked on the marble floor as he went to look at the video feed. There was a distinct difference between the lithe figure of Jedi Orthen and the hulking robed figure leaving her room. Very strange. “Should I sound the alarm?” Rel paused. “No. Follow him through the Stronghold.” The cameras flitted through the screens as the mystery man hit the outskirts of the base. It was then Rel watched the fornicator let in his little pals. He would need to have a talk with Jedi Orthen about unprotected fun. You never could know what you might catch. “Should I sound the alarm now?” Rel smiled. “No, no. Wait till they get slightly deeper into the Stronghold. I’d like to know just why they are here. Have the Guardians ready themselves.” The interlopers would be allowed to slink their way into the Stronghold a little farther before encountering their first resistance. Twelve Temple Guardians would be meet them if they reached the main rotunda.

 

[Sreeya]

Talia had to grin at Dak’s words. She was about to answer, when Larr spoke up for her. She glanced over to the man, grinning beneath her helmet. At times, even she forgot what she had done to earn her place among her people’s ranks. Times changed, but she remained ever a nuisance for one faction or another. Today was no different.

She turned her attention back to the doorway, watching as Caed stumbled out and ran directly into the Jedi that was busy relieving himself. She had to stifle a laugh as he clobbered the poor man, causing him to faceplant against his own urine. Talia glanced around, spotting no other activity nearby, “All right, let’s move!”

With that, Talia sprang forth from their hiding spot, making a beeline towards the door. She came to pause at the unconscious Jedi, hoisting him by his robes and dragging him indoors. Talia clapped Caed on the shoulder as she passed him, “I’m impressed, you didn’t kriff everything up already.”

Talia stepped into the corridor, not immediately spotting anyone. The rumors that most Jedi were in the Core battles didn’t appear to be exaggerated, “Keep your eyes peeled. The archives are located a few levels down. The main way down is through the rotunda where we might see some resistance.”

She was fully armored and wholly out of place, but she hadn’t gone in expecting this to be a covert mission. Talia readied her rifle, her numerous sabers clipped on her belt out of sight. She also had her standard explosives, along with her infamous flamethrower always ready to fry someone. The journey through the corridors was almost uncomfortably smooth, and she had a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that this could very well be an elaborate trap. Did anyone know they were coming? Did anyone rat them out? She glanced over her current group and didn't peg any of them as the type to tattle.

Talia turned to look at her comrades, noting when she saw a change in Caed's posture. She knew him since they were children, and that little gesture meant there was trouble up ahead. She turned back to her comrades, signing to them to prepare for battle. There was no way around open hostility at this point, and she could already make out some figures up ahead. If she could see them, she knew they had sensed the Mando party coming already. Talia didn't hold back, leveling her rifle and opening up with a spray of blasterfire, "Light 'em up, boys!"

@Phoenix @Insalius @Ecclessey @Loco @Arclight @Valen Pelora

 

[Phoenix]

Dak abruptly heard one of the other Mandalorians speak up before Talia could and Dak turned to look at him, eyes rolling behind his helmet. That wasn't... nevermind, he waved his hand dismissively of even finishing the thought. Really wasn't worth discussing with the man, so he ignored it, mind returning to the Jedi guard lurking and leaking outside. Ah yes, the glories of recon: watching guards relieve themselves....

Dak was more than happy when Caed appeared outside once more, smashing the Jedi in the side of the head and the small team snuck inside. Dak paused, binding the unconscious man's hands with a ziptie and taking his saber. So it wouldn't stop him for long if he woke, but it was better than nothing. When he was done, he found himself at the back of their little group, rifle scanning the corridors behind them for any unsuspecting wanderers behind them, or worse yet, actual guards that might have discovered them.

The general silence of the facility was a plus at least as it meant that any alarms that had been sounded (hopefully none) at least hadn't alerted the entire building yet. If he knew one thing, though, it was that this stealthiness wouldn't last more than another few minutes. Such was the curse. Sure enough, he was proven right.

Something had the others spooked and Dak wasn't going to stand around questioning it when the gunfire started. Stealth was out the window, so speed and violence of action was the name of their game now. Dak's rifle swung up as he maneuvered to the right of the group along the edge of the rotunda, letting his sights fall on one of the guards and pulling the trigger twice in quick succession. The first round flew out at the guard's left leg while the recoil carried his barrel up so the second shot would fly straight toward his shoulder within moments of one another.

