First Strikes

[Siris Drast]

Dragen's charred body collapsed onto the ground, his lifeless eyes still locked on Siris as he fell. Electricity still crackled in his hand and slightly up his arm before he extinguished it. He checked his vicinity, spotting that the owl and remaining Jedi were dealt with. He stepped towards Dragen's corpse, his gaze dropping down to it as he crouched. Siris opened his palm and Dragen's lightsaber flew into his hand, his fingers wrapped around the weapon as he tilted the item to view it. It was a finely crafted saber and Siris gave one more glance to Dragen before shoving the weapon into his belt and collecting the rest of his weaponry.

Siris erected back to his full height after, breathing in the air as the Dark Side radiated from the battle site. He felt it all around him and he relished it, aware of how it made have a second wind and ready to begin the fight over again. The emotions in the fight were palpable and it fueled him. He brought his gaze around to each of the team members, noting how cleanly they operated and how the entire operation only lasted a few minutes. They took out five Jedi and with these warriors, many more would fall under their blade. Siris's gaze traveled to Alais, watching as she walked over to Nora. He saw her crouch down and what simply looked like just staring at her but he saw Alais suddenly starting to etch the word 'JEDI' across her face. Siris grimaced slightly at the sight before quickly concealing it before anyone could notice as the others looted or watched Alais themselves. It wasn't the brutality of it that he minded, it was the fact that it was Alais. The memory of him making the promise surfaced back and he felt a sort of disappointment flood through him, witnessing her do this causing him to believe he somehow failed Alais. This wasn't the girl he met on Dagobah, she was already changing. He wouldn't bring it up here, but he kept it in the back of his mind when the two had privacy again. Even though he had an internal battle with himself about her he kept a stoic face, not letting it betray his thoughts as he also kept his emotions in check.

With the Jedi disposed of, very much stood in the way of them doing with the listening outpost as they saw fit. But Jedi couldn't be the only ones that protected it, leading Siris to believe that the temple guards remained inside and hoped the Jedi would've dealt with the assault. As the others continued their rummaging through their kills, he made his way to the temple, walking past Nora and casting her a quick glance, fully viewing the damage Alais inflicted upon Nora. He figured it was to send a message to any other Jedi they visited, the Exiles were coming. He shook his head before climbing the steps, his saber still active as lightning sparked in his other hand. Siris wanted to just add a little more to the message. They would show no mercy.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea strolled over to the fallen Rishii when the fighting was finally over. She had always found the species to be somewhat interesting; though, this one's talents had clearly been wasted on the Jedi. She knelt beside it and pressed a pale hand to its neck as though feeling for a pulse that was no longer there. "A pity," she mused. "This one fancied himself a hero, but failed to realize the inevitable truth. Heroes usually die first."

Then, in a stunningly bizarre move, she began to pluck some of the bird's feathers—enough to fashion herself a new collar. She also retrieved one of its twin lightsabers, which it had brandished during the fight, and the DG-10s it wore on its claws. These, she surmised, were made of phrik and could be melted down and remade into something more useful. Only then did she then allowed herself a moment to admire the craftsmanship of the lightsaber in her hand. Each lightsaber she had claimed was fascinatingly unique. This Rishii had certainly learned the artwork of its people, which had clearly influenced the hilt design. She slipped it beneath her robes, clipping it to her belt, and let its twin to be claimed by one of the other Exiles before moving over to the unconscious Nora.

Rhea recognized the girl. She had first seen her at Alais's trial; she had learned her name on Vrogas Vos, from young Alphonse; and she had seen her again on Canto Bight. That they were together again, here, Rhea knew, was no coincidence. This woman, Nora, was tied to her destiny somehow. She just needed to figure out how and why. She casually glanced at Alais's handiwork as she pondered. The girl was gaining a cruel streak as she finally embraced the totality of the darkness within her. Or, perhaps she simply wanted to punish the Jedi for what they did to her. To use lightning in such a manner... Rhea had to admit, she was impressed with her fast-blossoming-student.

