Ask Event Korriban Korri-ban-Hammer

[Aadya Rasheer]

GROUP ERICTON​

Things certainly were not going the way Aadya would have hoped. Her attack against the Joined didn't kill any of them, though it did give her a much needed moment of reprieve. But that's all it was.. just a moment. Though, like the actual fucking superhero that he was, Altair arrived exactly in that moment, exactly when he needed to.

With Altair's intervention, dodging out of the way of the Killik's spear attack was relatively simple. Raising to her feet as Altair pulled the Killik into the line of fire, Aadya's eyes fell onto the Joined she'd knocked over with the table. They were getting back up to their feet and looking to yeet themselves back into the fray. But things wouldn't be so simple for them.

You'll never not be my knight in shining armor, babe, Aadya said, trying not to feel the butterflies in her stomach flutter when Altair so casually dropped the petname he used to use for her. Forever, no matter what.

Reaching out with the force, Aadya coiled it around both of them to send them head first into the ceiling as hard as she possibly could. She would then pull them down right onto the Joined that still had their blasters. Taking her lightsaber, Aadya would chuck it directly at what was now a pile of dudes splayed across the ground, scrambling to get back up.

Guiding it with the force, she would look to drag its blade across all of their fucking stupid traitor faces, lopping their damn heads off before pulling it back to her hand like a boomerang. The weapon would move quite fast, hopefully fast enough so they wouldn't be able to do much to dodge it.

Plus, that wasn't even factoring in the blaster fire from the men Altair had brought with him.

If all things went according to plan, Aadya would look to get herself over the terminal and undo whatever the Killik had done. They needed those shields back up as soon as possible.

OOC: Actions in white

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Team Trelain

Tiamat watched the second acolyte quietly as she noticed Wodan (@Braden) moving onto the third one. Silently, she watched the acolyte before turning her attention back to the second acolyte. She listened to Crix (@Nefieslab) dish out his questions, ready to be more forceful in her response to the acolyte if he didn't answer appropriately. By now the truth serum should be working, making the acolyte more susceptible to speaking uninhibited.

"And 'I don't know' isn't an answer." she responded flatly as Crix opened opportunity for the acolyte to answer, "Since you've been quiet for all this time," the acolyte would start to feel the dark side weigh heavily on him as she took a couple steps forward. No doubt that Crix would also feel it from Tiamat, "Its treason to not report suspicious activity that threatens the sovereignty of the Empire." she pressed, "Especially, his student would know him the best, notice those subtle changes, unless, of course, you're in on it too." Tiamat stepped back and folded her arms, the darkness pressing uncomfortably on the acolyte like a weighted blanket he couldn't remove.

"So answer the kind man here or you can see what else I have to get you answer." the woman hissed.

Spoiler: tl;dr

The truth serum given previously should be taking its effect. Tiamat continues the interrogation with Crix. She begins to use the dark side to press the acolyte further, making things uncomfortable for him in addition to some threats as to what his destiny would become.

@Phoenix

 

[Lucas Orum]

Group Ericton (RIP)​

Lucas’s initial strike at the right most Killik was successful, it’s head was cleaved clean off and it’s body collapsed limply to the ground. However, the leftmost Killik raised its spear in time to defend itself from the downward arc of Lucas’s lightsaber, ensuring it survived the initial stroke. There was a sheering of metal, Lucas didn’t have the luxury to check on his ally although he was certain the droid had been turned to scrap. Instead, his attention focused on the Killik as it pressed forward on his guard, Lucas instinctively remembered his lesson with Varyn and the importance of spacing within these types of duels. So as the Killik bared down upon him, Lucas looped to the side and quickly back peddled quickly away from the Killik ensuring that the space between them was not only maintained but expanded upon.

As such, when the Killik attempted to gut Lucas with its pair of secondary arms, he would be well outside of their reach. In addition, as Lucas ensured the space was maintained, he would readjust his guard to be more perpendicular to the haft of the Killik’s spear as opposed to horizontal. While this readjustment was occurring, the arm holding the blaster would level and a pair of heavy blaster shots would ring out, one towards the creature’s lower abdomen and the second towards its upper chest. Regardless of if the shots found their mark or not, Lucas would immediately break away and dart deeper into the tombs, trying his best to break line of sight with the Killiks and hide within an adjacent chamber.

His hope would be that the Killik would pursue him and enable him to ambush however many remained, evening the odds stacked against him. He wasn’t sure if the spirits of the dead Sith still lingered on in the tombs but right now he didn’t have time to concern himself with those things. He had to kill these damned Killik and he simply had to survive this damned planet.

OOC: Actions are colored
@Phoenix

 

[Ashla Ti]

GROUP ERICTON

Ashla's blade shot up to block the lightning, and she stood her ground as she held the blade before herself to keep the attack at bay. After a moment or two she responded with an attack of her own as well, gesturing with her left hand and grabbing his foot with the Force and pulling, hoping to yank his feet out from under him.

If the move was enough to break the joiner's concentration enough to stop the lightning she would charge ahead and swing her lightsaber in a downward diagonal swing to try and slash at him, hoping to catch him regardless of whether he was still standing or had been brought down by the yank.

OOC: Actions in blue.

 

[Wodan]

Group Trelain​

Wodan rolled his eyes, either she was an emotionless joiner. Or just a sadistic moron who enjoyed the pain of a torture room. “I'm bored of this shit.” He stepped away for a moment, grabbing a syringe full of the truth serum. Locking eyes with the woman, he stabbed the syringe into her arm, not taking care to be gentle and flooded her body with the serum.

