The Sacking of Mirial

[Flamjetxx]

Participants: Hausser Rankkin (@Narsi), Alpha (@M4TT), Vakira (@Flamjetxx )

The Sacking Of Mirial​

The day was cold and dry, and the Temple on Mirial was unsuspecting of what was to come. It was business as usual all throughout scouting the Temple. It was months of planning, that brought them to this day, and it was lucky that they came upon fair weather and slow activity. Despite its appearance, there were quite a few inhabitants within the temple, as it was quite large, but as it always was, not all of them were peace keepers, but rather many of them were there to pray, meditate, and even seek guidance. It was... perfect to say the least.

The temple, as large as it was, consisted of two main wings, the west and the east, and the east wing was most heavily populated due to it having the alters and mediation rooms. However, the vast majority of these individuals were the ordinary citizens the inhabiting Jedi wanted to help, many of them refugees and barely able to afford the price of a ticket to Mirial in the first place. They tended to flock to these kinds of places in desperate hopes of turning their lives around into happiness and ignorant bliss of the Galaxy around them. It was unfortunate to see the Jedi turned into pillars of false hope, where every penny of a man's family would be spent on a religion that was tearing the Galaxy apart in the first place...

It was their plan of liberation, not of the temple of the people, but of the people of the temple. Hilarious to think though that they acted as Warriors, but only gain the good graces of terrorists. It was merely the act of war, which was why the temple was particularly empty as of late, giving that a pilgrimage was recently settled outside of the Temple, leaving far less inside the temple than ordinary. It was purely good timing and planning. It also meant that many of the Jedi that would have ordinarily been there were out on their own self-righteous missions to save the individual rather than the whole. Vakira loathed the notion that the Jedi believed themselves to be healers and great men, but had no power to disperse this good will, because they lacked the mere ability to take what they'd rightfully won from the hands of the Sith so many years ago, and only for the Sith to come back around and take it right from underneath them again.

4 ways into the temple... On one side was the temple led by the three Sith , coming in on the East end, a particularly well thought out plan in mind, essentially funneling the firepower of the Force and lightsabers through the singular main hall that interconnected the many rooms. On the West end though, a medium sized contingency of Ziost boys, armed to the teeth with a special surprise awaiting all that were too slow to get out of the temple. Too bad more couldn't have accompanied them though, giving that any more than they already had would have easily been picked up before getting into the temple itself. At least they could, in smaller numbers, hide themselves until reaching the Temple. If all went well, the outlying provinces, that had the few away Jedi, wouldn't even hear of the attack until it was far too late.

The attack was early morning, where all that would be inside the Temple weren't outside doing various chores. The only things awake were the Droids walking in and out of the temple doors, but they were clearly useless in thwarting an attack. It was early enough that the rising sun barely illuminated the steps of the Temple by the time each group ran up it in near-utter silence. The barely awoken bodies inside were either eating breakfast or performing a morning prayer, and the soldiers and Sith upon them were too close to be thwarted in their approach.

 

[Jabonicus]

Three Weeks Ago​

The Zabrak turned to her, a exasperated look in his eyes. "Look, Clara." He spoke slowly, calmly as he handed her a datapad. "I won't lie, you're difficult to train. You get angry very easily, your mind gets clouded and you need to find a peace of mind." He explained, placing a hand on her shoulder. "So this is what you're going to do. On this datapad are seventeen religious sites of various groups. I want you to visit each one, and I want you to learn about them, to see what brings them peace." He continued as he walked her towards the docking bay.

"These people find peace through often strange means, but I'm sure some of them can rub off on you, Clara. I have no doubt that once you can conquer your anger, you can be a powerful and wise Jedi." He encouraged as he waved her off, a friendly smile on his tattoo'd face.

-------------------------------

Current Day
​

The day was cold and the air was crisp. The breeze, though piercing, was light compared to other days. The temple itself was impressive, built in sectors with many rooms for prayer and meditation. They were very open to strangers, happily accepted Clara as she landed in their single docking bay. She had already stayed with them for a few days, but something had awoken her this morning, something different from the normal schedule of bells and chants that often filled the halls.

No, something dark had awoken her, something pulling on the fibers of her being, plucking them as she stumbled out of bed. Her facial plates quivered oddly, as she threw on her more armored clothing to cover her undershirt and underwear. Grabbing her lightsaber, stuffing it into her pocket, she hid a blaster underneath her coat, before stumbling out into the large, empty halls. Her footsteps echoed through the large, vacant building, those that there inhabiting it either asleep or in far off rooms.

She sighed, trying to relax as she leaned against one of the marble walls of the temple. What was she so worried about? Nothing was wrong. No one would attack a temple like this. No one would disturb the tranquility that had bemused itself about the location.

...Right?

