Ask Event Korriban Korri-ban-Hammer

[Darth Tiamat]

Team Trelain

The acolyte (@Braden) seemed to get on Trelain's bad side rather quickly; there could be a possibility she may have been overreacting, given she just looked as though she was suffering from something agonizing only moments earlier. Regardless, she got he room number to investigate further, but oddly enough, Master Trelain was going to go elsewhere. Her amber eyes narrowed and thoughts churned for a brief moment before catching up with Wodan and Crix (@Nefieslab); the acolyte proved to be an excellent map as he was able to lead them to the acolyte's quarters.

They would clearly all feel it, the presence that lurked behind the door. Tiamat's stepped slowed, an eerie echo of lonely trio of footsteps in the dead silence of the halls. She pulled out her comm, "Master Trelain, there is a strong presence in the acolyte's room." (@Phoenix) she whispered before pocketing the device and removing the saber from her belt. There were two possibilities of their mystery person, they either knew the acolyte was compromised and they were there to clean up, or they knew the three of them were arriving. Both options were not ideal.

Tiamat grasped her saber hilt tightly as Wodan handed his to Crix. She was surprised by the gesture, but did not let the thought betray her face, instead the redheaded woman focused on the darkness that hungered. It seemed to wait in anticipation as she ignited her blade into the keypad, malfunctioning the locks and opening the door for them without worry about it closing shut and trapping them inside. As the door opened, illuminators blinked on and their answer to reveal themselves. As Crix walked inside, Tiamat was more cautious, eyes quickly scanning the door frame for traps in case their mystery guest was not a friendly to visitors. If appeared safe, she would step carefully, as whoever it would be, she was ready to defend herself with the eternal's wrath.

Spoiler: tl;dr

The trio reach the acolytes room, Tiamat comm's Trelain about the presence before they engage. Tiamat ignites her saber into the door pad to keep it from closing and/or trapping them inside. She doesn't trust their mystery guest, scans for traps, cautiously proceeds if safe, and focused on not getting sliced and diced, or joined.

 

[Ashla Ti]

GROUP DI-N(eesan)

Ashla, having successfully pulled the engineers away from whatever it was they seemed to be so intent to do with the machine, and given a moment of reprieve by the lightning successfully landing on the joiner Sith, had a moment of clarity as she took in the situation around her. The acolyte was not in good shape, the droid was down, and the joiner was almost surely about to get back to his feet. Things were stacked against her, and one mistake could not just spell the end for her, but would also leave the enemy free to finish doing whatever they wanted with the machine. A weird machine, set up deep inside a Sith tomb of all places, that could only end badly. Her friends were here, would they be far enough to avoid whatever hell would break loose?

No, she could not take that risk. She had to end this, here and now, no matter the cost.

Her fears, her passion, her love, she grabbed it all, and used it to twist the Force to her will, and let herself submit fully to the dark. Faced with the very real prospect of death, for herself and her friends, she gave in fully. With the Dark Side enhancing her movements, she started running towards the engineers, bringing her lightsaber up to catch the first shot and try to deflect it and send it straight for the joiner Sith. She would not try to deflect them all, taking steps to one side and another to avoid some and using her blade to try to simply block the rest. Once within striking range of either of the engineers she would swing straight through them, aiming to bisect them at the torso before moving towards the other and repeating the attack.

All the while she would keep an eye out, hoping to catch any movements or attacks from the Sith and the killik, if her position allowed her to notice its movements.

OOC: Actions in blue.

@Phoenix @Apollyon

 

[Kanaloa Tau]

Group Letous [Nexus Room]​

Even as he launched his spear, every instinct beneath the fury screamed in protest. Even as it flew, hands of fates cut short nudging it toward its target, voices warned him away. This place was powerful, a black-red pit in the great current where spirits wandered closest to the realms of the living. The nexus was mighty, just the sort of place that could fill him with strength.

But the nexus was not Kanaloa's to wield. His capacity and experience were woefully shallow. Kanaloa had never observed a true master of the Force before, only faced off against the beasts of the deep sea. He'd never felt so heavy a weight and focus of the Dark Side like the Arcane Master and her nexus. She would've made a flawless teacher, if only she wasn't trying to kill him. She was an eldritch monster in humanoid form, and Kane had been unprepared to face it.

As she spun to the side, he drew the simple lightsaber on his belt. The Wrean was confident in his reflexes. He was quick in his fear, the crimson plasma blade snap-hissing into existence before him as he shot toward his feet, trying to leap away. Letous' attack exploded into being like a supernova. What seemed like a thousandfold arcing arms of power burned through the air. It wasn't a matter of speed. Kane was utterly outclassed and overwhelmed, far out of his depth. Both eyes widened as primal dread took hold, taking in a sight he would never forget, memorized body and soul.