It was only then that the older Exile realized that one of the Jedi had survived the onslaught. Alais was standing over her with the utmost of cruelty radiating outward from her. It was the same girl, Rhea noticed, whom she had psychically assaulted earlier. The murderer. Rhea turned away from Nora and inched closer to where Alais stood, looming over Vin, and folded her arms. What would Alais do to this one? Rhea refused to intervene, but was fascinated to see if her pupil fully comprehended the opportunity the capture of the girl Vin would bring—or if she would care at all, and would simply execute the Jedi as part of her revenge.

She said she wasn't after revenge, Rhea recalled, watching on with a blank expression. She claimed to want something more. Now, let us see what she does when the potential for revenges lies before her, laying at her very feet.

 

[Darth Kravos]

Almost as quickly as the battle had begun, it was over. Dead and wounded littered the battlefield. It was almost deafeningly silent for a moment after the racous sounds of gunfire, saber blades, and blasts had finally subsided. An eerie feeling set over the battlefield, and it only grew.

In silence, Kal watched as Alais etched a mark into Nora's flesh. He could feel the hatred and cruelty without even trying. The darkness clung to each action and movement without any doubt, so that there was no questioning what happened. The mark wouldn't be gone, and the malice in it would no doubt remain clung to the woman as surely as the mark. It sent a chill up his spine before settling into his mind, an almost reassuring chill that whispered to him of how the Jedi would fall. But there was so much more than petty vengeance at stake.

He slipped his pistol away and spun his saber through the air before it flashed out in his hand. Like a statue, he stood still, his eyes closing and his mind reaching out to the battlefield itself. He had no need of the trinkets that the others scavenged from the dead. He sought something far less tangible and drank in the feelings that now clung to this place: the feelings of death, hatred, and darkness that washed over what had once existed of the Jedi that fell. He felt the world around as the forests pulsed with life and those still inside the temple. They would feel the tendrils of darkness beginning to reach out and spread across the land, and the fear that the former-Shadow might have once felt in the wake of such darkness was now only a comfort, like a cold breeze under the beating sun.

Even with his eyes closed, he could see the events unfold. Alais stood over Vin, and it struck him that he couldn't manage an inkling of sympathy for the Jedi. It wasn't even replaced by a hatred, but instead an indifference to her fate: someone he had once known and fought beside. Now, there was nothing. He thought he caught of glimpse of concern from Siris, but who could tell with a man he knew so little of? A flash of unusual concern, though? Rhea watched in judgement as she always did, revealing none of her plan, but Kal could guess at its intent. And then there was Alais. Her feeling in the Force had changed so much and now there was quiet confidence, laced with the same cold he had now come to recognize. One step deeper into darkness

 

[Vin]

The smile on Vin's lips crumbled away as she witnessed Alais brand Nora. The act was so brutal, so unlike anything Vin had ever witnessed that she was almost unable to come up with some sort of reaction to it, much less comprehend the motive behind it. All she could do was withdraw into herself, withdrew deeper into the Force. And in that moment of desperation the Force whispered into her ears.

As Alais walked towards her, radiating an aura that overpowered Vin in a way even the Councilors on Ossus had been incapable off, the Force Vin a vision of the future. There besides Alais walked another woman, another Alais. Older, more regal, but also colder. And behind Alais walked Vin, almost like a forgotten shadow in her wake. Vin locked eyes with her future self and in that moment she understood. Alais was walking down a path that could bring a darkness to the Galaxy unlike anything it had ever known, there were dark forces around her guiding her down that path. Vin had no chance of stopping that from happening, she was well aware of her limitations. Evalyn, Wyck, Fennex, great Jedi though they might be, would probably fail at this as well. Fail because of what they were. Jedi. Vin, Vin was different. She had always been stumbling down the path they walked with such ease, and maybe that was why she had a chance where they would not. There would come a day in the future when Alais would be at a crossroads, and Vin had to be there to whisper the words that would make sure she took the right branch. And just like that her fate was sealed. For better or worse her life now belonged to Alais.