 

[Slamdingo]

Where you strong, show your enemy weakness

Where you are weak, show your enemy strength​

Her master had taught her this way of thinking when she'd first been taken under his wing. For all their talk of seeking to strengthen themselves against "worthy" enemies, the average Sith would have a hard time resisting the temptation of an easy target. And Mirial was certainly an easy target. The droids that normally walked the sacred halls carried no blasters on them, more often than not there were seldom very many Knights at the temple, even more rarely did it have Generals of the rising Crusade, and an aesthetic promoting a connection to the peace of nature meant a disheartening lack of defensive works to Lilin.

When she wasn't searching for ways to put her skills to use on the front-lines of the rising Crusade, Lilin would take the time to visit places like Mirial. It was a win-win situation. As much as she would let passions bleed into her work and studies and training, even the pale-skinned Knight needed to take moments where she could simply breath deep of fresh air, and bask in the peace of a calm and natural place. And while she cleared her head and focused her senses, whatever place she visited was plus one trained Knight in its ranks should ill-intentioned Sith come sweeping in.

That morning found Lilin in the quarters she'd been provided in an early morning meditation. Deep and easy breaths to calm the heart, a relaxed posture to ease the muscles, and her mind reaching out to the surrounding countryside. If it had been a normal morning like the last few days then she would have basked in the serenity of it all and meditated upon the nature of the Force that allowed her such a connection for easily another hour or more. But on this morning she felt something - off.

A malign presence lingered close by. Like a slick black oil, it was pooled nearby, and rolling in thick waves ever closer.

It was pain. It was sickness. It was Sith.

Meditations could wait, Lilin decided, until this accursed influence had been dealt with. Whatever it was was close to the point of nearly being atop the temple. The pale-skinned warrior came out of her meditations and quickly began dawning her robes and armor, ultrachrome clad where she needed it most, and once armed and armored she stepped from her quarters into the open marble hallway. Booted footfalls echoed as she practically marched along with her connection to the Force guiding the way. It was about as she was perhaps halfway down the hall that she noticed a noticeably taller Zabrak woman adorned with some rather obvious cybernetic augments. Her state of dress and general demeanor suggest that maybe she'd only just woken up.

Feeling on edge, Lilin spoke, "Morning." She grimaced, "I'd call it good, but it feels too off for that. You can feel it too, can't you?"

 

[vamp]

Alpha looked down at the temple. A sick smile slowly creeped up his face, and for the first time in months, he felt joy. Not only does he get to embark on a genocidal massacre, but he gets to do it for his faction. And who wouldn't wanna murder a lot of people and blow up the temple they prayed in every day, their very pillar of hope. Oh he will have so much fun.

Training for this moment had begun a few months ago. By now, he knew his partners rather well, and they had gotten stellar at fighting together. He observed as droids marched into the temple. They were disguised as helpers, although he knew their true use. Eventually, those droids were going to prove very useful to him.

Alpha reached into his bag as the small shuttle touched down. He rummaged through it, pushing aside his slugthrower and blaster. He decided against putting the detonators and supernova grenades in his pocket, but he pulled out what he was looking for. The Sith holstered the hilt of his lightsaber, and slid his mask off for the first time in weeks. His muscles ached a little, and Alpha moved them around, forming weird shapes with his mouth until he was satisfied and comfortable. Quietly, he recited the Sith code.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion," he murmured, stepping off the ship. "Through passion, I gain strength."

He gripped the hilt reassuringly. "Through strength, I gain power."

Alpha scaled the steps of the temple one at a time, images of Jedi and pilgrims running and screaming, blood and gore adorning the pristine white walls. "Through power, I gain victory."

Smirking, he reached the doors. "Through victory, my chains are broken."

The Sith stepped inside of the quiet temple. The Force shall set me free, he thought, stashing the mask in his bag. The halls were already filled with their sick exodus. He was gonna love every single second of this.

"Is everything in place?" he asked his partners.

 

[Narsi]

Hausser was standing in a dim corner on the east side of the temple with his comrades. Wrapped completely in his black cloak, he paid no attention to anything else in the room, not even his fellow Sith. He was completely engrossed within meditation, reliving old memories whilst waiting to create new ones. It was something he had been partaking in a lot lately, he began to trace over the disfiguring on his chest, probably due to recent close call with death. It truly made those fires seem more memorable.

He didn't purposefully react to Alpha's arrival but a slight shiver ran through his body and he felt his heart begin to race. It was nearly time to get going and that meant a large fire was coming. Hausser shook his head back and forth in frustration, he was going to finish this job with a clear head! Today, he would put the mission first and the need second.

Holding his pose for a few more seconds, he waited until his rhythm settled before removing his hood and stepping out from the corner. Reaching to his thigh, Hausser ripped off the pack of flammable fuel and chucked it across the room. He wouldn't need it today. Still breathing deeply to calm himself, Hausser stared at Alpha and nodded once. He was ready.