It felt like he'd been struck by divine judgment cast down from the sky. Both hands struggled against the lightsaber's hilt as the central bolts from the spread struck his blade, forcing him back through the air as he tried to leap. Others side-bolts bypassed the magnetic ground and struck him regardless, trailing angry burns in their path across his body. He didn't remember using what Force power he could to reinforce himself against it, drawing in his dread, his pain, his will, his anger, his fear of death, everything. He mostly remembered the breath-stopping, all-consuming agony.

"AHHHHRRGGH!!" he screamed out as he was catapulted backward, the Arcane Master's power swatting him aside for the second and more insistent time like he was nothing, no threat at all. He didn't really remember skidding toward the archway out of the chamber, electricity crackling and muscles shaking. Nor the rush of kinetic power from the Jedi meant to blast Letous away as a distraction, buying time. He remembered only a foreign and distant-sounding scream of fear and torment, the deafening thunder of his heartbeat, and the cruel, malicious laughter of the Arcane Master.

While seconds ago he might've believed himself too proud to run, now fleeing was an all-consuming instinct. Every facet of his being demanded he escape from this the horror of Korriban's Arcane Master. His limbs scrambled with wild panic to get away like a harmless housecat suddenly faced down by a dragon. He had to get away, to run and hide. He had to get out, get back home. If he didn't, he'd never achieve what he set out to do, find his answers. His family would cry and lament, his pets would think they'd been abandoned. Most of all, when it came right down to it, Kane just really wasn't ready to die.

He fled, tears flooding in angry rivulets down his dust and ash-stained face, breaths quick and rough and mixed with short gasps. With his abilities directly compared to a true master's, he was tested and found sorely wanting. Rendered nothing and harshly shown his own pathetic frailty, his weakness. Pride ground to dust by the might of the Sith Master, he fled.

The Wrean acolyte would run away as fast as he could, not looking back. An injured arm was tucked close to his body, drawing on pain like he'd been taught to keep on moving. More afraid than ever in his life, Kanaloa Tau fled to find the way out. Nothing else in the galaxy mattered more.

Spoiler: TLDR

Kanaloa draws his lightsaber as his backup weapon but his defenses are immediately overwhelmed by Letous' lightning. He takes reduced but serious damage and flies through the archway. Injured, tossed aside, and utterly terrified by Letous' true power, Kane surrenders to instinctual fear and panic. He scrambles to run away, trying to escape into the tunnels and find a way out, leaving Letous to her machinations. Kane learns a lesson and that lesson is that he is a scrub.

@Phoenix

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Group Din​

The Killik that had attacked @Lucas Orum was as spiteful as Lucas. With two hands, it jumbled its spear in the man's guts, turning his internal organs into a puree. For the Hivemind! While Lucas may have managed to grab hold of the spear to make sure it wasn't withdrawn, from such an angle and with vastly inferior leverage, it was impossible to prevent the damage from being done.

Lucas was correct, he was indeed dying. Not the quick death of the holonets but that slow, painful expiration that comes as you try to pull in your final breath, as your body fights to keep your brain alive with each passing second. What happened in Lucas's mind was difficult to say but his body experienced pain. Electricity, not focused enough for its cauterizing function, was still enough to cause spasms so severe that his muscles began to break down under the strain. More blood poured from his lower aorta and pooled inside his belly.

What he did, however, was slay his enemy. The Killik, too, was impaled, falling to the ground in a dying heap, its death wails echoing through the chamber. And in that death, Lucas may well have saved @Ashla Ti.

It freed her to move against the engineers while the Sith righted himself without being attacked by the remaining Killik. The engineers were cut down quickly but the Sith... he was still alive. Wounded and struggling but capable of standing, he made another lunge at the Togruta, using a two handed strike at the belly button in an attempt to bisect her. He would advance, not allowing her to simply leap back from the attack and it had enough force behind it to, once again, threaten to simply batter through a defense. Whether he was channeling the final throes of Force Rage or not was difficult to say.

Above the battle, the information provided by @Aadya Rasheer proved critical for the naval fight that was taking place. The Imperial ships were able to capitalize on the weaknesses and begin to drive the Killik ships back at least for the moment.

As Aadya turned to walk from the building, she would be able to feel the animosity and hate coming from the man she had left.

I hope you rot Sith scum, he said, and she would be able to hear the faintest hint of his voice wavering as if perhaps he had been silently weeping behind his helmet. Without warning, he pulled the pistol from his belt and fired. The first shot slammed into the head of his friend's body. There wasn't more than a second's hesitation before he turned the pistol on himself. He knew he would never be able to live with what he had just done. Could never look Bolvar's wife in the eyes. It was better that neither of them ever came back. With a pull of the trigger the smell of burned ozone and scorched flesh once again filled the room and the man dropped to the floor with a smoking hole through the side of his head.