Happy? She let out a pained chuckle as she felt her resolve strengthen, allowing her to overcome the fear that was attempting to freeze her to her very core. Finally, after a very long time, she had a purpose, and that gave her strength. First things first, she had to survive this day. What, want me to run up and hug you? Act like we're still the idiot girls we used to be? She was taking a gamble, but she also knew that she didn't really have the eloquence to talk her way out to this. Honesty was all she had, and it would have to do. What's the worst that could happen, she'd be dead. And she realized that the thought of death didn't scare her, not anymore. As she locked eyes with the girl she had once called friend, she realized there were worse fates than death.

You have your messenger, guess that makes me expendable. So what now, are you going to kill me Alais?

 

[Rhea]

Rhea listened carefully to Vin's words as she spoke. As she suspected, this one also had a strong connection to Alais. The girl's mind was swimming with acceptance—acceptance of her fate. But underneath that... potential. This girl was strong in the Force, but there was an incompleteness to her training. If it were to somehow be completed, and by the right teacher... Against her better judgement, Rhea stepped up next to Alais to get the girl's attention.

:: If I might venture a suggestion, :: she projected to the young girl's thoughts, glancing between the two women. :: This girl still possesses a great deal of untapped potential. Her mind is still young and pliable—she remains an unpainted canvas; the teachings of the Jedi have not stained her yet. Allow me to take her and complete her training. :: She paused a moment to allow Alais to mull the suggestion over. :: To turn her would be to show the Jedi the hubris that infects them, and, with time, I believe she might become a useful servant for you. ::

The witch already had in mind what she would need to do to complete the girl's training. Dathomir called and its corruptive powers might be enough to finish painting the girl, Vin, in a color that might serve Alais's cause. Of course, the choice belonged to Alais alone. In a way, the choice itself was part of her own training, though she might not see it as such. She was rapidly evolving to fill the leadership role that Leviticus did not want for himself. To decide how best to use one's prisoners was a key attribute of a powerful and wise leader. Rhea wondered what choice Alais would make now that two lay before her.

 

[Andraste]

Alais had to smile at Vin’s words, and she kept walking to close the distance between them. As she did so, she heard Rhea’s words echo within her mind. She didn’t respond right away, though she privately agreed. The woman was perceptive. She had picked up on Vin without ever truly knowing her like Alais had. Unfortunately for Vin, Alais knew Vin all too well and she knew the girl was driven more by curiosities than anything else. Simply telling her about the power of the Dark Side would do nothing to bring her over.

“Why would I kill you? You pose no threat to me,” She walked till she was close in front of Vin, giving her a chance to gaze into those animalistic eyes, “Do you want to keep being that idiot girl or become something more?” She looked over at the dead Jedi on the field, “None of them stood by you. They left you behind because they saw you as nothing more than an errant child. That’s all you and I have ever been in the Jedi. Look at me now,” Alais grinned, extending her hands out as she called the Force to herself, “No Vin, I won’t kill you. I will instead leave you with more questions than answers. You’ll stay awake at night haunted by what happened here and be left questioning your role in all this. You will want to know where you fit in, and where your limitations are. You will think about how you let doctrines and principles govern you and how you always stay within the lines. You will question whether you can go back to being a good little Jedi,” Her words were haunting, and Alais slowly walked around Vin as she spoke, “It will fester and eat away at you till you simply can’t contain yourself. You will want a taste of it, just a little flavor…just enough to find out truly what it is that the Jedi fight so hard to cover up. And that is when we will meet again.”

Alais ended speaking as she came around to face Vin again, “And through it all you will have a choice. For now, goodnight,” She didn’t give Vin much of an opportunity to answer. She raised her hand and dove into Vin’s mind, tugging away at her consciousness till the girl would abruptly drop to the ground. She would wake up hours later, her mind swirling with hints and clues Alais would have left behind.