He looked for any hints that she felt the pain of the needle, enjoyed it, hated it, he looked for some kind of emotion in her eyes before he continued his questioning. “How were you going to tell if he was a joiner? No known technique works. Were you going to ask him or was there something specific you were looking for in his room?” Wodan left the syringe dangling in her arm as he questioned her.

Spoiler

Wodan stabs the Acolyte with a syringe to see if she has any reaction to the pain. Then asks How she was going to tell he was a joiner? Or was there something specific she was looking for in his office?”[/color]

 

[Sarella]

Lettuce Squad

​

Darkness swirled through the chamber and permeated into every stone, and Sarella stood as the single beacon of Light amongst it all. It was a testament to her dedication and virtues as a Jedi - even as the anxiety attempted to creep up within her. Even as she knew the smallest fracture in her concentration could be fatal.

The Light swirled within the Consular, growing in its intensity as it billowed forth from her fingertips - a glow of soft gold that was directed to sustain the ritual and the multitude of visions it brought with it. She made no attempt to subjugate the Force or bend to her will. It was her staunchest ally in the darkest of places, and it answered her pleas as it always had.

Distantly within her ears, Sarella heard the shuffle of her companions as they broke away from the ritual. She felt as other left, and heard the cries from Nova that threatened to break the focus of others. And to the best of her ability, the Consular attempted to tone all of it out. She kept herself grounded within the paradise that was her mind - behind fortification that had taken years of dedicated meditation to erect, and she worked each and every day to fortify further.

Instead, Sarella delved deep into the visions that were thrust upon her - taking in every detail about the quartet and the fuzzy individuals shrouded just beyond. She hadn’t the slightest clue who they were - and it was a sense of uncertainty that made the Consular uncomfortable beyond words. It left no explanation why the ritual directed them to focus on the Devaronian woman in particular. And she wouldn’t.

Regardless the temptation or direction to focus her anger on the Devarion woman, Sarella refused to do so. She would not contribute to whatever it caused, and instead attempted to peer more clearly into the vision itself. Through the tranquility of her mind, Sarella attempted to get a better look at the Devaronian woman herself. She attempted to decipher the details of her face and her presence in the Force - in hopes of pinpointing any semblance of familiarity. Any semblance that she knew who the woman was.

Spoiler: TLDR

Sarella continues the ritual. She doesn’t direct her rage at the Devonarian woman, but instead attempts to see if the woman in question is recognizable at all.

Dice roll: 5/100

@Phoenix

 

[Kanaloa Tau]

Group Letous​

Kanaloa basked in the current of sensation and information, more and more becoming used to it all. He found his focus waning unbidden from the directed targets, their silhouettes and colors seeming vaguely familiar. No hint of Killiks around them. The flow of energy in and around the ritual-goers, the power of the nexus, and the strange, ancient spirit that had moved elsewhere were what drew his attention. And that split attention was what ended up waking him up.

Other participants dropped from the ritual, he could feel them leaving for reasons he didn't know. It could be related to that strange presence in the Force. Kane was fascinated with the power in and around him, but he could already feel the strain a lack of guiding direction brought. The Nexus was a powerful thing and the Wrean was only an acolyte. In these troubled waters, with questions unanswered, he was inclined to surface. Kane retreated from the ritual for now.

Amber-gold eyes refocused on the material around him as he slowly shook his head, whole body tingling from the mix of heat and cold. He took a deep breath and furrowed his brows, trying to sort through the things he'd seen, when he noticed his earpiece buzzing. A hand raised to adjust volume and pick up on a series of all-channel messages, grip tightening around his spear. The First Blade was dead?

That wasn't good. What could have taken down Korriban's greatest blade master? Kane straightened up and looked around the ritual chamber, taking in the status of the others and waiting on the floaty sensation to go away, right foot bouncing idly on the stone. He couldn't pin down what but still, he had a bad feeling about this.

Kane took the time to more closely look over the ritual chamber around them. Maybe there was some hint about that old spirit somewhere?

Spoiler: tldr

Kane vaguely thinks he recognizes the four people's silhouettes but nothing specific. With others dropping from the Ritual or breaking focus from The Vague Targets he also leaves in case it's related to unhappy spirits or similar. He hears over comms the stuff about Eriction being dead. Kane feels uneasy and examines the ritual chamber for possible hints about the Old Spirit Person.

@Phoenix

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Formerly Group Ericton​

@Altair Din's arrival was probably the primary thing that saved @Aadya Rasheer from an untimely death. They would manage to rip apart the remaining Killiks and Joined with a combination of blasters, sabers, and the Force, but as the sound began to die down, they would be able to see that the damage was done.

The Killik that had been at the controls was now very much sprayed across the room, but he had smashed up the controls already after finishing his work, and they would be able to feel the repercussions of that almost immediately. The Hivemind knew.

Ships began to drop out of hyperspace far above and engaged with the Imperial fleet. Much like the fights at Thyferra and Ruusan, the fighting was fierce and brutal. The first of the Killik fightercraft started making suicide runs on temple grounds, and those inside the building would be forced to find cover as fighters began slamming into the ground only to detonate moments later. Put simply, it was utter chaos.

And in this chaos, they would find that the Killiks had begun landing troops of their own. With the forces left over from the First Blade, the two Champions would have nearly a full company of infantry and a dozen Acolytes at their disposal, but it was clear that to survive this they would have to get creative.