Outside, @Altair Din's comm to the ship would be met with a standby and a wait that would feel like an eternity. The reality was that it was only a few minutes before a response came again, no doubt having verified what Altair had just said with scans of their own.

Fire incoming, standby for effect, the voice said. And this time, it was as he had requested. Another streak of bombers tore through the upper atmosphere, little more than small dots if they could be made out at all, but the detonation when its bombs struck was phenomenal.

A billow of fire and smoke rose into the air, sand kicking up all around. Even those in the tombs and in the academy and underground would be able to feel it. Fighters came in behind, laser cannons strafing along the burned out husk of the building and there could be absolutely no question that whatever was inside was dead.

The troops that Altair sent to the tomb would find that it was caved in at the entrance after the explosion, forcing them to either find a way through or find a way around.

Group Trelain​

Trelain stiffened as Tiamat radioed that there was a presence in the room. She forced air from her lungs and her lips pressed together in a thin line. No, not just a presence, a powerful presence.

And Trelain knew. She knew what @Tiamat and @Wodan and @Crix Aran were about to face.

Fierfek, she spat, pausing for only a moment to decide on the course of action. To blazes with you, Letous. She was only one person and couldn't be in two places at once. But Tiamat was a Master and she had... well, if you could call a Jedi and an Acolyte "assistance" then she had that.

It's likely the Overseer. Standby, I'm sending reinforcements, she said. As it turned out, they had already entered the room, though, so "standing by" wasn't really in the equation anymore.

As the trio pushed into the room, they would find that surely enough, Trelain was no fool. It was, indeed, the Overseer just as she had guessed. He was rummaging through the Acolyte's things, looking for something but the moment he saw them, rather than fight, he turned and flung himself out the window, landing on one of the outer ramparts of the temple and sprinting along it at high speed to escape the trio.

Group Letous​

@Sarella turned from the battle and ran. She could justify it to herself and say that she was leaving an enemy to die, but it appeared for her that contrary to what Master Skywalker had once said, fleeing - rather than confronting - fear was the destiny of this Jedi. Her shove against the Sith Lord did force the woman to coil the Force defensively for a moment, but she had the Nexus to draw on and all of its power.

The Jedi would flee into the tunnels and discover those twisting, turning paths were certainly not more clear in the dark and with a head full of fear. Her blind course through the tunnels would also expose her to the sounds of Killiks and she would be forced to make a decision about whether to hide, press on, or travel there directly.

Unfortunately for @Kanaloa Tau, he had been left alone. The lightning would streak through him and cause shooting pain, but with no one left to assist him, he had no real chance. He would try to run, but the electricity would cause his muscles to spasm. She had already closed in, wrapping the Force around him. Death had found him and for him it would have a very memorable face. Her eyes all but glowed yellow, the long nails on her hands wrapped around his throat, and her strength in the Force wrapped around the rest of his body before he could flee. He wouldn't be able to move, more of her power still surrounded them, giving away that she was still more than capable of defending against any cheeky attacks. It wasn't the time to strike, it was the time to look inward and make peace if one could.

She squeezed that grip around his body and his throat until his bones began to crack and his eyes would bulge as it felt like his head was going to explode. His organs were crushed, his lungs unable to draw breath both because of the constriction and the grip around his neck. When death finally caught up to him, it was almost a mercy.

His death may not have directly saved a life, but what it did was buy time. A few extra moments for the others to scramble the tunnels - her tunnels - in search of escape.

And scramble through the tunnels they would. @Nova Trent and @Kasim Din would continue on their way, gaining the impression they had at least made progress, but that was only the first step. As they turned a corner they would almost literally run into a pair of Killiks who spun to them, one with a spear and the other with a blaster. The latter fired directly at Nova, looking to shoot her directly in the chest if she wasn't careful.

 

[Crix Aran]

Group Treelanes​

He heard some of what was said over the coms but, in the end, he didn't really need to know that the presence within was the Overseer, the one they knew to be Joined. Seeing someone rifling through the belongings of the Acolyte they suspected was enough to have him be very suspicious.

Running just made it worse.

As the Overseer ran to throw himself out of the window, Crix would throw his left hand forward, lashing out with a Force Push to further propel the wanted Sith through the glass and off from his expected landing zone. Crix himself rushed forward to the window, watching as the Overseer made the jump either landing on the ramparts or being thrown off his expected landing zone - either way, the captured Jedi eyed the distance.

20 feet to his nearest guess... he took a deep breath.

"We need to stay on him or we'll lose his trail until the next time he slips up." he reasoned to the Sith around him, "Call it in - I'm in pursuit."

Taking a short run up, Crix would throw himself out of the window, gathering the Force with each step to himself so that as he flew through the air close to where the Overseer had landed, he was able to land safely. As he did so, he kept his eyes on the Overseer and would begin to give chase if he ran. If he didn't Crix would bring his borrowed lightsaber up in a guard as he prepared the Force again.