 

[Flamjetxx]

The temple was, not surprisingly, serine. Not even the sound of the animals stirred, because they knew what was coming. The vast majority of the inhabitants were still sleeping as the Sith and Ziost Warriors set foot on the temple stairs. Those few that were in fact awake were either having only just awaken or their morning meditations cut painfully short. The reason most attacks tended to occur in the early morning was for this precise reason. The inhabitants were all far less prepared. If there had been any guards, they would have been tired after a long night of watching the darkness, just before a shift change, though the temple's purpose wanted to invite people in rather than shut them out. Only problem was that no one could have known what was to come.

The invasion had begun on the other side of the temple, the feint sounds of blaster fire could be heard in the distance. And Vakira's group shifted up a large staircase into the front doors of the Temple to find a mostly empty hallway apart from very few obstacles ranging from pillars that decorated the sides of the hallways to debris representing the old lives of the refugees that frequented the temple, to even the few bodies within the hall. Already, Vakira could sense the Jedi present there, only two of them. It was going to be too easy. However, the Jedi here were powerless, and Vakira needed to let them know that.

The few refugees that were awake must have been alerted by the presence of the blaster fire on the other end of the temple and began to run from room to room to alert the rest, thinking that the east wing of the temple was free from the chaos of war. They were wrong, and far too few of them had gained the warning they needed. It were the few refugees running across the hallway, oblivious to the danger presented to them, that brought Vakira's blaster rifle to his eye and plucked their lives from existence. The pair of humans dropped to the ground in a blaze as the energy of the blaster bolts dissipated into their hearts.

And like a well oiled machine Vakira used the hand signals they were all familiar with to signal them to check the adjacent meditation rooms, inspecting them for life. Vakira shifted his utility belt slightly into a more battle-ready position, where it carried his lightsabers, his few homemade explosives, but also the relatively new addition of a long range detonator. On his shoulder, a standard issue blaster rifle rested. The first room was a bust only containing the remnants of whoever must have been living in it, but the next one had a small family, likely having only just arrived the night before. Their belongings were still mostly packed away, unable to adjust to the cots set up in the massive, but rather empty meditation room. It was a woman, likely the mother of the two daughters beside her, and a rather elderly man, too old to even remotely threaten Vakira. He let them all live, and rather he closed that door, using debris from the hallway to lock them behind the huge door. Vakira was about to make his way a bit further down the hall, but he found something he was truly intrigued to see, the pair of Jedi, standing side by side.

They were certainly aware of the Sith that pelted the ground of the temple, but likely due to their hasty and rather silent approach through the back end of the temple, they were likely unaware of just how close Vakira and the other two really were.

Smirking, Vakira was glad to finally meet a Jedi on the battlefield, and the numbers were in his favor. The Jedi, both even looking as though they were not fully prepared, one even went as far as to have been in the midst of a yawn, marking a bit too early of a morning for him. The other could only be described as cut short of something, urgency in the depth of his eyes, or so Vakira would imagine. They were at the end of the hallway, a bit too far to simply leap across with lightsabers in hand and start cutting things up.

"Eyes open," Vakira warned his fellow Sith Invaders only just as a pair of Refugees ran somewhere between them and the Jedi that would have undoubtedly become fully aware of them by now.

With the reflexes of a Sith, Vakira shot one down through the leg, leaving him alive, but in who even knows what condition, causing the other to freeze in the young man's tracks with arms having flown up before Vakira let off the other bolt. Noticing his, what must have been a, sibling on the ground in agony, he dropped to his side, refusing to move without him, and it needed to go without warning that Vakira would shoot him if he moved.

The bolt going through the sibling's leg went high, and it may have very well hit the femoral artery, though from where Vakira was standing, it was hard to tell. Needless to say though, his moaning was certain to awake the rest of the inhabitants, likely for them all to waft into the hallways to see what was going on. There certainly wouldn't be a lot of them, but there would be enough for any defender to know that it was FAR LESS favorable conditions for defending them, when they flooded the hallway between the defenders and the offenders.

Shouting over the moaning, Vakira made himself audible to the Jedi duo, "This is no place for a battlefield. However, I can promise that these good people will be spared if you surrender yourselves to our custody. Or they will all die if you fail to surrender yourself," Vakira warned before continuing on, "To save their lives, you must do the right thing as a Jedi, not as a Soldier."

Vakira's blaster was trained on the young man over his sibling's writhing body, prepared to shoot at a moment's notice, as he awaited the Jedi's response. The young man wasn't looking at Vakira though, but rather, he was looking at the Jedi, knowing that the only possible hope for their survival depended on the Jedi's next actions, and Vakira could even hear a slight sob, and it made the human part in him mourn for him, knowing that the Jedi of these days were just as ruthless as the Sith, willing to kill just as easily as an Sith were willing. They were negligent of the safety of the ones they claimed to try to save, and for what? It was a fight... All they wanted was blood. It certianly wasn't the same blood the Sith were after, but it was bloodlust nonetheless. And Vakira's finger was already halfway through the trigger, knowing the response of the Jedi before it came, the only thing preventing him from killing the young man so distant between the two groups was a white flag from the Jedi present.