Inside the tomb, @Lucas Orum was at least not dead yet. He managed to kill the Killik directly in front of him while two more launched into hot pursuit, far too close to simply lose them by running. They matched his speed and for better or worse they all arrived in the same room as @Ashla Ti.

Whether this was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen. The Killiks would continue to pursue him, and if he continued to run, they would simply stab @Ashla Ti in the back as they ran past her. The Hivemind wasn't kind.

The Sith that @Ashla Ti was fighting didn't seem inclined to wait. He was a brutish-looking man, strong and with heavy armor in such a way that he may almost distantly remind her of Darth Vader. When she yanked at his foot, he planted more firmly, letting the Force suffuse him to keep him rooted in place.

He let out a guttural growl, seemingly angered by the fact that she had tried such a trick, and he darted forward with surprising speed for a man of his size. He brought his blade up to block her downward strike, following up with a vicious downward vertical blow of his own strong enough to simply batter through her defenses if she was not cautious.

Meanwhile, the engineers had finally gotten back up and were back to work on "the machine" and would near the end of their work soon if not stopped.

Group Trelain​

Acolyte 2's indignation and anger seemed to be rising. Under other circumstances he might have even made a good Sith one day, but now he was more likely to just be executed and his body dumped into the Tuk'ata cages.

Get this through your thick horned skull. I don't know anything about the Joining. Kriff, why am I answering you anyway? he said with a scowl toward @Crix Aran before fixing his gaze on @Tiamat.

You're a kriffing traitor to the Empire, working with a Jedi prisoner against your own! he said, eyes flaring with rage even as the truth serum began to actively kick in. On the bright side, they were getting what he really thought. On the downside, it proceeded to be mostly a string of curses.

Meanwhile, @Wodan would find that he had jabbed the woman with the truth serum, and she didn't even seem to have flinched. In fact, she had no visible reaction at all. Not pain or anger, regret or confusion, just nothing. A blank stare that was at him, but not even really at him. Just straight through him as if she were somewhere else entirely.

Behind them all, Trelain clutched at her chest and took deep breaths, falling to her knees as if assaulted by something unseen. She seemed to push back in the Force, sensing the dark grip on her body, and everyone present would be able to sense a sheet of darkness descend on the room.

Continue with the interrogations! she groaned through gritted teeth. We need answers for the sake of the Empire, she said, though it was clear that pure agony wracked her body.

Group Letous​

As @Sarella tried to make out a clearer picture she may, in fact, recognize the Devaronian as none other than Master Trelain, though they had only seen one another in passing at the start of the day.

As @Llolith Uttu reached out to @Nova Trent to alleviate the horrible sensations of the latter Acolyte, she would find that she had made quite a definitive choice. They were both strained, pieces of their very souls wiped out in order to fuel this ritual of pure darkness, and while neither had yet been felled, neither had tried to take on the full weight of the other's fatigue.

As @Llolith Uttu reached out and transferred some of her essence into the other Acolyte, it may well have been the most Light Sided thing she'd ever done. But in this place, the Light came with a cost. The promises of omnipotence and power were true because when a being became one with the Force, they were all powerful... or at least a piece of something that was all-powerful. Such was the fate of the young Acolyte. Llolith's mind was shredded under the weight of the ritual, her body withering and aging right in front of Nova as every ounce of the girl's life energy was drained away, her body left a shriveled mess on the ground, but in that final moment, Llolith may, in fact, have found peace in the Force.

It was only now, as she lacked the necessary sacrifices to finish off her rivals and secure her place as headmistress of the Korriban Academy that Master Letous stopped the ritual. Her eyes were wild with fury and hatred as she looked at those who remained.

You weak-willed wretches! she shouted. I will kill you all and finish off Trelain myself, then, she spat. She had seen what the Force had shown them when she fixed the nexus, which meant she didn't need any of them alive to tell the rest of the galaxy where the Killik nest was. They simply needed to die.

Despite the ritual being over, the mortal danger for those down here had just begun. It would now become clear to those gathered that while they had used the ritual to fix the nexus, they had also been pawns in a game. Their life energy had been used by Letous to murder her rivals in the academy, and it meant that while they would all be feeling drained, she was still fresh.

@Nova Trent would be able to feel her head righting now, though she would still feel quite strained, only at about half of her normal capacity. @Kasim Din, @Sarella, and @Kanaloa Tau would all feel a bit worn, but still capable of staying in a fight. And indeed, their opponent was no pretender. A master of the dark arts and a formidable killer. She could and would dispose of any of them without a second's thought.

 

[Lucas Orum]

Group Din (Rest in Power Ericton)​

Lucas glanced over his shoulder as he ran, the pursuing Killiks weren't closing the distance but he wasn't gaining any either. Lucas continued to run as hard as his legs would carry him, he would lift his lightsaber arm slightly and tuck the arm carrying the blaster pistol in it beneath his arm to conceal the weapon. Then, with his eyes on his target still, he would squeeze the trigger an additional two times, roughly aiming for the Killik's center of mass. As soon as he finished pulling the trigger, Lucas would shout into the comms in a breath-y voice as he ran.

"Robo-bitch is dead! She just LET them rip her apart, I don't even know what happened!" He yelled as he ran.

Should the shots hit/kill the Killik​

When Lucas heard the other Killik's body collapse on the ground, he would slow his pace slightly and allow for the Killik to close some of the distance between them. As he slowed his pace, he'd holster his pistol and then with the same free hand, reach up over his shoulder to grasp the hilt of his chainsword he had slung over his shoulder and rip it free from it's sheathe. The Acolyte would remember how Varyn taught him to channel the Force through himself, to allow his lightsaber to become one with himself, an extension of his arm. He would trust his lightsaber and crystal within as he called upon the Dark Side, tapping into it's corruptive power to enhance his speed before he spun around.