"Overseer! Don't make this harder than it needs to be!"

Harder on Crix that was - the Overseer likely only had death to look forward to in their life at this point. And, as he began the pursuit, Crix had a growing urge to be the one who delivered it. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins from his dual hearts as he was finally able to see the enemy he was tasked to hunt down. With it came a rush that he couldn't help but associate with this, with the hunt and with the desire to make the kill.

Spoiler: TLDR

Crix throws a Force Push at the Overseer as he reaches the window to throw him off his expected landing/make it a harder landing
Crix judges the distance to the rampart - tells Tia to call it in
Crix jumps down close to where the Overseer lands to pursue
Crix demands the Overseer lay down and prepare to die - he expects this will not work

@Phoenix
@GABA @Braden

 

[Ashla Ti]

GROUP DI-N(eesan)

As Ashla sliced through the engineers, the singular shot she had deflected back towards the the joiner Sith seemed to have done its task as she did not see or sense an attack from him as she acted. It was only after the engineers were down that she turned to look at him, and saw the life leaving his body as a result of that shot. It had cut off any further attacks he would have tried against her, and left her as the only one standing in that large chamber.

She walked towards the acolyte, still barely alive but seemingly on the verge of death. She could have saved him, maybe. She did not know, but she did know that she wasn't done here. The dark side still surged through her, and it left no room for weakness. So she saw the lingering thread tying him to the world of the living as an opportunity. She stopped before his body, and turned to face the machine. Drawing on the Force, she began sucking the very life out of him, and used it to supplement her own depleted reserves of strength and began pulling at pieces of the machine, slowly and methodically tearing it apart with the Force. Only when it was done would she let herself relax, and turn to leave, before pausing and giving the acolyte one last look.

"Go to the afterlife knowing you served the empire..." The coldness slipped for but a moment as she acknowledged his actions, and in his last moment offered him this one kindness. "Champion."

She did not know if he heard, or if she even had the authority to do that, but she did not care. She had fully surrendered herself to the dark side to stay alive, to finish the mission, but she still held on to this one piece of herself. Even then, she left him there, with the other bodies, and began making her way towards the entrance, hoping to begin looking for a way out.

"All clear here," she messaged Altair and Aadya as she slowly retraced her steps towards the entrance, sounding more formal than usual, "you two better not be dead."

Spoiler: tl;dr

Ashla uses the telekinesis to begin pulling the machine apart while keeping her distance. Joiner Sith dies to autohit, so his last attack doesn't happen.

@Phoenix @Apollyon @Sreeya @Logan

 

[Kasim Din]

Group 3 (Team Tunnel)​

Having kept his senses alert for danger, Kasim was ready to spring into action when the latest unpleasant surprise revealed itself. A pair of kiliks were danger close; which in this case meant that they were about to find out that it was dangerous standing that close to a Din. Finally, something to punch. One of the kiliks had other ideas, though, leveling a blaster at Nova, who stood to Kasim's left.

Kasim's left forearm, covered by his activated Matukai gauntlets, lashed out to attempt to intercept the blaster bolt heading for Nova's chest (@LadyRen). Being adjacent to her meant that he wouldn't even have to readjust his position to do so, making the maneuver very easy to do despite the short amount of time they had to react. He would try to angle his forearm to deflect the blaster bolt back at the center mass of the kilik holding the spear, but the first goal was to stop it from hitting Nova.

Regardless of his success in that area, Kasim would bring his forearms together in a classic boxer's defensive pose, anticipating some kind of attack from the spear kilik opposite him, who hadn't acted yet... assuming the bug was still combat effective.

@Phoenix (PVP actions underlined and in spoiler)

Spoiler: Kasim's actions

Kasim uses his left forearm (Matukai gauntlet) to try to intercept the blaster bolt heading for Nova's chest and redirect it at the spear Kilik
Kasim then adopts a boxer's defensive pose

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Team Trelain

It was who Trelain suspected, the Overseer, which Tiamat could say she was just as surprised as he, the rummaging through the acolyte's belongings told the Sith Master there was something he still needed. However, it seemed as though he thought he outmatched or worse, had found what he needed and as they entered the room; he turned and Tiamat jutted her palm, violet lightning streaking across the room as the Overseer flung himself out the window. Whether or not he was impacted, she was uncertain, but he was fleeing and Crix (@Nefieslab) wanted to chase.

The woman's brow narrowed in her irritation as the Jedi flung himself out the window also, "The Overseer is fleeing," she looked in their direction, the comm opening to reach others (@Sreeya @Logan ) and the reinforcements (@Phoenix), "Facing on the west side of the temple, heading south, outside, the Jedi is...chasing and a liability." she said over her comm. Tiamat didn't know where he was fleeing too, but without reinforcements, there could be the possibility he would lead them straight to his Killik reinforcements and swift death for a fools run.