It was ironic though, because Vakira was perfectly content with slaughtering everyone inside, provided his Very Blurry justifications allowed him to do so. But with this opportunity presenting itself, it became a win, win. He'd already spared a family the slaughter by locking them into the room beside him. However, should the Jedi fail to surrender themselves, there would be more than enough of a justification for Vakira to kill everyone else in the temple, choosing to justify it as punishment for the Jedi. It would be Vakira's justification that it wasn't really his own doing that killed them, but rather the choice of the Jedi that killed them, and oh... he wouldn't spare a single soul in the temple, and he'd make certain the Jedi knew that it was their fault it all happened.

 

[Jabonicus]

Clara did not move as the Sith group appeared. Three of them, well armed, full of hate. Unluckily for them, so was she. She was older than most of her rank, a Padawan. Marked as a danger to missions, marked as emotionally unstable, unfit for being a Knight until she could control herself.

To be completely honest, she envied the Sith before her. They could listen to their emotions without remorse. She couldn't, she was forbade from letting her emotions control her.

So she held her lightsaber in her left hand, walking forward as she ignited the blade. The Sith made a mistake in his assumption. He had assumed that she was there as a defender. No, she was there for personal reasons. Yet here was her devils, tempting her to anger once more.

Her faux face was stoic, unmoving as the metal plates stood in proper place. The woman's entire face was a mockery of what it once was, an amalgamation of flesh and metal.

She was a mercenary before all of this. She had been in similar situations, and she always took the same course of action. She had good reason to, for all she knew, the Sith would just kill them once they surrendered, then turn around and slaughter the temple.

She stood still, closer than she was before, but not really close to the injured civilians. Her blade was crossed over her body, protecting her chest and face from a non-existent attack. "Who's first?" Her voice was metallic, monotone, and only vaguely feminine.

 

[Slamdingo]

And there they were. The fabled oldest enemy, as shallow and vain in their shows of force as always.

Lilin held back a wince at the siblings caught between them. Poor children who weren't meant to be caught in this. Who came here to escape this very thing.

But where her junior partner was stoic by what she could only assume was the circumstance of her metal mask, Lilin wasn't so - typical. She didn't seem to hide her reaction to the wounded boy just ahead of her, to his pained whimpering, or to the tears she could see starting to make tracks down his brother's face as he looked to Lilin and Clara. No, there was no hiding the frown that came to dark ruby lips, or the concern and empathy in gray and blue eyes. Some part of her hurt for the poor kids who had likely wanted nothing more here than peace and the protection of Jedi around them.

But they never realized that the Jedi who walked these halls were Crusaders. And where Crusaders walked, little else but war followed them.

A Shistavanen stood with a blaster aimed for the siblings and called for their surrender. Two Jedi turned over for the price of the whole rest of the temple saved - if Lilin was supposed to believe the Sith would break from their usual character and act with honor.

She kept her eyes on the crouching sibling, "Are you an Acolyte, Shist? You must be. Your demands sound like a five year old ready to throw a damn tantrum." Her voice was mostly level, "You're an insult to the Sith who came before you if that's all the depth you have." She shook her head, "I grew up being told legends of the Sith of old. Using their power and force to fulfill their plans. And here you are: shooting kids in the back and using human shields. Quite a way to live up to the legends."

Her saber returned to her waist to free her hand and she locked eyes with the young boy.

Her voice was more level now, "What's your name, boy?"

He choked on a few breaths before speaking, "K-Keer. Keer Navin."

"Is that your brother?"

"Mhm. Bevel."

"Keer. Tell Bevel you love him very much."

"I l-love you, B-Bevel."

Lilin's expression turned rather grim, "And tell him Knight Vantai is sorry."

He looked confused as much as scared but complied, looking to his brother again, "Knight Va-Vantai is s-soooooooooorry!"

Keer was thrown from the ground in one direction and his brother was cast in the other with a blast of energy through the Force. Their Sith antagonist had seemed to forget the rooms periodically down either side of the length of the hall. The wounded brother was thrown away to one, and the wailing Keer was thrown into another. They'd only just cleared the ground when a saber came to Lilin's hands and the silvery-gray blade came to life.

And with that she was moving with the speed of the Force coursing through her veins to close the gap just up to near where the hostages had been mere moments ago. She was a twist - a flip - a duck - a jump - a flurry of movement with her blade whirring around her just begging one of her Sith opponents to chance a shot at her to see if they'd be lucky and not have it return between their own eyes.

 

[Diva]

Mirial.

Peace. Reflection. Serenity.