"Please don't fail me now." He thought to the Kyber crystal.

He leaned the flank most likely to be struck by the point of the Killik's spear as far as he could from that lethal edge while his lightsaber swung in a downward arc, it's blade pointed downwards to catch electrified tip and push it away from Lucas' body. Between his own natural strength as a body builder and the speed leant to him by the dark side, it shouldn't be a difficult feat for him to accomplish. As his lightsaber did this, the chainsword would rev to life, it's angry teeth spinning as Lucas swung it in a deadly arc. The chainsword would aim to slice through the Killik's shoulder and make a gory display as it hewed through the creature's chest.

"FUCK YOU!" Lucas would scream in mix of rage and fear.

Should the final Killik fall, Lucas would turn to examine the fight between Champion Ti and the former Sith who opposed her. He wasn't sure how he could help but he would sprint to aid her in combat all the same.

Should the shots miss​

Not hearing the body of the Killik collapse to the floor, Lucas would inwardly curse. Missing his shot just meant that this next part would be a lot harder and potentially more painful. Lucas would slow his pace slightly and allow for the pair of Killik to close some of the distance between the three of them. As he slowed his pace, he'd holster his pistol and then with the same free hand, reach up over his shoulder to grasp the hilt of his chainsword he had slung over his shoulder and rip it free from it's sheathe. The Acolyte would remember how Varyn taught him to channel the Force through himself, to allow his lightsaber to become one with himself, an extension of his arm. He would trust his lightsaber and crystal within as he called upon the Dark Side, tapping into it's corruptive power to enhance his speed before he spun around.

"Please don't fail me now." He thought to the Kyber crystal.

He leaned the flank most likely to be struck by the point of the closest Killik's spear as far as he could from that lethal edge while his lightsaber swung in a downward arc, it's blade pointed downwards to catch electrified tip and push it away from Lucas' body. Between his own natural strength as a body builder and the speed leant to him by the dark side, it shouldn't be a difficult feat for him to accomplish. In addition, this would place his lightsaber's blade between him and both Killik's spears providing him with a few precious moments of shelter from certain death. As his lightsaber did this, the chainsword would rev to life, it's angry teeth spinning as Lucas swung it in a deadly arc. The chainsword would aim to slice through the Killik's shoulder and make a gory display as it hewed into the creature's chest before Lucas would release the weapon, hopefully buried mid-way into the beast's chest, and face the sole remaining Killik pursuer.

Regardless of the outcome of his own shots, Lucas would be relying on the suddenness of his counter offensive, his own brute strength, and the speed empowering him to not only catch the Killik spearmen off-guard but overwhelm at least one of them.

@Phoenix @Wit
Important bits are blue

Spoiler: tldr

Lucas looks back, tucks his blaster beneath his saber arm and shoots at a Killik twice while he runs. If the shots hit, he slows down his pace, he holsters his blaster, draws chainsword, and he calls upon the dark side to speed himself up. He turns leans away from the spear tip, blocks the spear with his lightsaber and slashes with his chainsword.

If the shots miss, Lucas does mostly the same but positions his lightsaber to create a barrier between both Killik spears, slashes with the chainsword but releases it should the blade bite into the target's mid chest and gets ready to fight the remaining Killik.

 

[Altair Din]

Group Din
​

Altair realized the Killik that had been fiddling with the controls had smashed them up. Effectively, the building was more or less useless in terms of being a central command. However, he wasn’t the type to give up easily. The tiefling glanced up as a thunderous boom erupted from the fighters crashing on the ground or attacking the building. Debris fell in chunks and Altair just barely managed to duck out of the way, grabbing Aadya by the arm to tug her along.

With almost a company of soldiers and acolytes at his command, Altair had to rapidly think on the spot. He was in charge and with that came the weight of his decisions impacting the lives of his soldiers and also himself and Aadya. Time seemed to slow down as he looked around himself, watching the debris smoke pluming, hearing the muffled boom of crashes against the temple grounds and the distant sounds of Joined troops beginning to storm in. He looked around at soldiers waiting for him to give orders and to form a strategy.

He suddenly realized he was no longer that farmer boy from Bandomeer. He was no longer just that musician that performed for cash at festivals. He was no longer just that kid that submitted his pies for the annual harvest festival. He was no longer that acolyte that knew nothing, that could get away with asking stupid questions or sometimes making mistakes. There was no room for error now.

Music​

Altair drew in a deep breath and he slowly exhaled. Time sped up again and he was back in the moment, that little blink of an eye feeling as if it lasted an eternity.

“Acolytes,” He stated firmly, “I want eight of you to use offensive maneuvers to keep the incoming troopers at bay flanked by 6 Imperials each. Imperials, use suppressive fire. The goal is for a tactical exit. Deploy smoke grenades and keep moving back for an exit through the north side of the building. We want them to keep targeting the building and believe we’re hunkering down.”

He looked at Aadya. She had been trained by Raze, someone that specialized in mental tricks, “Tap into the mind of one of the Joined troopers. They operate as a hivemind. The troopers will be weak willed. Do not attempt to influence or control in any way or let them realize you're in there. Just spectate and tap into their thoughts to observe the commands being sent through their neural network. Relay those details to us,” If the ploy worked, it would allow them all to be one step ahead of what the hivemind was planning. Altair turned to the remaining acolytes, “One of you will carry Aadya. The others will flank and protect her as we make our exit.”