After dealing with Vin, Alais turned to Rhea, “If she has untapped potential, she must seek it out herself. No one can lead her to it. She is no sheep,” Her gaze lingered on Rhea for a moment before she turned to gaze forward.

Alais gathered the Force to herself as she made her way towards the main doors, coming to stand beside Siris. She pulled tendrils of the Force to her hands before jutting them out in front of her. The result was a massive blast of the Force that tore into the doors. The blow was hard enough to cave the doors in, the structure groaning in protest as debris collapsed around it. The doors were blasted clear back, chunks of stone flying back into the temple and slamming against the opposite wall.

She knew there would be opposition, and she counted on the saber wielders to lead the charge once more.

@Wit

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kal made his way over to the fallen Jedi, gazing down at Vin as she now lay there unconscious. He wondered if she would heed the words or listen to Alais. He wondered if her path would carry her away from the Jedi or if she was destined to continue down the path of dogma and indoctrination that the Jedi had set her on. There were so many Jedi who had spoken out at the trial, and now Kal couldn't remember where she had stood. Clearly, she was willing to make war against them now, but would that always be true? Recruiting to their cause certainly seemed preferable to senseless killing.

He let out a quiet breath as he turned from those thoughts, the tug of the Force flowing toward Alais pulled his mind back to the fight and within a moment, the doors were flung off their hinges with the terrible screech of resisting metal. He knew the fight was afoot and he let the Force flow through him, calling on that same darkness whose tendrils now gripped at the temple walls. He could sense the other Jedi inside and knew the fight would be fierce, but now was no time to shy away. The first wave was punched through, and now there were more to be dealt with.

Pulling the Force toward himself, he let the saber in his hand snap to life once more, turning to face the outpost. He moved forward first, not at a sprint, but quickly enough to put himself slightly in the lead of the others, ensuring he was ready to run interference against whoever may come forth. Only time would tell who was inside waiting, but the twitch at the back of his neck told him of more impending death. He sensed the others behind him, ensuring they were not too far back and motioning for Siris (@Orbit) to join him as he made his way up the steps. If there was someone here, the two saber wielders were most suited to the task of defense with Camila already slightly injured.

 

[Vin]

Vin had a simple thought in her head as Alais walked up to her with that smile on her face, I'm gonna die here. She felt like a child as Alais towered over her, even though Vin herself was a good head taller than the younger woman. Alais was simply radiating a presence that seemed to dwarf everything around her.

What Alais said next, well they weren't the words Vin had been expecting. She had heard stories of exiles, their claims of power, proclamations of ascendance. Or maybe that was just what she had expected, something dramatic like one of the more memorable scenes from Game of Sabers or Lord of the Swings. But Alais wasn't anything like the characters on those shows, was she? She was unlike anything Vin had known or even heard about, so why should this be any different?

The words, unexpected though they might be, resonated with something within her. The more she heard the more confident she got that Alais had no intention of killing her, that she was actually going to do what the old woman seemed to want, to try and turn Vin to her cause. But if that was the case, then Vin was scared by how much the words Alais was saying struck true to her. Moments earlier she had realized she needed to get close to Alais, and had started to accept the implication inherent in that plan, that she might have to leave the Jedi. But it was supposed to be a ploy, a role she would have to play for the sake of the future. And to play that role she had been willing to leave everything behind, as long as in her heart of hearts she stayed true to who she was and rejected whatever Alais would throw at her. She did not seek power, she did not want acceptance, and she definitely did not need retribution. That was what she had expected them to throw at her, what would be used to tempt her, and she had known that none of that would work. But this, this was an approach unlike anything she had predicted, and that scared her. Time seemed to slow down for Vin as she felt unconsciousness take over. And as she fell to the ground, she was left with one last lingering thought.

What if she was right?