"He was looking for something in here, Master Trelain, were you able to uncover what they wanted?" Tiamat glanced Wodan (@Braden), gesturing to start looking around, more specifically where they saw the Overseer shuffling around. Did he find what he was looking for? It was noted there were several groups in the search for something seeming important when the attacks broke out. Unless given the order to pursue by Master Trelain, she started searching the room with Wodan.

Spoiler: tl;dr

Tiamat gives some sith lightning treatment to the Overseer as he goes out the window.
Tiamat lets the jedi be irrational and jump.
Tiamat comms in to Trelain and others, so the reinforcements know where to go to get the Overseer.
Tiamat also asks about what Trelain knows about what the killik slaves are looking for, she will either search the room or pursue on Trelain's orders.

 

[Wodan]

Team Trelain​

Wodan was checking the halls around them when Crix and Tiamat burst into the room, missing the Overseer leaping through the window and the follow up actions of both the Jedi and Sith Master.

The crash of the glass caught his attention, spinning round he saw the room devoid of both the Overseer and the Jedi, stepping forward he opened his mouth to ask what happened when he overheard Tiamat. “Looks like i’m not getting my saber back.” He quipped to himself. Entering the room proper as Tiamat gestured that he should start looking. Shutting the door behind him and locking it from the inside, just encase any Joiners were trying to flank them he went about turfing through the Acolyte's items.

“If I was a mind controlled drone, where would I hide my mind control juice? He mumbled to himself.

Spoiler

Wodan heads into the room and closes/locks the door behind him just encase.
He then starts searching for evidence.

@Phoenix

 

[Altair Din]

Team Din
​

Altair heaved a sigh of relief as he saw the building collapse. It was a steep price to pay - that building held a lot of equipment and controls for the surrounding towers, but in turn they cleared out all of the Killik threat on the ground. The ones he knew about, anyway. The tiefling paused for a moment to catch his breath, looking around at the Imperial survivors. Lt.Aval, a man that was by his side for almost every invasion since Altair was an acolyte, wiped soot from his brow after taking off his helmet. Altair offered him a cigarra from his pack, one he carried just for emergencies.

“This ain’t over yet,” Altair said as he patted the man on the shoulder, “Take command here,” He said before venturing out to join up with Aadya. It didn’t take long to find her, and he spotted the two Imperials dead behind her. The tiefling’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Instead, he lifted off his helmet and brought a cigarra to his lips, igniting it and taking a long drag. This wasn’t an activity he participated in unless he was extremely stressed. Altair said nothing to Aadya (@Logan ), glancing away from her and towards the plumes of smoke coming from the destruction of the command center.

“Unable to breach tomb entrance,” One of the soldiers sent to support Ashla commed in, “Trying alternate route!” The group of men circled around the tomb to find another way in. If that didn’t work, they began to set down thermal detonators to blow an entrance open.

“Ash,” (@Wit) Altair said over the shared channel, “The group I sent to you are yours to command.”

The Imperials in the towers continued to bring down any dropships that pierced through. Unfortunately, they no longer had any insight into the Hivemind, nor was there any way to get another joined. Altair was exhaling cigarra smoke when Tia’s voice came on the channel. Altair listened and his brows furrowed. Jedi? Liability? He heard the hesitation in her voice. Now was not the time for waffling - something Tia was a professional at. Altair gritted his teeth, mulling over his options. He commed the channels going to the bombers.

“Earlier suspicions confirmed - Overseer has been compromised and is fleeing south of the temple out from the west exit,” Altair said rapidly, “Execute strike to eliminate Overseer,” He paused before he continued, “Minimize casualties,” He decided he would ignore Tia about the Jedi. He wasn’t going to kill a Jedi simply for being a Jedi when he had seen them put their differences aside to fight Killik on Ruusan, especially when Tia herself sounded noncommittal about it, “Any idle bombers engage Killik dropships that breach the atmosphere.”

Altair finished his cigarra and popped his helmet back on, preparing for whatever came next. He had taken cover with Aadya in one of the towers, but he made sure he had visual over the field.

@Phoenix

 

[Nova Trent]

Cave Team​

Nova wasn't actually sure whether they were making progress, but she tried to remember where exactly they were turning in order to avoid crossing through the same tunnels twice. After a while, however, getting lost in the tunnels wasn't there only problem as behind the next corner they found a pair of Killik. Lucky for Kasim (@SlagathorTheUnknown) and her, she still, had her lightsaber ready...

The one with the blaster immediately aimed at her chest and while Kasim attempted to deflect the blaster bolts with his gauntlets, she sidestepped nonetheless with the Force aiding her agility to avoid getting shot in case Kasim had not reached in front of her in time.