The tiefling turned to the rest of the Imperials, “Our primary goal is to abandon the building and take over the AA towers in our proximity to manually override controls. We will then shoot down any Killik ship that enters the atmosphere before they can hit the building or land more troops. Everyone got that? Let’s go go go!”

Amidst the explosions and chaos, everyone mobilized on executing the orders they were given. Aadya was on her own in terms of attempting the mind hack on one of the troopers, but she would be scooped up and physically carried as soon as she did by one of the acolytes. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but if it worked it could pay out in dividends.

Meanwhile, Altair charged ahead to the opposite side of the building, using the Force to smash through the windows and doors to create wider exit points. The bulk of the forces would file out of the building while the assigned forces collectively used Force Barrier, Push and concussive blasts to keep the invaders at bay or holding back debris. The Imperials flanking them would use smoke grenades to slow their approach, all while the group hastily fell back.

@Phoenix @Logan

 

[Sarella]

Lettuce Squad
​

With the Light as her guide, Sarella gazed deeper into the unclear vision - cutting through the Darkness to divine the clear visage of Master Trelain. Almost at once, realization slammed into the Jedi Consular - a sense of pure dread creeping up within her. It become all-too-clear what the ritual had actually been doing - and why it attempted to direct their anger and energy into the Devaronian woman. The Consular couldn’t help but think back to the figure wielding twin blades from before - coupled with the new information that Ericton had keeled over in the middle of the battle.

At once, Sarella withdrew her own energies and mind from the ritual - cerulean eyes fluttering open to observe the stone-carved chamber. Her gaze flicked around to the others - landing upon Nova and Llolith, just in time to see what became of the nine-eyed Acolyte. She watched the girl wither and age before her eyes. The Consular briefly closed her eyes, sadness washing over her at the sight. In that moment, however, she knew there was nothing that could be done for Llolith.

May you find peace within the Force..

The silent prayer resounded within her mind, and Sarella committed herself to ensuring the girl’s death would not be in vain. Even then - as she felt the pangs of exhaustion from contributing to the ritual - she would not cower away from the Darkness of the Sith Master. Her gaze settled harshly upon Letous - expression smooth and frigid as a glacier.

“You overstep, Letous,” She melodic voice resounded through the chamber. Without another word, Sarella extended her left hand towards the Sith Master - drawing upon the Light and allowing the current of energy to surge through her body. It flowed through her fingertips and attempted to envelope the Sith Master - wracking her with sensations of dizziness and nausea at once. She devoted her concentration into channeling Malacia, targeting the woman’s equilibrium while her allies - presumably - went for more lethal blows while the woman was debilitated.

Spoiler: TLDR

Sarella leaves the ritual and turns her attention to Letous. She attempts to use Malacia on the Sith Master - intending to throw off her equilibrium/focus and give her allies an opportunity to attack.

@Phoenix

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

GROUP D(ADDY)IN​

To say that Aadya was completely pissed off when she reached the console only to find it shattered was an understatement. She had failed, and more to the point, that failure was going to effect far more people than just her. She'd only had one fucking job and had managed to muck up the entire thing.

While on the outside she may have seemed calm and collected, internally rage boiled just beneath the surface. It was only when Altair addressed her directly that Aadya was pulled from her own bullshit and focused entirely on the task at hand. There was no time for her to waste being pissed at herself. Assuming she made it off the planet, there would be plenty of time later for her to atone for her failures.

Worth a shot, she replied to him, nodding her head. When Altair mentioned to one of the soldiers to carry her, Aadya couldn't help but shoot him just the slightest salty look. What she would give to be carried by his arms again..

Ah! Not the time for this.

Clearing her mind as one of the acolytes scooped her up, Aadya remembered the lessons that Raze had given her. Minds were nothing but walls, and no matter how thick or thin they were, or how well guarded, all walls could be broken down.

As the group moved out of the building, and the dark side nexus of Korriban aiding her, Aadya would reach out with the force to find the mind of one of the Joined, or at the very least, the weakest link in the Hive she could find. She wouldn't make an attempt to breach them or tear down their mental walls. She was only a spectator, a kid with their ear up to their parent's bedroom door, listening for things she wasn't supposed to hear.

With silent tip-toes, Aadya would press her ear to that figurative door, hoping to glean any information she could. Whatever she found out, Aadya would relay to Altair.

If things completely shit the bed, of course, Aadya would drop her attempts and bring herself back to the real world. Otherwise, she would try to stay listening for as long as possible, to give them the best chance possible to make it out of here alive.

OOC: Actions in white

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Ashla Ti]

GROUP DI-N(eesan)

Ashla took an instinctive step back as the Sith blocked her attack, and as he followed up with an attack of his own she took a step to the right. Her blade came up held up horizontally above her in her right hand, pointing to the left but with no intention to fully block the attack. Her intention was to let it graze along her blade and let that redirect it just enough to the side so that combined with her step to the right the slash would miss her entirely.

At the same time she channeled the Force, focusing it through her open left palm at his armor, and began envisioning the heavy armor beginning to heat up. She kept on pouring in the Force, thick and fast, hoping to superheat his armor and start cooking him from the inside. If the attack worked, hopefully buying her at least a few moments as she reacted to being cooked alive, she would reach out with the Force and attempt old faithful once more, and attempt to send one engineer flying into the other yet again to try and disrupt whatever they were doing.