This world and it's temple had managed to maintain a sanctuary for the galaxy's weary, a testiment to sentient harmony. The presence of malicious intent on this sacred earth was as glaring as wet red blood on a white cotton cloth.

Well before dawn, Jedi Master Vit'al Sythani had set out on a swoop belonging to the temple. Having found an isolated patch amidst the isolated world, he committed to several hours of slow-form kata. Such extensive meditation was a rare and deply satisfying reprieve for Vit'al. Over the next two hours, he bathed in the gentle current of the force, and allowed it to wash him clean of the fears and worry the last few weeks of missions had set upon him. Deeper and deeper into his martial focus he sank. Now unburdened, he was free to play in the tide of the the force, look beneath it's surface ... until he saw red.

That malicious intent was unmistakable, and it poisened the air of the surounding hills. Did the corruption of the sad souls of sith truly know no honor? Was there no dignity to be found among their ranks? The Jedi Lord was convinced not. Today Vit'al would seek his own answer.

The modest electric swoop was pressed to its limits. Talll grass whipped past as Vit'al sped back to the vulnerable temple, dawn's light still breaking to his right. He thumbed the communcator on the dash. It was hard to hear through the wind, but he was able to yell a warning through to the elders. On the west he had felt the heavy footfall of soldiers, a platoon of Ziost no doubt. The Mirialans who lived there were pacifists, but with warning they could seal and fortify the heavy doors to protect their humble congregation. Vit'al would not be needed there. He cut instead to the east, where the irrational bloodthirst of sith was echoing through the hills. This is where the temple's fate would be decided. Three the force whispered, and they were already knocking on the door. He had gone to far that morning... he would not arrive in time...

The Temple was in view. The quite hum of the swoop was inaudible compared to the wind. Vit'al kept his head low behind the wind screen, resenting the cap on his speed. Not enough. A reality that tore through his heart as he felt the first two lives wilt away. Cold blood. The jedi reknown for his patience was already being pressed too far, and he hadn't even met his foe.

No time. Once he hit the stairs he killed the swoop's engine, directing it to one side to drift harmlessly back into the grass, while the momentum carried Vit'al through the temple doors. His feet hit the ground and he kept running. The leather of his moccasins barely making a sound against the cool stone, and easily drowned out by the screams of fleeing civilians. Ahead the main hall split in a "T". They were just past the right turn. All of them, including -thankfully- the two other jedi who had come to Mirial.

The force stilled itself within it's obedient servant, masking his pressence from others who might be sensitive to it. Vit'al fought not to look at the bodies Vakira had left, clenching the leather wrapped hilt of his lightsaber. The two collapsed sections of his staff were holstered on his left, but this had gone to far for the less lethal tool. Feet still pumping, he hugged the wall as he approached the "T". Rounding the corner, he slid a few steps behind the black robed member of their brood (@Narsi ), his saber ignited as he snapped the hilt into place, outstretched infront of him. Once fully ignited the beam came to rest with its tip hovering a few centimeters above the man's left shouder, only a few more from his neck. Hopefully, the scarred sith had not noticed anything until then, or he would flinch his way directly into the humming yellow blade.

HOLD!

Where his even keeled tenor would normally sooth, this rare growl in his voice brought a tense silience to the bystaders still present. They knew him though, and soon excited whispers of "Master Sythani! Save us!" sprang up. During his many visits to the temple over the years, Vit'al spent every moment he was not meditatiing himself in service to the refugees and lost souls who came their. He cared for any, without discrimination and without accepting a cent; but after a moment, many began to continue their retreating. Lilin was the only one he had fought beside, and she might be able to see why: Vit'al had heard the helpless pair being held at blaster point, and despite his pride in young Lilin's rescue, his patience had reached and end. That morning's ritual had left him fresh, and ready, and the eerie stillness that sat over his toned muscles forcast almost certian ruin to anyone who crossed him. The carefully carved river bed within himself allowed the force to flow freely, and it was clear at this moment that he was keeping at bay a mighty flood. Black eyes flickerd from his own hostage, to the rather mad looking boy a few meters past (@M4TT ) , then finally to the beast with the blaster (@Flamjetxx ) . Their blind fear and twisted rage only tested him further.

One chance. If you must, challenge us with dignity outside. But leave. Now.

 

[vamp]

He glared at the siblings. The Sith took in his surroudings, sizing everyone up. He wasn't a barbarian, as the Jedi clearly viewed him, and he would never charge into battle blindly. As the hostages were shoved aside and the female charged at them, Alpha swiped the hilt of his lightsaber out and ignited it.

He stared at the Jedi as she zoomed closer to them. The other one behind her was clearly less experienced, perhaps a Padawan. He could sense her anger and hate seeping out.

Alpha didn't pay much attention to either of them, but he glanced at the dark-skinned Jedi. Chuckling, he scowled at the man. "I don't think you're in the position to be throwing orders around," he replied. A few of the pillars were crumbling due to the battles raging throughout the building.