Right after sidestepping, she brought her lightsaber in a defensive position in front of her body, the blade diagonally held in front of her while she reached out with the Force and coiled it around the second, blaster-wielding Killik's arm. She attempted to pull the Killik close, so that he would meet her lightsaber in a moment if it wasn't careful and she was simultaneously trying to ensure that he wouldn't fire again by fixating its arm with the pull.

@Phoenix

Spoiler: TLDR

Nova sidestepps in case Kasim doesn't manage to deflect the bolts and tries to pull the blaster-wielding Killik close, wanting to engage in close combat next, while ensuring her body is protected with the lightsaber for now

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

GROUP DIN​

Hatred flowed through the darkside with ease. Like those cartoons with a pie on the window sill, its little tendril like fingers wafted to Aadya and caught her attention, pulling her gaze to the soldier she'd just instructed. His words would receive no reaction from her, only her narrowed eyes, stony and unblinking.

Aadya made no attempt to stop him, either. She didn't even flinch when the first gunshot rang out and put an end to their insight into the Killik Hive. From a logistical point of view, it was a considerable loss, which was unfortunate. When the man turned the gun on himself, Aadya couldn't help but let a breath of air huff from her nose, the same way you laughed at a meme on the holonet.

Addition through subtraction, as far as she was concerned. If the soldier was looking to make an everlasting impact on her through his own suicide, she hoped that in his afterlife, wherever that might have been, that his ghost would know his death meant nothing to her and she would forget him the same way you forget someone you pass by on the subway.

When Altair caught up with her, Aadya returned his silence. She knew that he only smoked when stress bubbled in him and was close to boiling over. In fact, she fully expected that boil over to come down on her, with shouting and accusations. But she received nothing, barely a cursory glance.

A knife, it felt like a knife driven directly into her heart. Despite everything that'd happened, all she had been through in her life, all they'd been through together, all of the hardening, the training, Aadya discovered she still had an untapped potential for getting hurt. But only Altair held that weapon. Her heart was his piñata, forever and always.

In her head, it came down to one thing. She would rather be hated by him than be nothing to him. And that thought alone pissed her off more than anything. It pissed her off so fucking much and she didn't know why. Why was it like this?

Aadya turned away from Altair when he put his helmet back on, but just for a moment. A moment to gather herself, to compartmentalize this feeling that she had and stuff it away, to make it hidden and inaccessible. There was still so much to do, so many things that could still go wrong. She couldn't deal with this right now.

So instead, she took cover with Altair - her jaw so tight with anger and sadness that it began to ache - the silence between them unwavering and absolute, saying everything that needed to be said.

OOC: Actions in white

@Phoenix @Sreeya

 

[Sarella]

Team Letous​

Even as she crossed the threshold of the chamber, Sarella didn’t slow her gait - breaking into a full-blown sprint. For those first few moments, the Jedi didn’t care where she was going - so long as it was farther away from Letous and the corrupting influence of the Nexus that polluted her mind. There was no peace of serenity. No mental fortitude the Consular could draw on - not while the fear still coursed through her veins, as real as the adrenaline that drove each and every step through the shadows. Despite her panic, Sarella was not entirely blind - ever conscious of the life, sentient or otherwise, that thrummed all around her. The Living Force connected them all, and in the worst of times, it was a constant reminder that the Consular was never quite alone.

It was thus to Sarella’s horror that she could still feel Kane’s presence within the Force - up until his final moment. She felt the pangs of suffering and fear that coursed through him, and the Consular felt as his own light - the faintest ember amongst a roiling sea of shadows - was snuffed out permanently. There was nothing left of the Acolyte - only a void where his presence had once been - and Sarella immediately felt the waves of guilty and shame that crashed against her.

She wanted to believe it didn’t matter. That the Galaxy was better off without another Sith - one who might bring untold suffering and death to entire worlds. And yet no matter how much she tried - no matter the voices that still gnawed at her mind and attempted to convince her of that fact.. The guilt never quite dissipated from within her.

Gritting her teeth, Sarella forced herself to carry onward - cerulean eyes narrowing as she peered through the darkness. Reverberating within the ears, the Consular could hear the Insectoid buzz of the Kilik’s somewhere within the tunnels - likely the very same they had heard upon entry. Without a single word, the Consular continued right ahead - opting to travel towards the sound directly. More often than not, the only way out was through - and Sarella was committed that she wouldn’t simply hide and attempt to wait out the storm.

Spoiler: TLDR

Sarella senses Kane's death and immediately starts to feel the guilt for leaving him. Upon hearing the Kilik noises, Sarella starts to move in that direction - heading straight towards them.

@Phoenix

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Group Din/Trelain​

Inside the tomb, @Ashla Ti would be able to see that the machine had been doing so much hissing earlier because it was set to release an aerosol substance, but its set up hadn't been completed. If she chose to take the substance inside she would later find that it was an aerosolized version of the Bug Juice that had Joined so many throughout the galaxy.