 

[Insalius]

Tal remained silent as he listened to the banter between the other members of their group. It had only been recently that he had been allowed to join the Mandaloreans and was still trying to fit in as part of the ‘family’, as it were. An even greater barrier was the fact that many of his current comrades were far more accomplished and famous than he would probably ever be. The Nav’ir resigned himself to merely listening to the others, learning from their words and actions and resolving to use this experience to better himself until the point he could join them as a full peer. If he survived that long, of course.


A dozen Jedi were waiting to meet them in the Rotunda, though the fact the alarms hadn’t been sounded yet either meant they were curious about why they were there or they didn’t feel that the Mandalorean group were worthy of their full attention. Typical for those highbrow scholars, looking down on anyone who didn’t have a connection to the Force as an ignorant babe who needed them to show them the right way to live their lives. He stopped his anger from boiling up to where it would become a liability, a cool head and a hot trigger finger needed now instead. As the others began to fire, an idea crept its way into the feline’s head at seeing how the Jedi were grouped.


“Flashbang.” Tal said this just loud enough for his fellow Mandaloreans to hear, the blaster fire drowning it out before it could go much farther. Taking one of his grenades, he set the time to just a couple of seconds before activating it. He made a fierce underhand toss, going by the legs and feet of Talia and the others at the front, to land close to the center of the Jedi without it bouncing up to an easy hit with their lightsabers. He figured that with their attention focused on the spray of blasters at their chest and eye level that a small grenade at their feet would go unnoticed until it was too late. It should detonate just as it hit them, giving little time for them to deflect or destroy it without at least hitting part of the group.


Following this, Tal would then start firing his blaster at the Jedi that were either disoriented by the flashbang or were already under fire from one of his comrades. The goal was to give the Jedi too many directions of incoming fire to be able to deflect or dodge the hits completely. Even with the Force, if they could disorient and overwhelm the Jedi than it would be easy to take them down. Despite being silent, Tal was all about working as a team and would support whoever needed it for as long as he had the strength to pull his trigger or swing his sword.

 

[Arcangel]

Letting his allies in through the back door, Caedryn winced at Talia's scathing comment. "When have I?-", ignored as she strode purposefully past him. "I don't kriff everything up." Mumbling under his breath as he unscrewed his flask and tossed back a swig. Muttering darkly under his breath as he moved to follow, his long stride quickly putting him to the front of the column next to Talia. Retrieving his long blade and helmet that hung at their belt, he felt a shiver course through him as he donned his bucket, as if the action signaled the impending battle. Tensing, he glanced sidelong to Talia. "I got a bad fee-" He began to mutter before jumping in surprise as Talia raised her rifle and gave the order to fire as she sprayed bolts into the rotunda.

And then he heard its. "Flashbang!", a hushed yell that sent a shiver down his spine as the grenade skittered into the rotunda. "Ah kriff." Growling as he spun on his heels, one hand grasping the edge of his jedi robe, whirling it to cover himself and Talia as his other hand grabbed her head, drawing it in to clank against his own metal forehead, darkness consuming them. "I got you baby." His voice a sarcastic mockery of a holo soap opera actor attempting to sound romantic. A loud crack echoed through the rotunda as the flash bang detonated somewhere in between the Mandalorians and the Jedi, the brightness of the flash sending streaks of light into the woven jedi robe. Whirling back to face the enemy, his right hand fumbled for the lightsaber, finding his flask instead. With a pivot, he chucked the metal flask with unerring accuracy to thwack the Mandalorian Tal on the helmet right between the eyes. "Here! It'll help your eyes!" He shouted as he threw, before turning back to the Jedi threat, staring down the sights of his Sunspear which had leapt into his hand and centered on the center-most visible jedi.

