MAIN THREAD: Three Weeks Later (Ospion-RP, Closed/Ask)

[Ols]

Cade barely registered Linora's order as Ameratsu ran off. He had considered putting his own arm out and stopping Casey going after her should she have decided to, but he had resisted that impulse after coming to the conclusion that if Casey, or any of the others for that matter, were stupid enough to follow her they deserved whatever they came across. And besides, since his discussions with Linora and Alexander over the past few days, he had slowly been opening himself back up to the force and something in that urged him that he should stay in the turbo lift.

As soon as it opened it was down to them to follow Linora towards the hostages. Cade had little problem keeping up, an athletic man he was in good shape and boosted by the force. As though they had made a silent decision, he dropped to the rear of the group. As they reached the stairwell at the end of a twisting hallway Cade skidded to a halt as the others bounded past. A whirl of colours flashed in his mind, obscuring his force vision. They felt...danger. He spun around, his sister's lightsaber snapping from his belt into his right hand as he halted. The other Ospion would go on even if he delayed here. He was not a padawan or knight who needed a master's guidance, but a master, once a councilor and weapons master of the Jedi Order. He could handle himself.

He realised the danger at least to himself was not imminent, but he knew the others would have little trouble with the hostage situation. There were a good number of them, and in Linora they had confident and capable leader. Lowering his lightsaber hand, still unlit, he looked further with his inherent Miraluka's force sight. He saw the Opsion, rays of bright light in the force, as though through the walls that separated them, and beyond them, dimmer but still glowing with life he saw captors and captives. But they were not what he was looking for. He slowly turned and there was Ameratsu's shining light, distantly many floors below, and yet that still was not it. But there was something else, a presence becoming all the clearer as he searched. He forced his sight further, trying to make out things and then, two floors below he had it. Three beings, humanoid, glowing in the force like the other Ospion; like any Ospion - or Jedi - would. The sensation he had felt seemed to reach out from them, as though they were the epicentre of some quake he could barely feel the tremors of. The bomb had gone off near them. Cade rarely believed coincidence, and even when they did occur he liked being very sure of it.

He took his comlink quickly and muttered to Linora, "It's Cade. I'll be there in a minute, there's just something I need to take care of down here."

Without waiting for a response he switched the comlink off without waiting for a reply and quick as a flash skipped over the banister and dropped down the stairwell to the floor below, landing like a cat. He did it once more to the next floor and looked up. The presences were near now. He walked through the doorway of the stairwell in their general direction, allowing the force to feed him more and more. One of the presences seemed familiar, one he recognised, not like an old friend, but more like someone he had known and met on more than a few occasions, even if he did not know the person well. He still walked forwards calmly and slowly before calling out, "If you know what's good for you, after that little incident downstairs, you'll get out of here and run. Far away."

 

[Ols]

Cade barely registered Linora's order as Ameratsu ran off. He had considered putting his own arm out and stopping Casey going after her should she have decided to, but he had resisted that impulse after coming to the conclusion that if Casey, or any of the others for that matter, were stupid enough to follow her they deserved whatever they came across. And besides, since his discussions with Linora and Alexander over the past few days, he had slowly been opening himself back up to the force and something in that urged him that he should stay in the turbo lift.

As soon as it opened it was down to them to follow Linora towards the hostages. Cade had little problem keeping up, an athletic man he was in good shape and boosted by the force. As though they had made a silent decision, he dropped to the rear of the group. As they reached the stairwell at the end of a twisting hallway Cade skidded to a halt as the others bounded past. A whirl of colours flashed in his mind, obscuring his force vision. They felt...danger. He spun around, his sister's lightsaber snapping from his belt into his right hand as he halted. The other Ospion would go on even if he delayed here. He was not a padawan or knight who needed a master's guidance, but a master, once a councilor and weapons master of the Jedi Order. He could handle himself.