 

[Camila Shan]

The Jedi before her fell much easier than Camila would have anticipated, which was saying something because her expectations for most Jedi were dismally low. She deactivated her lightsaber, using the force to call the slain Jedi's lightsaber to her other open hand.

She inspected the hilt for a moment, it was nothing fancy, but it belonged to her now. She placed it in the open spot in the small of her back where her own lightsaber normally resided. The tithe for getting shot while killing someone so insignificant.

The grazing wound on her back started to burn now that the adrenaline of battle was beginning to fade, but it wasn't anything unmanageable. She'd lived and fought through much worse in the past. Cami stayed away from the forefront of their formation, watching as Alais turned onto the temple itself.

She was still able to fight, but would have to assess the threats that still loomed behind the massive temple doors. She would likely keep her place near the rear, running interference for Alais and Rhea while the two men took point. She had no desire to join the Jedi in death, and she knew her limits.

 

[Siris Drast]

Siris waited in front of the massive doors, his eyes drifting over the intricate designs carved into. The temple was in the middle of nowhere but somehow it still was beautiful. Siris had to give Jedi credit, they had an ability to create things. But the thought nearly made him laugh, the Exiles countering it by having the ability to destroy. He guessed it was their war, life vs death. Unlike the other party members, Siris didn't venture over to Alais and the Jedi that now lay unconscious. He didn't need to see Alais's handiwork up close, it would just pain him more. When Alais came next to him, he casted her a quick look that only she would understand, We need to talk. Now wasn't the right time, they needed to be alone for that conversation.

Before she blew the doors open, Siris extinguished his lightning before sliding his new lightsaber out of his belt. He ran his thumb along it before activating, a blue blade igniting out. He wasn't an avid force user like Rhea or Alais, the lightning and pull expending quite a bit of energy from him. He would stick to what he knew best, saber combat. Siris held his red saber in his right and blue in his left, lighting their respective sides in its color.

Siris stepped to Kal's right, both of his sabers aimed down to the ground. He reached out with the force, attempting to find how much resistance would be inside as he sensed the others behind him. Kal and Siris would be the wall as Alais and Rhea supported them from behind. He didn't how Camila would fare with the wound but he suspected she could take of herself. Siris drew on the death and Darkside here, building and gathering the force in himself. The battle would be hard and Siris's fingers tightened around his weapons in anticipation.

 

[Jedi Temple Guard]

The main antechamber was in ruins. The large stone double-doors that granted entry to the large circular room had been blown off its hinges, chunks of stone the size of speeders flying across the room, smashing into the far wall and scattering across the middle of the room, while smaller pieces of rubble scattered across the tile mosaic floor, ripping up the beautiful, painstakingly crafted floor. A long sliver of stone slammed into the stone Jedi guardian that stood atop a pedestal in the center of a shallow fountain, the fountains basin wall crushed under its weight, leaking water out across the floor around it. The eight torches in wall sconces on the columns that lined the wall of the circular room wavered, the oxygen sucking the flame towards the door for a moment, extinguishing the pair closest to the doorway. Across the way from the main entrance stood another pair of large stone double doors, open and illuminated by the multicolored prismatic light that filtered down through the decorative stained glass windows that lined the top of the entry tower.

It was here that the Temple Guard had waited, biding their time. They had grieved each death they had felt outside the doors of their sacred temple, but their duties and vows were ironclad and their will absolute. The Temple was their ward, not the Jedi who had wandered outside the thick walls to combat the foe head on. They had however bought time, and provided warning for the quartet of Temple Guard who now took up position behind the four farthest pillars from the entryway, hidden from view for the time being. But now was the time for battle, and they would drive away Exiles who had come to assail their ward, or they would die defending it.