Through all this, she relied on Lucas dealing with the killiks who chased him, using her Togruta ability to sense her surroundings to make sure that both the acolytes and the killiks did not get too close to her.

OOC: Actions in blue.

@Phoenix @Apollyon

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Team Trelain

The acolyte was seething at this point and Tiamat was internally pleased by the rage the acolyte was experiencing. The serum seemed to take a hold of its effect and like the other acolyte, only seemed to amplify his anger and annoyance with the entire situation. She glanced over to Wodan who was with the last acolyte but seemed there wasn't too much progress on his end. Her attention snapped back to the acolyte who called her traitor.

"Interesting..." she stated, seeming curious as she looked the acolyte up and down; she wondered if he found his own standing ironic that he was being questioned by a jedi (@Nefieslab) in a sith interrogation room. It was almost humous enough to break through a smirk, but attention was routed to Master Trelain. She looked as though she were in agonizing pain, but Tiamat couldn't pinpoint the source, all she felt was a darkness unlike any she had experienced begin to descend in the room.

The Devaronian master made her command clear though, despite the pain and aguish she was experiencing, she was right. For the sake of the Empire, if it were to continue, they needed to know more about who was Joined. Tiamat turned her attention back to Wodan (@Braden) and acolyte, quickly noticing the needle dangling from her arm and pulled it out, seeing that it was empty. The serum would have had its effects by now, the two other acolytes in their rage crusade of honesty were a demonstration of that, and this one...well, she looked zombie'd.

"No effects?" she asked, her thoughts connecting and reforming ideas as she looked between the acolytes, "There should have been something," pointing out the other two who clearly were impacted by the serum, "She may be a joiner herself." she told Wodan, her gaze returning to the detained emotionless acolyte, "Who else sees as you do, acolyte?" she asked the acolyte prisoner.

Spoiler: tl;dr

Tiamat determines acolyte #2 is being honest as the serum seems to further agitate the acolytes. Despite the invisible foe, Tiamat follows orders and continues with the interrogations. She notices how the third one has been injected with the serum by Wodan but does not get the same effect. Tiamat suspects she is Joined and tries to gather a response by asking "who else sees as you do?".

@Phoenix

 

[Kasim Din]

Group 3 (Letous)​

Kasim suddenly felt himself released from the ritual, and the Tiefling swayed slightly as the physical toll of the ordeal crashed over his body. He turned to see how Nova had fared, expecting to see relief on the girl's face, but instead he followed her gaze over to where a shriveled husk lay where Llolith had been (@lizziie). The significance of Letous' threat hit him next, along with the understanding that the master had killed Llolith.

Kark.

No time to think, no time to mourn, no time to thank the Jedi for their sacrifice in distracting Master Letous (@Altaris)- it was time to run. Kasim stood up as quickly as he could, grabbing for Nova's hand before booking it towards the exit in an attempt to make it to the stairs and escape (@LadyRen).

/ThrExit attempt @Phoenix @Mr. Teatime

Spoiler: Kasim's actions

Kasim sees Llolith is dead
NOPE.exe
Kasim decides on a tactical retreat
Kasim tries to grab Nova's hand and pull her along with him in the direction of the exit

 

[Nova Trent]

Leotus...fml​

If it hadn't been for Llolith, Nova had probably not made it out of that ritual alive, however now something far worse happened as her acolyte friend shriveled away like time had suddenly been fast forwarded. She knew this was no trick of time though, but the immense power of the Nexus they had just restored and while Nova was still breathing, her friend had paid the price that lettuce bitch wanted them to pay. (@lizziie)

Of course. It all made sense now. Why had she accepted the Jedi (@Altaris) in the group? Oh because she didn't care anyway. They were all just cannon fodder, meaningless suppliers of life energy and they all had been stupid enough to volunteer. Oh fantastic.

Nova was immediately consumed but that heavy rage that started to burn inside her as she literally saw Llolith crumble beneath that strain. This would have been me she reminded herself, determined not to let her sacrifice be in vain though. Why had she done it anyway? Not that she wasn't grateful, but had Llolith known what she was doing when she took her place?

Her furious gaze flicked onto the white haired psycho and internally, her rage was piling up further. She would release that hatred right away, not giving a single damn about the master's reaction as she could think about nothing else than immediate redemption, however she immediately began to feel the effects of the strain the ritual had caused and also, there was suddenly someone yanking her away. Kasim (@SlagathorTheUnknown). And damn, he was right. She quickly came to her senses as the blonde Jedi jumped forward, apparently wanting to volunteer as the next that would lose her life. Fine though. Let the Jedi be cannon fodder all she wanted. Nova couldn't care less as her only concern was her own survival now and in this immediately precarious situation, a tactical retreat was the only meaningful solution.

While the foolish Jedi attempted to draw all attention to herself, Nova decided to do the only thing that made sense: While Llolith had become a good friend of her, there was no time to grief right now. They had to make it out in order to warn someone who was actually capable of stopping that ruthless bitch. It was the only logic solution, and thanks to her inner exhaustion her rage was not taken over, but logic did. Without hesitation she started running, hoping that whatever light sided shit this Jedi lady was trying tk conjure, it would somehow serve its purpose. If the others were clever too (@Mr. Teatime @Nevermourn), they would start to flee as well, but if they chose to stay, Nova was hoping they would keep her busy for a little while longer. While her first priority was to get the fuck out of there, she was of course also intending to find anyone else, anyone that might be able to stop this madness, but then again, whom could they even trust?