The Sith hadn't been particularly angry as he strolled into the temple. He wasn't particularly angry now, other than the usual rage pouring through him. His other sources were anger and fear throughout the temple. There was certainly enough, and the Padawan was helping with the anger.

 

[Narsi]

Hausser was absently peering into another room when his comlink beeped. Flicking it off his belt, he brought it to his ear as he watched his allies continue moving forward. The voice of a sentry rang out in coarse overtones, " Sir, this is the watch at the east entrance. A man is rapidly approaching the entry on a swoop, he's getting pretty close."

"Thanks," Hausser barked back before he quickly replaced the comlink and eyed the corner he had just passed. Taking a deep breath, he enhanced his senses letting the rest of the noise fade away into the background as he kept all his focus on the area leading from the east entrance. Taking his hilt, he rapped it twice on a door to gain the attention of the other Sith and pointed at the corner from which they'd come. Otherwise, he left them to deal with their own side of the hall.

It didn't take long, Hausser was just looking into another room when the slight scrapes of footsteps reached his ears. Hausser immediately left the room and refocused on the corner. Retreating slightly, he placed himself facing the corner with his back to the wall, several meters away from the corner though still behind his fellow Sith, and ignited his lightsaber. The moment the man skidded into sight, Hausser let his hearing return to normal and watched the dark skinned man ready his lightsaber.

For the most part Hausser ignored the man's words, instead choosing to pay attention to his enemies on either side. He personally couldn't see how the man even expected them to listen to them, the screaming of the refugees had grown even louder. The people themselves were bustling about like frightened rats, leaving their rooms and intermixing within the available hallway space. Hausser let Alpha respond to the new arrival and instead began to focus the force into his left hand, slowly building energy whilst keeping a careful eye on all the Jedi. His saber was pointed at the ground in his right hand.

 

[Flamjetxx]

The very same scouting techniques that laid eyes on the temple long before any attack plan was set out revealed the trespasser to the plan. Of 'course, every invasion had someone keeping a watchful eye over it to ensure all the troops were coordinated, and that was precisely what revealed the swoop-riding Jedi. This Commander, however, hadn't the resources to deal with it. He was merely present to make certain the sackingo of the temple was completed and to call in reinforcements afterwards, to deal with precisely what the Jedi was doing now.

The outlying villages this Jedi must have come from was much too far away for him to have come as a result of the Band of Ziost Team initiating their hidden approach onto the temple. It could have only possibly been oure coincidence that this nochturnal Jedi rode all night to arrive at the Temple by dawn, no doubt exausted by his travels. After all, humans weren't the crepuscular type. In fact, exhaustion and unpreparedness was what must've possessed the Jedi to ignite her sword in defiance of Vakira's one time offer.

It was unfortunate that she (Clara) was so naiive and so clearly inexperienced in the ways of the Jedi and clearly the ways of the battlefield. Vakira was no joke, and the battelfeild was no place for bluffs. His finger already half way through the trigger, it was precisely the defiant ignition of the lightsaber that finished the oull of the trigger dropping the young man that they had only JUST discovered to be named Keer. It was almost sad to see the young man's life fade from existence because a Jedi got too big for her britches, but before Vakira could make any more demands, the other young man flew across the room with insult, only just too suddenly for Vakira to prepare another shot. However, judging by the, now obvious, streak of blood left in his wake, he'd not survive what was bound to be a lengthy battle. Not without a brother to keep pressure on the wound anyway. The Jedi Padawan may as well have killed them both with her own two bloodied hands.

The other Jedi however, she was clearly a bit more experienced, knowing to... at least attempt... to remove both brothers from the battlefield before Vakira and the Padawan could kill the other. Hell, it should have been obvious to Vakira judging by the manner in which she addressed them, just before Vakira let off the shot. She planned to perform some classic Jedi attempt to save those who were already doomed by their own desire to be warriors on the battlefield. They must have seen Jedi acting heroically, and figured that they too could act similarly heroically, leaping from door to door to warn the rest of the refugees of the Siths' presences. However, overall, it would just be another way the Jedi killed them in the end. At least they'd accomplished their goal in the end, because for what time the shot young man sat groaning and crying in the middle of the hall, it alerted the rest of the refugees to the eerie presence of pain in a place peace. It was almost instantaneously that the refugees began to leave their sleeping quarters to discover the battlefield only just outside.

The flooding of the innocent onto a battlefield was far from ideal for the Jedi that were attempting to protect them, and Vakira could only describe the scene as chaotic disarray as men, women and children made attempts to saver their own lives. They must have seen how this ends before... with their deaths. The Jedi didn't seem to have any control over the masses, and without control, half the refugees would end up dying by the swing of the Jedis' own blades almost as much as the intentional swing of the Siths' blades.