He realised the danger at least to himself was not imminent, but he knew the others would have little trouble with the hostage situation. There were a good number of them, and in Linora they had confident and capable leader. Lowering his lightsaber hand, still unlit, he looked further with his inherent Miraluka's force sight. He saw the Opsion, rays of bright light in the force, as though through the walls that separated them, and beyond them, dimmer but still glowing with life he saw captors and captives. But they were not what he was looking for. He slowly turned and there was Ameratsu's shining light, distantly many floors below, and yet that still was not it. But there was something else, a presence becoming all the clearer as he searched. He forced his sight further, trying to make out things and then, two floors below he had it. Three beings, humanoid, glowing in the force like the other Ospion; like any Ospion - or Jedi - would. The sensation he had felt seemed to reach out from them, as though they were the epicentre of some quake he could barely feel the tremors of. The bomb had gone off near them. Cade rarely believed coincidence, and even when they did occur he liked being very sure of it.

He took his comlink quickly and muttered to Linora, "It's Cade. I'll be there in a minute, there's just something I need to take care of down here."

Without waiting for a response he switched the comlink off without waiting for a reply and quick as a flash skipped over the banister and dropped down the stairwell to the floor below, landing like a cat. He did it once more to the next floor and looked up. The presences were near now. He walked through the doorway of the stairwell in their general direction, allowing the force to feed him more and more. One of the presences seemed familiar, one he recognised, not like an old friend, but more like someone he had known and met on more than a few occasions, even if he did not know the person well. He still walked forwards calmly and slowly before calling out, "If you know what's good for you, after that little incident downstairs, you'll get out of here and run. Far away."

 

[Kit]

Casey followed behind Linora, barely keeping up with the Master. She had thought herself fast on her feet, but the Ospion was clearly so driven by the danger that the hostages were in that she had surpassed even Casey#s most generous estimates.

Casey almost failed to notice master Cade fall behind. She considered going after him, after all, if he were to be caught unaware by flame or debris, they other Ospion would struggle to find him. At least, that was the reason she gave herself as she skidded to a halt.

Turning on the spot, she began to run back to where she had last seen Cade, just in time to see him disappear over a banister. An involuntary gasp escaped her lips, and with the aid of the force, sped down the hall to where she had seen him fall, only to see him land, two floors down.

Vaulting the banister herself, she found herself on the same floor as the master, only to hear him call out something. At first, she thought it was to her. Spinnign to face him, her confusion increased to see him with lightsaber in hand, though not lit, and with his back to her.

Clearly, he knew something she did not. Opening her mind, and closing her eyes, she felt... something. Power, of that she was sure. Though... not power she recognised. Cade shone like a beacon, close as he was. Ameterasu was... around, though she couldn't say where. Master Linora was much further away. So... somebody else?

She quietly walked towards Master Cade, taking care to make as little noise as possible. When she felt close enough, she quietly called to him.

"Master... who... what...?"

She didn't know quite how to finish her sentence, so let it hang in the air. Hopefully, the ex-Jedi would be able to comprehend her garbled question better than she had been able to word it.

 

[Ols]

As the soft question floated on the air towards him Cade exhaled in exasperation. Stupid idiot girl! Why had she followed him? He may have been arrogant at times, but he rarely overestimated himself, and he trusted the force. If he had wanted help from the young girl, he would have asked. Instead she had decided to come with him and leave Linora practically on her own to free the hostages, despite her actually asking for help. Without breaking stride, still slowly and calmly walking forward he called out to Casey. He called out in a stern, cold voice, one he had rarely used as a Jedi and never to an ally.

"Get back to Consul Tanoor now."

That was all he said. His tone would be enough for the girl to realise she should not have followed him. It was bad enough that Ameratsu had gone walkabout, but as Cade had tried to rectify the situation, find the girl and what had so drawn her down here, despite his warning, another one of them had left poor Linora. He almost had not felt the anger bubbling inside of him, carried only by his words, his body still calm, controlled. He stopped, his body still, head bent slightly forward, building picture after picture of the surroundings. Casey still behind him, he made sure he stood between her and whatever...nay, whoever had set the bomb off. Ameratsu was in grave danger, though still alive but if the worst came to the worst he could have the lives of two Ospion Knights, young women he had a duty to look after and guide, on his conscience.