As the first pair of Exiles entered the Temple antechamber, proceeding a cautious few meters inside the doorway, the Temple Guard acted. These were no individual Jedi, they were Guardians of the Temple, and they acted in unison with admirable precision. Stepping out from their hiding places, a pair stepping out from behind the far pillar's which stood thirty-five meters from the entryway, another pair from the next farthest standing at twentyfive, their white and silver robes glimmering in the torchlight, they raised hands as one, each holding an identical double-bladed lightsaber in one, while the other beckoned upwards, conjuring the Force to their will. A large chunk of doorway that had landed several meters from the initial hiding spot of the guard rose up swiftly, before flinging itself across the room at the pair of Exiles as the leftside guard nearest the second doorway's hands rose before being thrust forwards. This however was a distraction, and would sail over the heads of the pair to fly through the doorway, its breadth barely passing through to tumble towards those bringing up the rear and down the stairs. (@Sreeya, @Malon, @Relent)

As the stone flew through the air, the second guard to the right of the doorway thrust forwards with both hands, lightsaber grasped in one. The long splinter of stone that had desecrated the fountain statue would suddenly accelerate to tumble across the room towards the pair (@Phoenix, @Orbit), traveling at a velocity to match the speed of the flying chunk of stone to slam into the pair of Exiles as it passed over their heads. If they attempted to jump over the tumbling stone they would slam into the boulder soaring above their heads, and if they stayed put they would be bowled over and sent flying out the doorway.

Simultaneously, the pair of guards taking up the wide position would step inwards, their hands flowing inwards towards the center of the room as they worked the Force to their will, and the will of the Force worked through them. A telekinetic wave would sweep both sides of the room near the Exiles, the scattered small chunks of stone lifting into the air and flowing towards the pair of Exiles to crash down on them and against them from above and to the sides. This would all happen as the two large boulders were flying towards them. They would be pelted with stones varying from fist to head sized, each one capable of causing severe damage or even killing with a lucky strike.

These were the Jedi Temple Guard, the elite of the Jedi Order, and they would guard the temple, or take as many Exiles with them as they could.

 

[Andraste]

After she blew the doors in, Alais strode in behind the two men, coming up closer to help defend. They still needed to bring up the front row to lead the charge, but she didn’t intend to be completely out of the picture. She couldn’t see too much of what was going on from the cave in, but she knew there would be swift retaliation. Alais rapidly called the Force to herself, drawing from the death and chaos all around her. She could still pull from Nora’s pain, the woman thrown into a nightmare as she barely breathed. She drew from the deaths on the field, darkness and malice poured into their murders.

She felt more powerful than ever, her sharp eyes picking up movement ahead. Alais knew these were not people to be trifled with. She had seen the temple guards on Jedha, and she had no reason to believe these men and women were any less capable. Alais could see the debris lifting as the guards worked together as a team better than the Jedi they fought previously ever had. She felt rage churn within her at the sight, calling the Force to herself rapidly.

As the debris began to fly, she threw her hands up, a massive barrier forming to stop the slab coming her way, extending over the two men as well. She poured her energies into it, leaving her vulnerable for attack as she stopped the barrage of debris to follow. Alais couldn’t do this alone, looking to Rhea for aid. The debris all came in and were suspended in mid-air before they could collide with anyone, Alais hoping the men would use the opening to launch attacks. They would still have to move to avoid being pulverized, some of the debris moving quicker than Alais could hold.

Before her energies could deplete further, Alais would redirect the debris, flinging them off to the side. She was beyond enraged, wanting to destroy each and every last guard before them.

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kal was still fresh from the battle outside, having not even tapped into the potential of the Force, and having drunk deeply from the pit of darkness that now crept behind them - the pain, rage, hate, and despair - he was more than prepared to face down the enemy within. Of course, the guards of the temple were no fools, and worked with a teamwork that surpassed that of most Jedi Kal had seen. Perhaps he could hope that their years spent guarding the temples had dulled their combat senses, but he doubted he would be so lucky. No doubt they dueled each other, but there was still no substitute for the true thrill of combat.