It took several minutes before Ashla's troops finally found an alternate route in and they appeared next to the Champion's side.

Ma'am, are you in need of medical attention? We should get out of here and back to the main force, the sergeant said as the two squads spread out to fill the tomb and secure it.

Outside, @Altair Din and @Aadya Rasheer would call in an airstrike on the fleeing Overseer as @Crix Aran pursued. The only thing that saved the Jedi from a fiery death by napalm was the order given by Altair as the ships came down.

Engaging target, one of the pilots said, streaking down and opening up with the laser cannons rather than an actual explosive payload. He'd been taught how to kill Jedi and killing Sith really wasn't any different. Cannon shots struck the area around the Overseer, throwing him from his feet and knocking him fully to the ground as his hand reached for his saber. He cast a look back at Crix, but didn't move to engage yet. The Jedi's attack as he'd leapt from the window had already caused the Overseer to land badly and he seemed to be limping on his left ankle, but he was still far from dead as he pushed himself back to his feet.

Sir, target is still mobile. Request permission for heavier ordnance. One friendly may be caught in the blast, he radioed back to Altair.

Meanwhile, @Wodan and @Tiamat opted to withdraw from the pursuit and look around the Acolyte's room. Trelain's face hardened and her pace had slowed to caution as she approached her objective. We're uncertain. We'll rip the room apart if we have to. Sort everything we find, she said. She hated not knowing. Her job was to know things, but the Killik threat had appeared on the galactic radar so rapidly that no one, even those inside the ISB, knew anything about them. That made Trelain hate the bugs more than was probably rational.

The troops she had sent were just arriving now and securing the room, leaving Wodan and Tiamat to choose between assisting in the search and pursuing the escaping Overseer.

Group Letous​

@Kasim Din would manage to block the blaster bolt headed for @Nova Trent, but Matukai gauntlets were notorious for being almost impossible to deflect bolts accurately, so rather than strike the Killik, it simply went off into the wall of the cavern.

Sure enough, spear Killik leapt forward next, thrusting its spear low toward Kasim's belly. The Matukai would no doubt have to be careful of the weapon's unusual construction as he defended against it. Even as he would do that, however, the Killik pulled by Nova was yanked forward but rather than fire at the woman again, it fired directly at Kasim's upper chest, apparently opting to shoot at the person who had stopped its previous attack. For the relatively inexperienced young man, dealing with both attacks would be extremely difficult.

Elsewhere in the tomb, @Sarella had opted to charge directly for her enemy, rounding the corner and finding the Killiks she was looking for. Four Killiks stood in the chamber two with blasters and two with spears. She was fortunate that she had a moment where they seemed equally surprised to see her that gave her the advantage.

Trouble was, Sarella would be able to sense it. The presence of the Arcane Master seemed to close in behind her and the stifling scent of death was in the air.

 

[Crix Aran]

Group Treelanes​

Solving the issue of a Joiner Sith Overseer with words had never really been an option but he gave it a token effort. Enough of an effort that he could say that he tried diplomacy before resorting to violence... beyond the little helping shove he'd given the Overseer to "assist" in his exit through the window.

Of course his own ears were ringing from the strafing run and he had managed to actually avoid being caught in it... which told him that the Sith didn't want to frag him just yet. It was darkly amusing, in a way, that they were opening fire on one of their own and deliberately leaving a Jedi alive.

Well he didn't intend to disappoint.

Reaching out with the Force, Crix grabbed at the rock fragments that had been kicked up by the explosions - casting a wide net to grab as many as he could. With a grunt of effort he would Pull them all down at once, at speed, centred entirely on the Overseer as he was attempting to regain his footing. He would be pelted by dozens of chunks of rock and metal at high speed, a barrage designed to pulverise him but also physically keep him in one location under the literal weight of the downpour so that the Sith could saturate the area with lasers again.

As he was doing this, Crix didn't get any closer - in fact he started to back up to keep himself out of the blast zone. He might have been fine where he was, but he prepared to dash back toward the main wall he'd jumped down if the ship came in for another strafing run. He didn't think they would suddenly reverse their opinion on killing him so much as they might start viewing him as an acceptable target if it meant they could bring down the Overseer.

Spoiler: TLDR

Phone post
Crix pulls the debris kicked up by the laser blasts from before to rain down on top of the Overseer as he's trying to get to his feet
Aim is to hit him hard but also hopefully keep him pinned for a second blasting run
Crix is prepared to book it back toward the window if a different type of ordinance is fired

@Phoenix
@GABA @Braden

 

[Kasim Din]

Kasim, by virtue of his focus on the spear kilik, would see the spear attack coming and would pivot on his right foot, stepping back with his left to try to swing his torso out of the way of the incoming spear thrust that crackled with a dangerous energy. The other kilik's blaster went off as he did this and he flinched despite himself; unable to really react in time. But like a goalie making a save by virtue of their positioning and not their reflexes, he was already in a solid defensive position, with both gauntlets covering his upper torso in a boxer's stance that meant that deflecting the incoming blaster bolt more from luck than skill wasn't out of the question.