@Phoenix

Spoiler: TLDR

Before Nova can do something stupid and impulsive, she is distracted by Kasim, realizes that they would stand no chance against Leotus if they tried to stay and fight and so she attempts running as well. She wants to warn the others if they find anyone on their way. -> Thread Exit Attempt or potentially running into a different group (?)

Spoiler: Liz

Not my fav spider girl, nooooo...RIP

 

[Crix Aran]

Group Treelanes​

Crix couldn't help the fact that he felt a surge of vindication, the vicious thrill that ran through him as he felt the corners of his lips tug upwards. He couldn't help it. Maybe it was the mixture of Korriban's native atmosphere in the Force or maybe it was just the irony of it all but when the Acolyte snapped at him, Crix couldn't stop it. He flashed the caged Acolyte a grin that showed far too many teeth and his eyes seemed to suddenly bore into the Acolyte's skull with their intensity.

"Because you're too weak to fight against the serum. Too pathetic to stop yourself answering a Jedi in chains... kind of funny, really."

Was it funny?

No.

It hurt, the way his guts twisted as he let even that little bit of genuine anger and cruelty slip out from the iron-clad control he had held it under for so long. Taking a breath, he stepped away from the cage and turned away from the prisoners. He... he needed to work through the fact that it had felt glorious, in the moment, to just let out even something so small as that comment.

It hurt so much to wrap that same anger back under his control, to fold it back in upon itself again and again until it could be consumed.

Because he was turned away from the Acolytes, Crix was able to watch as Trelain seemed to suddenly start reacting to something that, as first, only she seemed to know. Then she was pulling the Darkness into the room and Crix gritted his teeth hard enough he thought he might shatter them as he eyed the Sith leader warily.

"Sympathetic pain..." he muttered as he reached down to place his right hand on his dagger at his waist, "'Master' Trelain... what's wrong?"

Sympathetic pain from a source no one else could see or truly feel? Maybe he was being paranoid but he had been taught long ago, by his first Master, that being paranoid was far better than being dead.

Spoiler: TLDR

Unable to stop the Dark Side influencing him enough to be needlessly aggravating and cruel to the second acolyte
Worries that Trelain may be feeling sympathetic pain through a mental link - like a Joining
Asks Trelain what's wrong but is preparing to act on his 'paranoia'

@Phoenix
@GABA @Braden

 

[Wodan]

Tre-team​

There was nothing, not even a flinch as the needle plunged deep into her arm. His eyes locked onto hers as the serum pumped through her body, still nothing. Even with his average at best intellect, he could put enough strings together to identify her as a Joiner. He stepped back away from the Acolyte as the Red Headed firecracker Sith took control of the questioning.

Something nagged in the back of his mind however, why would she be ‘breaking’ into the office of a fellow joiner. If they were one mind, she would know the High Overseers passkey or know the location of the key. Was the High Overseer truly a joined? But the Masters had told us all so, hadn't they? Actually, did they provide any information that he was joined apart from their testimony. One minute they were accusing him of being a joined, the next they were all vying for his power.

Was this just another Sith ploy for power, it wouldn’t be so out of the ordinary for someone to use the carnage of Killik invasion for one's own goal. But the fact all three acted in unison was a massive cause of concern for the Acolyte. The Dark Side began to flood into the room as Trelain struggled with whatever seemed to assault her. Was it a ploy, was it real, Wodan wasn’t sure, if he was honest he wasn’t sure about anything. Even Crix or Tiamat could be a joined.

He took a few further steps back so he was separate from them all and raised his spear across his body as the The Force plunged into his body. If something was going to happen he wasn’t going to be unprepared.

Spoiler

Wodan suspects something is up as a Joined wouldn’t need to ‘break’ into another Joined’s office. Suspecting 1 or all of the Masters he steps away from all individuals and raises his spear and begins to channel The Force in defence.

@GABA @Nefieslab @Phoenix

 

[Kanaloa Tau]

Kane's bad feeling was pretty spot-on based on fucking everything happening just then. The Arcane Master's shouting further reinforced his initial instinct not to trust the woman, solely on principle. Lots of dramatic yelling for a blatant traitor. Very convenient for Kane, whose finger was already on his comlink. All he had to really do was click the button-

Letous' voice would shout over every common Sith channel for everyone to hear, everywhere, all at once. '-will kill you all and finish off Trelain myself, then.' Then everything started happening at once. His gaze went only briefly to Nova, Kasim, and Llolith's drained corpse. The Wrean's body spiked with fear and adrenaline at the situation, sweat dripping down his neck and spine tingling like needles.

But there was Firrerreon blood in him too, something the people at home alternatively called either a Hunter's Blessing or the Fury's Curse. His fight-or-flight response was instinctively weighted more toward the former, but this situation was very alien to the young acolyte. Sarella's hands raised, the other two acolytes ran away, and Kanaloa's mask dropped from his face. It revealed a fanged snarl beneath light-reflecting eyes flashing wide and wild with fear and fury. Fiery ambition, sheer pride, and the will to survive at any cost filled him with profane strength. His gaze locked on the Arcane Master.

A somewhat strangled-sounding roar burst from his throat as he stepped forward and toward Letous' left-side flank, lowered slightly toward the ground in a feral stance, the Force focused to empower his weapon. His spear thrust from low to high at Letous' upper torso, intent on striking swiftly from an unexpected angle while the Jedi did whatever Jedi thing she was doing.