However, with the Sacred Band of Ziost's assault on the temple already underway before the Sith even set foot into the temple, it wouldn't take long at all before they were right behind the Jedi and refugees alike regardless of having to detonate the West entrance's door or not. Hell, the way Vakira saw it, even if the Jedi could get the refugees under control and safely out of the only other two side entrances alive, would the temple even be seen as safe for those very same refugees?

Insults... The Jedi (Lilith) was determined to insult Vakira for shooting the Young men, but Vakira had no qualms for it. In fact, he was more preoccupied with the very new scent that wafted through the halls. It was the smell of fresh dew and the smell of a brand new human. They always wreaked of some sort of cologne that seemed to always be a little to heavily applied or they radiated a stench that was almost unnatural for any other alien. Disgusting creatures, truly, but regardless, Vakira had long grown used to the two Siths' scents next to him, so Vakira could only possibly assume it belonged to the Jedi they were warned about earlier by their overwatch, "Watch our Six," Vakira telepathically mentioned to his fellow Sith. Vakira had bigger problems arising, and he didn't have the eyes in the back of his head to fight two fronts.

The Jedi seemed fixated on Vakira, even as Vakira raised his sights to him. She, however, was almost smarter than she looked, dancing and weaving with fancy footwork in an attempt to avoid Vakira from shooting her while she made the distant transit from one side of the Great hallway to the other. However, it was that exact moment that Vakira knew just how uncoordinated the Jedi really were. It was simply a result of a dawn attack on the temple. Lilith left Clara in the dust, so to speak, as she darted across the room ahead, dancing from side to side making it impossible for Clara to help to cover her, even if she could catch up with Lilith.

Vakira, concentrating on Lilith through the sights of the blaster rifle he held, knew that the very same fancy footwork intended to protect her from Vakira shooting her would be the exact reason Vakira had such a good chance at shooting her. All Vakira had to do was concentrate. One foot over the other, a leap here, a leap there. It was a flurry of the Force, augmenting speed to close a distant gap, aiding in acrobatics that sailed her out of Vakira's target zone, and then back around again. Then, on top of that, she was clearly intent upon using her lightsaber to deflect a bolt back towards the Sith, judging by how it was raised across her chest, requiring her to concentrate on how Vakira would shoot her as well. It was funny how vulnerable she'd really made herself.

Using the opportunity, Vakira used the Force, a slight nudge in the necessary direction it was needed. It was certainly nothing impressive, barely able to be registered as a Force attack in the first place, but it was also exactly more than enough to get what he needed out of the Force. The nudge, aimed at her feet would compromise her footing, causing her to trip over herself, face first. Her fancy footwork would work entirely against her, causing her to sail forward while force-augmented momentum kept her body moving forward even as her feet stop in their tracks, bringing her face first to the temple floor. And while she'd undoubtedly find it next to impossible to utilize her lightsaber in any meaningful way, Vakira took his opportunity, letting off one shot, then another onto what would be a falling Jedi.

The moment the second shot let off though, Vakira would swing his rifle around to his back, replacing his front with the lightsaber, plucked from his waist, into his left hand, ready for delivering a final blow of defending an assault. The battle in the West wing had officially begun, and the Jedi had no advantages at all.

 

[Jabonicus]

The Sith, the Beast who had shot the innocent, had made two mistakes. His first was assuming that Clara cared about the death of one or two innocent lives. His second was assuming the cybernetic woman was a novice in any way shape or form. While she was a Padawan, she had been a mercenary for most of her life. Adding on to that, she was well trained in the force. The only reason she was still a Padawan was due to her lack of control over her emotions.

She charged directly forward, civilians clearing out of her way as she charged the beast who was focused on her companion. She built up her focus in the force, not using it's she neared the Beast, right as he focused on tripping her companion. She swung at a fair distance, meaning to draw his attention to her while he was preoccupied. He would have to drop his concentration, and thus lose his control over her partner in order to block the attack.

Should her attack land, it would sear along his arm, causing a scarring wound, instead of a particularly damaging or fatal one. During the rush at him, her blade was in a defensive position, in case she was interrupted on her short journey to her target.

 

[Slamdingo]

Knocking Lilin's feet out from under her would have been a sound maneuver on the part of her opponent - had she, strictly speaking, been keeping them planted on the ground. The demanding acrobatic nature of her preferred style that put off some beginners was the very same one that saved her in that moment. A "nudge" to her feet did little more than add a touch more momentum to her next maneuver and if she had been a total novice that would have been enough to send her sprawling. But in the world of advanced martial arts and combat gentle "nudges" were seldom what was called for, as even a "one-inch punch" could pack the kind of force to knock wind from someone's lungs. Not to mention that only a fool moved independent of the guard they held with their saber.