Assuming he was still able to fight, Kasim would be inside the spear kilik's reach; perfect for a close range combatant like the Tiefling and bad for the kilik. Kasim's right forearm swung at the kilik's head in a vicious backhand that, if successful, might leave the kilik's head caveDin. The Tiefling's attention was fully on the spear kilik now, trusting that Nova would be able to deal with the blaster kilik.


@Phoenix @LadyRen

Spoiler: Kasim's actions (also underlined in post)

Kasim pivots on his right foot to avoid the spear thrust, keeping his gauntlets up in such a way that might defend against the blaster bolt
Kasim tries to backhand the spear kilik's head with his right forearm.

 

[Nova Trent]

Cave Killik Karaoke​

Although the blaster Killik was pulled towards her, it focused its attention on Kasim (@SlagathorTheUnknown) and fired at him instead of her. There was nothing Nova could do about the shot other than make the bug pay. It hadn't resisted her pulling it, leaving it defenseless as her lightsaber struck out at its neck, aiming to decapitate the blaster-wielding kilik.

After striking at it, the blaster kilik's body would be released from her Force grasp, and Nova turned towards where Kasim was engaged with the spear kilik. Her lightsaber returned to its diagonal defensive pose across her torso, preparing herself to defend against any incoming attacks, while she gathered the Force in her free hand if the opportunity presented itself to go on the offensive.

@Phoenix

Spoiler: tldr

Nova attempts to decapitate the blaster Killik before she turns her attention towards the spear Killik

(Action underlined)

 

[Wodan]

Trelain​

Wodan opened the door as the troops arrived at the Acoylte’s room. “He went out the window.” He said, pointing to the aforementioned window. “The Jedi followed, however we are staying here looking for any information on the Killik threat. It would be best if you follow, we don’t want either the Overseer or the Jedi escaping.”

With that he returned to searching through the room looking for something which would help them both identify how the Killik threat reached the planet and also how far it spread throughout the Academy and planet beyond.

Spoiler

Wodan ordered the troops to follow the Overseer and Crix then goes about searching.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Team Trelain

The unknown lurked within their own intelligence team and Tiamat knew it was a vulnerability, one she could at least appreciate the honesty from the Sith Master. However, it was not one they could keep for long for the better, answers were needed...ages ago. The reinforcements arrived which Wodan directed them to follow the Overseer, and Tiamat would join them. Though she was quick to notice that not with them was Master Trelain. It seemed odd, given that the Overseer was on the run, right in their grasp and yet the Master leading the search was not present.

She paused as she heard the cannon fire from the fighter turrets, making their round to further aid in stopping the Overseer. "Master Trelain, where are you?" (@Phoenix) Tiamat asked as she hoisted herself over the window's ledge and jumped down with a controlled landing with the reinforcements. She assumed Wodan (@Braden) could handle himself in searching the acolyte's room for clues. The force had cushioned the impact, knees bent to absorb the shock before she ran to catch up with Crix (@Nefieslab) who was attempting to plummeted the sith with debris. "Reinforcements have arrived, we are engaging the Overseer. Order fighters to standby." Tiamat commanded in her comms' to the others (@Sreeya @Logan).

Tiamat reached out with the Force to grasp the Overseer, she would try to keep him still or at least slow enough to keep him from further running away. Like Crix, she didn't get too close, keeping near the Jedi in case the message failed and they needed to quickly take cover.

Spoiler: tl;dr

Tiamat goes with reinforcements to engage the Overseer and asks Trelain where she is at.
Tiamat assumes Wodan can look through the room on his own.
Tiamat gives order to Altair for the fighters to standby and they are engaging. She uses a stasis in an attempt to keep the overseer from fleeing. Like Crix, she is cautious about the fighters coming around again and is ready to gtfo of the way of bombing.

 

[Ashla Ti]

GROUP DI-N(eesan)

Finding the substance inside the machine, but unsure of what it was or its purpose, Ashla knew better than to try and destroy it. Better to take it with her and hand it over to those better suited to study whatever it was. She would also have to send someone by to study what remained of the machine, to decipher exactly what it was they had managed to stop.

When the troops finally arrived, she nodded in agreement to their suggestion of getting out, and after waving away the offer of medical aid, instructed them to lead the way. Having heard Altair's earlier message about them being under her command, she had to quickly figure out her next steps.

"Altair," she messaged once out, "we're out, what's the status out here? Where do you need me?" (@Sreeya)

Spoiler: tl;dr

Ashla collects the substance and accompanies the troops out of the tomb. She then contacts Altair to figure out where to go next.

@Phoenix