Squeezing off two shots, aimed at the groin and gut, he began to center himself. Always he struggled with meditation, finding the force in inner peace. It had taken him a while to figure it out, why he always failed at grasping the force in the calm. But he had, eventually. It was in his mindset, in his blood. A Mandalorian only decayed in peace, peace of self or peace from war. His people thrived on conflict, he thrived on conflict. And in conflict was where he found his deepest connection to the force. The power flowed through him, a wreathing coil of power bound tight, ready to lash out at his command. The stolen saber rose in his right hand, its yellow blade igniting with a snap-hiss, ready to intercept any blaster bolts the Jedi might deflect back at him and his allies, mostly Talia. For the first time in years of ease, his heart thrummed with the beat of battle. The weight upon his shoulders instilled by years of lax living lifted. A grin broke his covered face as adrenaline surged through his veins. His very life was in danger, the odds against them were great. But, for the first time in years Caedryn Vizsla... Felt alive.

 

[Eccles]

Lorr was closer to Dak than the others and turned around on intervals just to check if their exit was still save from saber-wielding hippies. "Why couldn't it be an open-air archive?" he complained after Talia said the archives were a few levels below. He said it not because he was actually bothered, but more to mask his growing uneasiness at their situation. "Jetpack in, get the damned thing and jetpack out." Why couldn't it ever be that easy?

Nearing the rotunda, Talia didn't waste any time and blaster bolts flew towards the Jedi ambush. Lorr was anxious and only made an aimed shot at a Jedi's shin from behind Caedryn and Talia. They were fighting lightsabers with blasters and even the thickest mandalorian knew that their disadvantage would only grow the longer this kept up. Unfortunately, the newblood seemed to have read his thoughts and made a rookie mistake. Throwing a flashbang at the enemies would've been a solid tactic if the rest of the group had some more time to prepare, but instead it surprised the raiding party as much as it did the jedi and almost scared the literal shit out of Lorr, who immediately duck behind Caed and Talia, using them as his shield from the light.

"Good thing you've put up those extra pounds, Caedryn." The initial bang subsided, Lorr came from behind them and now fired at the Jedi's center mass with the intent to kill. The flashbang had done its work and he was confident their disadvantage was momentarily gone. "You make a great shield now."

 

[Loco]

Shrasa was quick to comply with Talia's commands. Just a few months ago she would have balked at the prospect of raiding the temple of a group she barely knew or understood, but she had quickly come to see her new Mandalorian brothers and sisters as a new family, and she had also learned the Jedi were little better than the Sith- liars and thieves who couldn't maintain order if trillions of lives in the galaxy depended on it. She raised her screamer carbine and fired a trio of rounds, surprised to see one of the bounce back down the hall at her as the group advanced. It was one thing to hear about Jedi deflecting blaster bolts- it was another to see it in person.

Shrasa took a knee, choosing her shots carefully, varying the targets and angles to hopefully catch the Jedi off guard. She heard one of her party members opposite her say something, but whoever it was wasn't loud enough to be heard over the sharp twang and zip of blaster bolts echoing in the space. She saw something bounce toward the opposition as she fired another pair of rounds, but didn't process what it was until it exploded, burning her retina in a brilliant white flash.

"Pushee wumpah skocha-kloonkee!!!" ["Watch out exhaust for brains!"] She spat, firing blindly as she dived to the floor and rolled her way to the wall, blinder than a eyeless mynock. What kind of idiot throws a flashbang in the open when the whole team is staring and firing in that direction, she thought? This amateur was going to get them killed! Blinking rapidly didn't help, and she fired at nothing in particular for lack of anything better to do as she tried to regain her vision. This was not how she would have anticipated dying.

 

[Valen Pelora]

Master Vokar watched the intruders meander their way through the Stronghold. It was a strange little band, but easily identifiable. Rel knew the familiar cut of the Mandalorian jib. The tell-tale armor cut an imposing shadow against sleek walls. He frowned, this was strange. He was old enough to remember a time when the Mandalorians and Jedi had fought over deeply philosophical divides. He put little stock in the nonaggression pact.

He had never agreed with the Grandmaster’s secret decision, but he had obeyed. He always obeyed. Rel did not peg the Mandalorians as oath breakers. As far as he knew, Ral Vizsla still reigned and the pact held. He nodded. Yes, these must be rouges. His goal was simple, discover their purpose and throw them from the Stronghold. The moment their guests opened fire Rel began to issue further orders. Word was sent to the Grandmaster and every Temple Guardian was put on alert. He quickly ordered an additional 5 to flank the advancing Mandalorians. He did want this to come to blood but his hand was forced.