He spoke once more to Casey, softer in volume than before, but his tone still as icy, "Return to Linora. I will not tell you again."

 

[Matt]

"Master, What do we do now? The bombs have gone off"

Master Katu sighed to himself, why did he have to use these two jedi to help champion his cause.

"The bomb was planted as a distraction, now the faithless will have there hands busy we can slip in and find information for Master Dewbecca and the rest of the council, information that will prove the faithless plan to attack the order, I know it will be there because I have faith in my cause and the will of the force"

He sprung to his feet, the flames dancing in the distance seeming to spur him on even more.

"We move in slow, stick together, get in and out and they will never know, let us move"

 

[Lavi]

She moved quickly through the floors, slowly making her way higher up. Noting the sporadic creaking and groaning of metal as the blaze took its toll on the building, Amaterasu took long strides while inspecting the passageways upward. If there were any explosives at the stairwells, as said by the Bothan authorities, then they were at lower levels to discourage pursuit.

Hearing the echoes of feet clapping down on the floor, Amaterasu resisted the urge to ignite her blade in response. The words spoken moments after made her stiffen for a moment, but relaxed after recognizing the owner of that voice. Another pair of feet made contact with the flooring as the knight walked into the open.

It was only then that Amaterasu noticed that her white robe entails were covered in soot and torn at places where flying glass ripped them. She was not hurt, so it was not such a big deal, though. The knight tilted her head in acknowledgement to Cade, expecting some sort of verbal reprimanding for her earlier actions. But she spoke before the other could utter a word.

"It would be wise to heed his words," Amaterasu softly spoke to Casey in a gentler tone, contrasting Cade's icy speech. "The perpetrators are moving; make sure the others are aware, Casey. Go."

The shadows were shifting, and it was easier to distinguish the happenings of the present here than outside. In a way, it was a chilling thought.

 

[Ols]

Ameratsu had arrived. Good thought Cade, now he was sure he was safe he could make sure they both returned to Linora and got away from the danger of the bombers, and more importantly, get the hostages away from them. He stepped forward, past Ameratsu, through a doorway into the next hallway. It was blackened and burned, flames roaring at the far end, licking forwards, viewports burst on one side, doorways to rooms and passages on the other. The person, or people, he had detected must have been nearby now. Once he filled the doorway between the hallway and Ameratsu and Casey in the stairwell he spoke, his voice still cold, "Ameratsu, as much as you might wish to remain here, I am telling you to accompany Casey upstairs, back to Linora. Rescue the hostages. I'll rejoin you once I'm finished here."

His tone left no room for questioning. He was potentially facing a murderous, dangerous assailant, perhaps more than one. He could ensure they would not beat him and live to tell the tale, but he could make no more assurances about the safety of the knights behind him. He did not want to have to explain to Linora why two of her Knights had been killed should anything go wrong. Worst case scenario if they did not come, he died himself and never had to speak to the brusque consul again.

 

[Kit]

Casey hadn't know what she was expecting... but it hadn't been that. So much had it stunned her in fact, that until Amerterasu arrived and Cade repeated his sentiment, she had been unable to take it in.

"Fine."

Her voice was strong, but quiet. To herself as much as to the other Ospion. turning, she ran back to the stairwell she had descended, but as she went to throw herself over the edge, to ascend back to where she had come from, she couldn't help but to get angry. How could one man be so damned proud? So certain that he was right, beyond the need for aid, or even a second pair of eyes? No-one was invincible, let alone a confused force wielder! How dare he tell her what she was and wasn't to do with herself?

She was a Knight damnit!

Stopping in her tracks, she turned to face the Miralukan Master. She didn't know quite how to put it, how to express the indignant wrath she found boiling in th epit of her being, but she was damned if she was going to let him wander alone into what he clearly felt was a dangerous situation.

A minor wrist motion sent her weapon flying to her hand, though it remained unlit. It was her responsibility tto question orders as much as it was to obey. And she had made the decision to stand and fight here, in every sense.