He could feel the Force bending to Alais' will as she cast up protection around the group. He knew Rhea would help her not out of love for the two men, but because if the barrier failed, they all risked death. Still, there would no doubt be some that made its way through and Kal let the Force flow through him as the rubble came in. He raised his hands to stop the final bits of stray rubble, and specifically gripped one slightly smaller than a head and let its momentum shift, avoiding the group and letting it fly with power at the guard to Kal's left who was closest.

Given that the guards were generating waves of energy rather than gripping each individual piece, Kal had no trouble redirecting the piece as he focused on his attack, hoping that the man would be too distracted with his own powerful attack and all the rubble floating through the air to see the single stone accelerate rapidly toward his head with devastating speed. Even this was a comparatively simple attack compared to what the temple guards did, so Kal was ready for whatever else the warriors may throw at them.

 

[Rhea]

Rhea moved quickly to aid her pupil. The Jedi Temple Guard were a class of their own and not a force to be taken lightly. She was still relatively fresh, having only thrown up a temporary barrier during the earlier fight, and was quickly able to summon the power needed to aid Alais.

She poured this power into Alais's barrier strengthening it against the barrage of debris unleashed by the Jedi Temple Guard and granting it the durability to intercept even those massive boulders flying towards them. Like with Alais, focusing on the barrier would leave her open to attack; but, hopefully, the two men would be able to hold off the guards for long enough for the women to rejoin the fight.

When Alais went to repel the debris back across the chamber, Rhea add her power to that to, allowing them to be hurled further and with more force. She drank in the anger radiating off of Alais and used it to strengthen her own ties to the dark side. She hoped that it would help her power to hold out in the midst of a second battle—one she knew would be twice as brutal.

 

[Siris Drast]

With the doors blown open and debris flown everywhere, Siris's eyes immediately scanned the interior of the temple for any of the temple guards he's heard about once it settled. He's actually never met one before, just the stories of how they performed in unity and were a force to be reckoned with. A few moments later as if on cue, the guards stepped out from the pillars and revealed themselves to the group of Exiles in unison. The closest pair was about 25 meters away and Siris saw an opportunity and knew what he had to do. Siris lifted a finger as they stepped out, priming the concussion grenade he looted off of Dragen's body earlier as it slipped off of his belt.

The temple guards sent a storm of rocks and debris to them but Alais, with the help of Rhea, managed to stop the assault as Siris wrapped the force around the grenade and shot it towards the front pair of temple guards. With the cover of the debris and rocks, the small grenade would go unnoticed as it flung through the air straight and true to the guards. With the assistance of the force, Siris would ensure that the guards couldn't simply fling the grenade back at them. With all of the guards focusing and combining their attack, they wouldn't have enough time to react to the incoming grenade.

The concussive grenade would detonate instantly when it reached the two front temple guards, a bright flash erupting from it and cascading them in white light. With two guards most likely blinded before Kal's attack, It would assist him and the others in landing their counter-assault that they sent back to the guards. Siris stepped forward a couple meters, his blades held vertically upwards in defense as he waited for a possible counter-attack from the temple guards.

 

[Camila Shan]

Unsurprisingly, as soon as the temple threshold was broached things escalated very, very quickly. Within moments the Jedi inside the temple proved themselves vastly superior to their flailing counterparts that had been outside. The cascade of boulders, rocks and rubble was an intelligent approach - but it was clear that the Lightsiders underestimated the power this group of Dark Jedi brought with them.

Camila could feel the darkside pulsating from her compatriots in waves, the invisible yet somehow still intense and crackling energies surrounding them all providing her succor and pulling her focus into a laser. Her eyes caught site of Siris and his intentions, Camila deciding to follow suit and really take this false Guard by surprise. Wrapping the force around her own grenade - hers a frag - Camila too used the force to envelop the small sphere and send it hurtling towards the two Jedi in front.