--

The Temple Guardians trained their entire lives to protect the homes of the Jedi. They wielded a variety of pale yellow sabers, wore the same masks, and light Jedi Modular armor. White robes were wrapped around their armored forms. They had quickly switched to a defensive stance once the blaster fire began. The Guardians outnumbered the Mandalorians two to one. Their attackers were skilled but deflecting blaster fire was second nature to the Guardians. What they could not have prepared for was the inexplicable throwing of a flashbang.

Thankfully, not all of the Guardians were thoroughly occupied by blaster fire. One intrepid Guardian noticed the flashbang cutting through the air. While shouting “Cover” a burst of the Force pushed the grenade back towards the Mandalorians. Some of the Guardians were able to cover their eyes, others quickly shielded themselves with the Force, a few were not so lucky.

In the strange aftermath, one Guardian took a blaster bolt to the knee and crumpled to the floor. One Guardian felt his chest plate give way, and another Guardian took a bolt to the throat. Pain and anguish rippled through the Force. The remaining Guardians continued to hammer back blaster bolts. They began to walk slowly forward, seeking to push the Mandalorians back down the hall. They were taught to move as one. The 5 Guardians sent by Rel were sprinting towards their target.

OOC: The 5 will arrive in 1 Round.

 

[Sreeya]

Talia cursed beneath her helmet as she heard the warnings of the grenade, watching it roll directly by her feet. She felt a surge of anger course through her as she tried to identify who in her group made the move. Talia began to avert her gaze when Caed came out of seemingly nowhere, clanking his helmet against hers to block her from the flashbang like some sort of Holomovie hero. His subsequent comment incited her rolling her eyes and resist the urge to headbutt him, “Cute, Caed, make yourself useful.”

She hadn’t even finished speaking by the time he chucked a flask back at the newb in the group, the poor man no doubt confused and mortified at everyone in his party ragging on him. With Caed’s help, Talia remained more or less unharmed from the initial blows. She purposely darted closer to the newbie, Tal, as she knew he would be abandoned for his move with the flashbang. Talia skidded to stand almost in front of him, “Lesson one: Don’t throw ‘nades at people that can fling it back.”

“Lesson two, cover my ass,” She knew staying at a distance would give the Jedi a superior advantage. They did well when allowed space to do their voodoo magic and deflect bolts. Talia tilted forward, putting her rifle away and drawing out her Sunspear instead. Without warning, she angled forward and activated her jetpack for just a second, propelling forth at an angle to instantly close the distance between her and two Jedi.

Talia expected Tal to blast them to keep them preoccupied during her approach. The jetpack switched off as soon as she landed, a red arc lashing out as she drew out a saber to swing it across one of the Jedi. She knew it would be something they wouldn’t expect, her saber aimed to cut through his torso. Talia pivoted on her foot, lifting her Sunspear above the shoulder of the man she was attacking to fire point blank into the face of the man behind him.

In an effort to avoid incoming blows, Talia quickly ducked after her attack attempts. She lowered into a crouch before rolling to the side and swinging her saber horizontally at the legs of another Jedi to take them out from underneath him. While they had an advantage in the distance, Talia was deadliest in close quarters combat. She only hoped Tal would provide appropriate air cover to make up for his earlier mistakes.

@Insalius @Phoenix @Loco @Arclight @Ecclessey @Valen Pelora

 

[Phoenix]

Dak was already moving to the side when the flashbang went off, no longer with the group when it was flung back. Even so, the sounds shook his innards, nearly deafening him to the point of losing balance. His knee hit the floor but he pushed himself back up, firing his rifle once more into the Jedi beyond.

He watched as some of the Jedi fell. In truth, Dak didn't hate Jedi and probably could have gotten along with many of these people, but at the end of the day, this was war, and not everyone on the other side was always terrible. They were fighting for what was theirs, though, and that was why he was here. Plus, these were the people he'd sworn to protect.

He continued his movements to the side, firing into the flank as possible and giving him a clear view of the Mandalorian's own flank. He let out an exasperated sigh as Talia Leroy Jenkinsed into the Jedi, calling out for cover from the same man who had just flashed their own group. He knew he wasn't going to let her get sliced and diced now, though. He let his own rifle fall to its sling, moving in on Talia's right side against one of the Jedi turning toward her.