"No."

Walking back towards where Cade stood, she took up the position she had left moments ago.

"No," she repeated, "If this situation is even half as dangerous as you're making it out to be, the last thing you need is to face it alone, Master. Ameretasu can aid Master Linora, I'm much more suited to danger than to rescue work."

Her tone was nowhere near as cold as Cade's had been. She reserved that level of spite for those she felt truly deserved it, rather, her voice trembled with anger.

"And," She added, her empty hand clutching into a fist, "I can handle myself. I'm not a bloody child!"

 

[Lavi]

A flicker of emotion through the Force betrayed Amaterasu's true feelings, though she was quick to cover it up as quickly as it came. She resisted the urge to reuse the word "wise" in regards to Cade, as it seemed rather cynical to do so. But Casey's refusal to return to Linora was mildly surprising.

"And here, one refusal meets another: is little need to return to Consul Linora's side. Capturing those who have taken the civilians hostage is the same as aiding in their rescue. Not to downplay your skills, but you cannot handle this alone; no one here can," Amaterasu spoke, a slight edge seeping into her speech. "I would loathe having to speak with the Council in regards to your actions, besides my own, if anything happens to you."

Groaning metal followed the words of the knight, soon accompanied by the sound of crashing debris. It appears the worst of the explosion has finally succumbed to the flames.

 

[Ols]

"I think the pair of you need to forget you pride and arrogance and remember your duty and mandate," replied agitatedly. All the time the pair insisted on arguing with him was more time they wasted in saving the hostages and more time the bomber or bombers had to finish their job. Cade was getting fed up with the two Knights arguing with him. They were acting like children, and if they were not careful they would have the lives of a hell of a lot of innocent civilians on their consciences. Cade continued, "Your duty is to obey your masters, both myself and Linora have ordered you to remain with her. Your mandate is to save the hostages. Or do you want the Ospion to be shamed and disgraced by your actions, risk us being cast asunder, in our fledgling months because you two wanted to play the hero?" He left the question hanging in the air.

The crashing debris worried him, the lives of the innocents hung by a thread. He continued, "Perhaps you two don't understand. No matter how talented in the force Linora is, logistically it's impossible for her to save the hostages and defeat their captors in the short time we have: the time it takes the bomber to blow this building to kingdom come. You two need to help her so that if and when I discover the problem down here I can be safe knowing that if the worst comes to the worst and the building is brought down on top of us then the hostages, you two and Linora won't be in it. If however you insist on accompanying me for whatever reason you think so important to abandon everyone upstairs to a premature death, then mark my words nobody in this building will survive. Do you understand now?" The last question he almost spat with exasperation. It did not require a spoken answer. The only answer it needed was for them to run back upstairs as fast as their legs and the force could carry them. Of course if they were still to stubborn to go, there was always the other option.

 

[Matt]

The three jedi made quick time across to the buildings, they ignited there lightsabers with a flash cutting though the metal walls, they went though the material incredibly quickly enabling them to get inside the building quickly and without to much noise, Katu was first though and with a wave of relief found there was no one in the corridor they had just cut a ten foot hole out off.

"Come on, quickly. There is no one in sight, we must stick together and try to find there data storage facilities. From there we will be able to find there treachery I am sure of it"

The other two nodded rather sheepishly as they begun to move into the facility.

 

[Ols]

Before Ameratsu or Casey could reply, Cade's ears pricked up. He heard the telltale sign of a lightsaber, no at least two if not three of them. They were close by, and they could use lightsabers. This would complicate things. Without thinking about what he was really doing he leapt towards the noise, rolling forwards through the doorway, and before Casey or Ameratsu could follow him he raised his hands and felt the force flowing through him. On the floor, twisting round, he felt his force energy latch onto the doorframe between himself and the stairwell, the structure a little shaky with the explosions. He grabbed the frame with the force and yanked downwards. With a loud crash the section of the ceiling collapsed downwards, the doorway itself even collapsing down near Cade. He was trapped on this level with the bombers now, and Ameratsu and Casey were on the other side of the rubble blocking the entrance. They would know now, time was of the essence and they needed to get upstairs.