It would come maybe a second or two behind Siris', raining thousands of metal fragments in all directions. If the concussion grenade had done its job, it would be highly unlikely those Guardsmen would even be aware of the second explosive, let alone be able to defend against it. The shrapnel would tear the flesh from their unarmored bodies like a hot knife through nerf butter.

Still injured but feeling a renewed resurgance, Camila remained close to her female allies, drawing the force into herself and keeping her eyes on the inside of the temple.

 

[Jedi Temple Guard]

The Exile invaders were more powerful than the Temple Guard initially thought. The Darkside radiated from them greatly. But the Devaron temple sat on a wellspring of the Lightside, from which the Temple Guard could draw. As rubble flew through the room it was stopped by the power of the Darksiders. There was a moment, as the Darkside, and the Lightside clashed, that the Force seemed to hold its breath. A small object zipped out from the floating pile of rubble, swiftly followed by another, towards the leftmost Temple Guard. Distracted by the clash of wills, by the time the grenades were noticed it was too late. A bright flash and sonic boom exploded in front of one of the guards, blinding and staggering him. An instant later the fragmentation grenade exploded as well, shredding the man in a storm of shrapnel, his lifeless body dropping to the ground without ceremony.

Seeing the death of their fellow guardian, the surviving three Temple Guard swiftly moved into a retreating action. The two guards flanking the door immediately focused on the leading Exiles (@Phoenix, @Orbit), calling on the vergence of lightside energy that swelled within the temple. The left side guard flanking the doorway would reach out with the force, and deliver a massive push to the pair. It would manifest upon them as the rocks were flung to the side, and send them flying back out the door to either collide into their allies behind them or tumble down the stairs. As soon as the pair were out the door, the second would focus on the area in front of the Exiles. A shimmering barrier would appear, a wall of light that repelled the Darkside. It would only last for a few moments, but would hold the line as the third Temple Guard retreated from his more forward position.

Falling back behind the second portal, the Temple Guard would stagger their positions on the left side of the doorway. Staying five meters apart from each other, with two leading in front just out of view from the doorway entrance, and the third behind the pair, the trio were prepared to attack as soon as the Exile's showed their faces.

@Sreeya @Malon @Orbit @Phoenix @Relent

 

[Rhea]

Rhea reached within herself, pushing down passed her previous limitations and into a well of dark side power she had not known was there before. Invigorated by this pool of new power, Rhea's eyes turned a bright, putrid shade of yellow. Sensing danger, she gathered this newfound power between her hands and threw a bone-crushing Force blast towards the Temple Guards.

This blast was meant to connect with the massive push initiated by the left-side guard, effectively canceling out his blast with an impressive shockwave, which in-turn sent the debris picked up by the Guard's blast scattering about the room and out of the way of the two men (@Orbit and @Phoenix)—thus clearing a path for them to advance.

If successful, Rhea would then tap back into her well of newfound power, gathering it to the center of herself in order to provide continued support as the battle itself continued to progress.

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kal knew that the Jedi were on their back foot now, but that didn't mean they could get cocky yet. They may have been a man down, but that didn't mean that the tides couldn't turn on them quickly. In short order, Kal felt himself knocked back. He threw the Force around himself and Rhea kept the rocks at bay, but the impact still sent him backwards, his foot losing its place under him as it struck stairs and sending him sliding backwards.

Were it not for the Force around him, there probably would have been a great deal of pain and perhaps some broken bones amidst the stumble as he fell back behind Alais and Rhea. He hoped that Camilla would fall into his spot until he recovered his position. Still, he was not yet out of the fight. His pistol rose and he slung gunfire past the heads of Alais and Rhea, careful not to strike either of them as he sent a pair of quick bolts at the guard on the retreat, hoping perhaps it might fly past the barrier, though he didn't count on it greatly. They were regrouping, which meant they weren't likely to give into a simple attack, but Kal continued slowly forward, firing past the other four Exiles with careful aim. @Arclight @Orbit @Malon @Logan @Sreeya