His trishot was in his left hand, "liberated" saber in his right. It flashed to life, feeling more like a sword than he expected, and he swung it into the man's back at kidney level. Always with the charging in... he growled at Talia.

He glanced back at the other Mandalorians, checking that they were maintaining fire on the Jedi as he moved to engage the next, blocking a slash high and shoving his TS into the man's gut before pulling the trigger. Watch the other doors! We need to keep moving! They were in enemy territory and every moment they stayed here was a liability. The longer the stayed, the more guards would inevitably come. @Insalius

 

[Insalius]

As the first words of his comrades began to get to him, Tal realized that he had screwed up badly. He had forgotten that he was with a team, not a loner anymore, and that the action that he thought would give an advantage would also hurt his allies. Anxiety growing quickly, it all exploded in a sudden scream of surprise as the flask hit his helmet. Thinking it was a grenade itself, the sound rose in pitch until his voice broke, giving a more high-pitched performance than he usually did since he'd come of age. It was only a few moments later that he realized his communications system with the others was still open, knowing that they had heard this outburst and probably thought even worse of him for this. Just as he had feared, he had dragged down the mission with his inexperience and had become a burden. He closed his eyes, waiting for either the group to leave him to die alone or to just end him now with a blaster to the back.

What he didn't expect was Talia's rules of engagement, her attempt to help him despite his nearly botching the mission. Further, she wanted him to cover her as she charged, a daring move that even Tal, with his greater skill in melee combat, was amazed by. He was given another chance and by whatever gods there were he would not squander it. Pushing his anxiety down he fell into that state of mind when he was on the job, focusing on the Jedi in Talia's path and firing quickly between the two. His hand was steady, his aim true as he did all he could to rain down bolts onto their foes. His goal wasn't to kill, though that would always be a plus, but he would make sure that none of the Jedi in Talia's path had a second to concentrate lest they be hit by his fire. He would not make the same mistake again, he would be a part of the team instead of just another hired gun, and hopefully his upcoming conduct would prove his intent. When he saw Dak move in to support Talia, Tal tried to cover that man as well only when Talia's enemies were engaged or already dealing with his covering fire. The two warriors seemed to have each other's backs in the melee so Tal would make sure that he would keep any of their aggressors either pinned down or too concerned with his fire to concentrate on their deadliest of foes.

It had been a dream of his to join the Mandalorians, to be part of a family that was unique to anything else in the galaxy. He knew there would always be someone stronger than him, this knowledge pushing him to always better himself and setting goals for his growth through each fight and new encounter. Everything paled to the martial prowess of his current company, though, as he watched them cut through the Jedi as if they were nothing but wheat. Tal had no love of the Jedi, finding most to be pompous or condescending especially in light of their recent victories against the Sith. One thing he did recognize, though, was their power over the Force and how it boosted their own combat abilities when used correctly. These Jedi were no strangers to combat, yet Talia and the others were laying them low as if they were nothing. Determined to not slip in his covering fire, Tal did make sure to watch what moves from the two that he could, all in the interested of learning from the best. He had to get better, at the very least so that he wouldn't drag this team down any more.

 

[Arcangel]

Watching the Jedi crumple, blinded by the flashbang and unable to deflect his blasts, Caedryn grinned wildly beneath his helmet. The grin quickly turned to a grimace as a high pitched scream of a terrified woman sounding through his comlink. Wincing in pain, a blaster bolt whizzed past his head, deflected by the advancing Jedi next to the one Caedryn had killed. "Ouch, not so loud woman." Holstering his blaster as he pivoted, swiping the saber to deflect a returning blaster bolt back at the offending Jedi. "Save the screaming for later tonight okay babe." Snickering under his breath, he reached out with his hand to the lightsaber of the fallen Jedi, now directly behind the one advancing on him.

The inert hilt lept forward, yellow blade igniting igniting as it flew to pierce through the Jedi's spine just above the waist before ripping through his body. Catching the blade by its hilt, Caedryn laughed boisterously. "Jedi aren't so tough it seems!" Waving his newly acquired blade through the air in a short slash, the blade whirring. About to charge in, Caedryn paused. Something was off. Looking back down the hallway, he sensed danger approaching. "Behind us, more Jedi coming!" His warning carrying through the teams comlinks.