He wasn't fighting for the Jedi, not all. Nor anyone beyond himself. This was for the potential prize if the predator became prey and a desire to tear out Letous' self-important throat with his teeth. If they bloodied the chamber with a traitor Arcane Master's guts and survived the effort they'd be lionized.

There were no words from Kane's throat. No admonishment, clever quips, or declarations of war. Only the inhuman snarl of a fanged beast facing down its environment's apex predator, and all the primal terror that came with it, in a fight to the death. Kanaloa Tau would command his own fate!

Spoiler: TLDR

Kane pulls a spiteful sneaky with the comm to have Letous announce her traitor status to everybody everywhere all at once. He attacks in combination with Sarella's debuff to try and flank-stab her immediately with his spear while she's distracted/off balance. Combat actions are in RED UNDERLINED BOLD.

@Phoenix @Altaris

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Group Ericton​

@Lucas Orum would find that firing a blaster under your arm and across your body while sprinting full speed in the opposite direction wasn't the most accurate way to shoot, and nothing he fired actually hit the pursuing Killiks.

His downward sweep of the blade would manage to save him from being stabbed in the back, but as he swept the tip of the weapon away, the Killik allowed it to go along. The butt of the spear came around, slamming up against the chainsword to stop it from cleaving the Killik in two. Meanwhile, the other bug circled to the far side so that it would be at Lucas's back and thrust its spear in an attempt to spear him in the lower back.

@Ashla Ti would find that her opponent was absolutely unrelenting, and while she had managed to knock aside his blade for the moment and step to the side, he continued forward, taking a step in and slamming his elbow around to bash directly into her face. He kept his saber on hers throughout the entire time, the bind preventing her from bringing her saber around to cut off his arm while he struck. It would also serve to interrupt her attempted attacks on him and the engineers. Such an articulate maneuver with the Force was good at a distance or if one was immensely powerful, but only feet apart she had neither the time nor the power to see it through.

@Altair Din's orders were followed without question. The troopers who took offensive positions would largely be like lambs to the slaughter, taking massive casualties not through any fault of the tactic but simply because of how outnumbered they were. They were down to half their number within only a few minutes, but for ever one that was killed they felled four of the enemy. Such was the burden of military command: you could do everything correct and still men would die.

Nevertheless, cover the retreat they did and the Killiks couldn't find a hole to punch through as the other soldiers made their smoke-covered retreat. As the troopers started to disperse to the various AA towers scattered through the area. They would find little resistance directly, and they would manage to bring seven of the twelve towers online to begin chewing through Killik ships.

@Aadya Rasheer's attempts to infiltrate the hivemind were met with moderate success but barriers nonetheless. Their minds were incredibly alien and thought in an alien way. In order to interpret the relative garble of her mental tap in she would be faced with a horrible choice: attempt to wrench the essence of the Killik language from their minds and risk revealing herself and the consequences of that or subject one of their troops to the Joining so that she could read their thoughts.

Group Trelain​

@Crix Aran would feel the satisfaction of his cruelty all the more potently here on Korriban where he was surrounded by the Dark Side. In fact, continued displays may even earn him his freedom.

@Tiamat would ask who else saw the way she did and the girl just looked at the master for a moment, again staring straight through her before beginning to slam her head against the sides of the cell as if trying to bash her own head in. As she did, she also let out a despairing and psychotic wail.

@Wodan would wait for an attack, but at least for the moment, it didn't come. As he pulled the Force into himself he would feel for a moment that dark sheet continued to close around him before seemingly lifting. As it lifted, Master Trelain finally managed to regain her feet again.

She's clearly Joined. We should search her things more thoroughly, she said, still wincing and holding her chest but for the moment not doing anything more.

Group Letous​

They immediately began to flee before Letous like the leeches they were. When they thought there was a chance to experience real power they flocked to her, ready to "help" and "serve" but now they ran. They were wicked little cretins. It was only the Jedi that had the balls among them to face her... no, that wasn't it. This was just another of those idiotic and suicidal Jedi. Always wanting to throw their lives away from some "greater good." She wished they would. She wished they'd all throw themselves down a volcano on Mustafar and rid the galaxy of their worthless bodies.

It was all this rage that fueled the Arcane Master and it was all focused on the Jedi now. The others had fled into the tunnels but would they even be able to find their way out? Had they even been paying attention? It was a maze down here. They were in her domain now.

@Sarella reached out with the Force, exerting her will over the Arcane Master, but it would not be so easy. The dark master had complete control of herself, her mind and body resisted the Jedi, pushing back against what she did as a wicked smile spread across the woman's pale features.

As @Kanaloa Tau leapt at her, one of her hands came up, the Force seizing him by the throat before yanking to the side to hurl him across the room. He wouldn't manage to close the distance and if he did, he would find that she was quick even so. His thrust would find nothing but air as she darted to the side. That was if he managed to get that close. But he was an acolyte against someone whose power and knowledge of the dark side was vast. It was almost a shame she would have to kill him. He at least seemed to have spirit.

As @Kasim Din and @Nova Trent ran into the tunnels, they would find that true enough, they had almost immediately become lost. Whether it was disorientation of the dark side, their own failure to note the path, or something else entirely, they would struggle their way through the dark caverns.

And it would return to their mind what the Arcane Master had said. "There are Killiks in the caverns. Find them and deal with them." How many were there? Where were they? Would the group unintentionally stumble upon them? Who could say but the will of the Force.

OOC: @SlagathorTheUnknown and @LadyRen please roll me a d100 for navigating out. If you are staying together then only one needs to be rolled for the whole group.