Cade pulled himself to his feet and picked his lightsaber up from where he had dropped it. He turned back towards the expanse of the floor and reached out in the force, searching for the bombers. The noises of cutting lightsabers echoed, not too far away. Calmly and carefully he walked forwards, towards the noise, through doorways and passaged. He was relatively sure if these people had lightsabers, they could also use the force, and if that was true, they certainly knew he was also on the floor with them. He continued walking forwards, confidently at a fair pace, his footsteps echoing across the floor.

"I'm waiting," he called out, "I told you to leave this building, and you didn't. Come and say hello!"

 

[Kit]

Casey stumbled backwards as Cade pulled the ceiling down. It was clever. Stupid, but clever... Even as she turned to head back to Linora, the choice to remain taken from her, she couldn't help but worry about the idiotic Ospion on the other side of the freshly made barrier.

Leaping up the stairs, she was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Whether Maeterasu was following, or even leading. Rather, she honed in on Linora's prescence, and began to run.

It wasn't long at all before she found the venerable Master, and she uttered a quick apology for disappearing. Other than that, she remained silent. She had probably missed a lot, and it was up to Linora to direct her now.

 

[Lavi]

Amaterasu gave a slight hiss of annoyance as Cade created a barrier of rubble between himself and the two female knights. She heard the sabers igniting at a distance, too, though she knew that Cade would not be able to handle all of them by himself. But she was not about to follow the other's orders, yet.

Though the knight followed Casey to the stairwell, she did not jump to the top to return to Linora's side. Rather, Amaterasu leaped up to the next floor, now marked with a collapse within the middle of the room. Cade has not been around her long enough to recognize the other's stubborness.

And thus, she ventured on, though cautiously in case that the floor might start caving in with the knight's added weight.

 

[Matt]

The words touched Katu's ears but he already knew there was a force user onto them, this was not part of the plan. All the Faithless were supposed to be on the opposite side of the facility where the bomb had been planted! As he rounded the corner he saw the faithless before him......No....It was Cade a former member of the council, how could he off joined these murderers.

"Cade! How dare you show your faith before jedi loyal to the cause, you were a council member of the jedi and now look at you! You will get out of our way as we seek to find evidence of your despicable groups betrayal!"

Anger.....Something he had repressed for years came to the surface like water boiling, the betrayal.....How dare he.....How dare he.

 

[Ols]

Cade, more open to the force than he had been since laving the Jedi order, his battle and danger senses flooding him like adrenaline into his bloodstream, felt Ameratsu upstairs, tracking him, rather than helping Linora. Now she had turned from a nuisance into a liability. He clenched a fist in annoyance. The young knight had disobeyed direct orders from a senior master and the leader of her entire faction out of some decision that she was needed by Cade, whether he realised it or not. Now he had a problem. But before he could even begin dwelling upon that, a voice emerged out of the darkness. Followed swiftly by three Jedi. Katu? though Cade. The hotheaded, brash master was joined by two knights who Cade recognised in appearance but failed to recall their names.

"Master Katu, I told you three to get out of here. You do like to complicate things, pride and brashness have always been traits a Jedi shouldn't have, and traits you've always tried, but never quite succeeded in repressing."

As the master spat his words at Cade, he felt the anger bubbling from him, and so to would the knights. Cade wondered with what words Katu had persuaded them to come on this strange vendetta, and whether the council knew and even now had dispatched somebody to stop this very kind of confrontation.

"So you've blown the supports of this building, and it threatens to collapse at any moment. You're risking the lives of hostages in some lure for this group of Ospion, and I. What's your big plan? Cut us down where we stand and return as heroes to the Jedi Order? I may no longer be a councilor but I can assure you I doubt the wise masters who remain will see the heroics in that. You should have left when you had the chance," Cade said. He left out the part where he had trapped them all on this floor until the building did start to come down. Whether they had worked it out or not was irrelevant, they would not have long to dwell on it either way.