 

[Loco]

"bEeehend oOOsh,,, MOar jEEttiiiiiiii coamIIIIInGGG"

Shrasa struggled to decipher what the hell was going on in her helmet coms. All she could hear for the last several seconds was two distinct sets of shrieking- one was her outdated helmets obviously overloaded aural sensors protesting the abuse they had just been subjected to and trying to compensate- that distinct howl of a audio receiver held too close to its output device. The other sound assaulting her ears was decidedly more organic sounding. She could only assume (being blind and deaf and unable to confirm otherwise) that one of their number had met with a gruesome end. She could only hope it was captain flashbang. She could definitely hear someone saying something though. It sounded important. bEEehEend?... Behind? Maybe? Probably not in a sexual sense- this would be very poor timing, though for some reason she wouldn't put it entirely past the voice, though she couldn't figure out why. The voice had to mean physically/spatially behind. That made more sense. What was a jEEEtiii? Oh, duh. Only so many things that could mean. So, Jedi behind us then? Well, Shrasa thought to herself as she fired wildly along the line of the wall she had pressed herself against as her severely impaired vision recovered, that seems like a good thing to know about. I wonder how close they... Oh kark.

Shrasa faced what she believed to be the direction she they had come- it was hard to be sure- and saw what was probably a new group of Jedi guardians closing in on them from the rear. It was hard to tell though, since the didn't look especially different than the black spots and shifty shapes dancing across her vision already. The only surefire way to tell the difference, she decided, was that some of the blackish blobs in her field of vision wielded lightsabers. The Chiss decided that was enough information to target them based on, and leveled her carbine. It was still difficult to aim as she blinked away the seared images on her retina, but nevertheless she began taking pot shots at the feet of their new foes. She fired off shots as she walked backwards after the rest of her group, hoping to at least slow the Jedi down long enough for her eyesight and hearing to recover. It took two squeezes of the trigger to realize she had exhausted her current power pack, and to start fumbling for a new one. Kriff, Schutta, KARK... Shrasa spat mentally in several languages as she struggled to reload under the Jedi's advance. One of the guardians was nearly on her as she slammed the new power pack home. The lightsaber was bearing down on her quickly, and she squeezed the trigger as fast as she could.

By sheer chance- or maybe even just pure clumsiness due entirely to being blinded... whatever- the Jedi council didn't value smooth floors quiet as much as most of the galaxy. Shrasa tripped backwards over little more than her own two feet and a slightly out of place cobblestone. The force works in mysteriously ways. Of the trio of shots she squeezed off, one struck the Jedi advancing on her in the chest, and the second caught him full in the helmeted face as she fell backwards, before her third shot slammed into the ceiling, giving them both a light coating of dust. Dead or unconscious, his lightsaber met only the air above her as she fell. Shrasa let out an "oomph" as she struck the floor flat on her back, but the Jedi made no noise whatsoever... at least, not that she could her over the ringing in her ears.

This was going to be a long raid.

 

[Eccles]

beep-beep-beep

Lorr dashed towards the fountain, firing rapidly at the jedi to give the others as much cover as possible until he crouched low and found cover against the fountain's water basin. Underneath the helmet his brow sank in frustration as he let his rifle rest between his legs and took off his gauntlet. "Who the kriff Holodials on a day like this?" he sighed, pulling his datapad free from under his armor and unlocking it with a sliding pattern of his now ungloved fingers. "Heya Lorr,-" Lara, his sister, beamed as she popped up on the screen of his datapad. "-since you didn't join the Mand'alor to Korriban I figured you could join Prok and me for dinner?" Before he even had time to reply he saw her face go from joy to absolute horror. On her end of the call she could see the Jedi lightsabers deflect blasterbolts that flew just inches above her brother's head. "L-Lorr?"

"I'm not defying House Vizsla," his turned to peak over at Caedryn, though he knew his sister would not be able to see him in action. "Just following the more worthy one." Right at that moment his sister's attempt to berate him she was interrupted by Caedryn's warning, which she heard and prompted Lorr to drop the datapad on the floor and aim his rifle at the Jedi approaching from the rear of the group. He fired twice almost simultaneously with the clumsy Chiss.