He just sincerely hoped that Linora and Casey had found some way to get all of the hostages from this building, without Ameratsu, he would have guessed by skylane or a bridge to a nearby building, rather than trying to get down and away from this place, that would take far too long. He had a sneaking suspicion that Ameratsu's pigheadedness would cost lives today, innocent lives.

 

[Matt]

"We are here to find out the level of your treachery, Master Dewbecca in his pacifist ways may think that you are no threat to the galaxy but I know different, I will search the confines of this building and find whatever information you are hiding here, I will tell the council of this and your despicable group will be wiped out!"

He turned to his two former students as they stood dumbfounded by the situation.

"Go, find the information we seek!"

They left with quite a hurry, glad to leave such a volatile situation , whether they would find a way off this level they did not know as they suspected the explosion may of cut them off from more improtant parts of the base, as if they would admit this to Master Katu though so they turned with a bow and set off down the corridor.

"Cade, Allow this to happen and we can all leave here. You can return to the order and face the penalty for your crimes"

 

[Lavi]

Tracking Cade was hardly the correct term that Amaterasu would have used to describe her actions. Rather, she was coincidentally heading the same direction as the other, but with different goals in mind. The echoing of voices told her that he has found the perpretrators, and the followed tapping of footsteps indicated that some of broken away, if it has not ended into a game of cat and mouse.

Though comforting to know that she would not have to confront all of them, there has been a change in priorities. The building was exponentially growing unstable: several levels could collapse at any moment, if nothing were to be done to minimalize the damage. If it came to her having to concentrate on keeping the building standing long enough for the hostages to make it to safety, then so be it.

The knight knew that she would be reprimanded for her actions the moment she leaped into the building, separate from the others. Perhaps this was why she was not a master already: stubbornness and independence.

The fire was spreading, and the metal framework creaked again, expressing its discontent with the blaze. Amaterasu approached a region of the ever expanding fire: one that attempted to grasp the lower levels of the building. With both palms facing it, Amaterasu clenched her hands into fists, fighting the conflagration with her power and ability with the Force. Though several seconds were required to do so, the great lower-level fire was reduced to a few wisps of flame. But the fire-fight has hardly begun. The local fire department could not be trusted to handle the job, simply due to the presence of hostilities. They are less than adequate to handle such a dangerous task.

With her job here done, Amaterasu continued moving, careful to step around crumbling flooring. If her guess was correct, the unknown peoples that left the floor below her would be arriving on this floor, if not any higher.

 

[Ols]

As the Jedi master raved Cade almost smirked. He was clearly deluded, and was a danger to these two knights as much as he was to the hostages upstairs, and Cade himself. Cade was surprised when he demanded the two run to find information however, and as they ran away, Cade raised his hand feeling the force building. Katu finished his rant, accusing Cade of crimes or treachery, but Cade was barely listening now. The two Knights were jogging down a corridor together. Cade lifted a heavy piece of debris with the force and sent it spinning towards the pair. Connecting with the first it span past the second. After the first knight crumpled, Cade prepared to throw a second, but his initial task was complete, the debris blocked the far door.

Without pausing to think however, he reached out and grabbed the standing, confused knight who had just watched his partner fall to the ground, unconscious at least momentarily. Cade picked him up, acting entirely instinctively, throwing him back into the main chamber. The knight hit the far wall hard and fell to the ground. He reached out once more and dragged the first knight he had hit back into the room, before turning back to Katu.

"Lets keep this between us three, eh?" he asked rhetorically. The chamber had three exits, one through which Katu and the knights had come, one through which Cade had entered and the third, which was now blocked, which the knights had tried to escape from. On the other wall was a large, transparisteel viewport, looking out on the city outside. He continued, "Now that we're all settled here, feel like telling me why you decided to set a bomb off here, Katu?"

 

[Matt]

Katu had to give it to the former jedi, he thought on his toes. If only his two former students thought as quick as he did, with one unconscious while the other attempted to bring his friend around.

"As soon as I found out your group was traveling to this building I knew something was a miss, what is the connection between you and this corporation, tell me Cade"