In short when she finally did plant her feet, it was free of any shame from hitting the temple, and in time to bring the blade of her saber down with the first bolt to come her way so as to send it ricocheted back against the ground where it would do little more than scorch the floor. The second was deflected the exact opposite direction up to the roof with a comparatively minor shift of the saber.

For just a moment Lilin stood where the two brothers had been assailed and had been set to observe for her enemies' next act.

And then the Padawan came charging past.

Lilin extended her free hand and lashed out with no half-measures. A push of the Force at the wild-eyes child(@M4TT) meant to sent him far and back from the line that he and his ilk had established. Not only would that knock an opponent from the immediate melee for a few precious seconds but it would relieve pressure on Lilin and her fellow Jedi. Of course she would not have attempted the maneuver were it not for one thing.

The refugees weren't idiots. Panicked, scared, and caught off-guard? Yes. But not idiots. Many had started to see the good sense in clearing from the center of the hallway and while they might not have known the condition of all the exits, they could hear blasters from the other direction, and while the Sith could theoretically kill many there was the grim 'optimism' among some that could be best described as "Well they can't kill all of us." when they started moving in an admittedly panicked and rushed wave past the Jedi and Sith who found themselves closer to the center of the hall.

Lilin joined the Padawan's advance by rushing forward to close the rest of the gap and join the fray. Her second saber came to her hand as she rushed and she rushed to come from the Padawan's side at the once rifle-wielding animal(@Flamejetxx) were. He'd only drawn one saber and it could only strike or defend in one place. Lilin would spin past him with both sabers first acting as a defense if he decided the Padawan was a lesser threat and not worth defending against before one would snap out to swing for the small of his back.

 

[Diva]

Hausser...

The low growl of recognition slipped out as Vit'al gentely settled into a martial dueling posture, the tip of his lightsaber staying high as his hand lowered the gaurd to his low chest. Before leaving for Mirial, Lord Bau had been sure to imprint the insidious image of the escaped Sith prisoner on the Knight. Now, staring into this man's eyes, he could feel the singed soul staring back. In terms of physical skill, Vit'al felt confident in his advatage, but only because the dark side and an addiction to flame had withered the sith. There was no telling what sort of dark magic was earned for that sacrifice, and he would not be caught off-gaurd, whatever it may be that was gathering in the man's hand...

Surrender and you face no pain.

There was no pretension in his voice, only a hint of hope, but it appeared his last resort had come quicker to the others. The blood of the young boy had sealed it. It was true then. That monster would settle for the basest sensation of power, but Lilin had him in hand for now. He worried for Clara. The other Sith was stronger than was natural, but then again, so was she. He had faith in them, and that faith freed him more to the influence of the force. As he sank into his ready stance, the force, as though a displaced liquid, poured out of him and flowed down his limbs. He shifted his position away from the wall, leaving Hausser with his back to it. Vit'al's center grounded, his weight spread equally between his feet, muscles loose and tingling with anticipation. This fugitive would not go free again...


Meanwhile, the pilgrims of the temple had thinned from the area considerabely, either making it to the nearby exit, or wisely choosing a different hallway to route them to safety. The refugess however, were a different story. Already driven from their homes before by opressors of all kinds, some even by sith, they had been driven to a breaking point. Several had gathered around the edges of the Jedi and Sith, helping to direct the stragglers; more than a few now weilding make-shift weapons salvaged from their personal possesions: heavy tools, cuttlery, and a handful had even held onto a small holdout blaster. The impact of their resilience was felt tenfold on the other side of the temple. Thanks to Vit'als warning, the temple leaders had not only reenforced the heavy stone and steel doors, but in case they did not hold, the massive network of halls would play to their advantage.

Intended for meditation, the temple had been built much like a labyrnth. The occupants of the west wing had aided in sealing the first several hundred meters of twisting passages, creating a disorienting path that led the Sacred band into corners, It was here the service droids found a new way to serve their charges. The few built to maintain gaurd had recovered force pikes and a few blasters, and though the could not pose a direct challenge as single combatants, their numbers were overwhelming, and the brothers of Ziost would be thinned...

Those who had succefully fled the temple now gathered in the hills, huddled in fear, truly distrubed to have their piece so shamelessly disrupted. But in the distance, there was hope to be found...still far... but approaching quickly. The Mirialan militias had heard the Temple masters call. They would not allow their sacred shrine to fall....

 

[vamp]

Alpha flew backwards for about a meter, but used the the momentum, and back flipped to land on his feet. He had landed a few meteres away, in a crowd of refugees. He dug his lightsaber into one, starting at the shoulder, and slashed horizontally, cleaving the man's head and shoulders off. The blood splashed onto two others next to him, which scared the shit out of them. Alpha spun, his lightsaber held out, and cut them to pieces. This whole ordeal took less than 20 seconds. Leaving the gory corpses behind, the Sith moved forward, toward his comrades. The group was separating, and this wasn't a good idea.

"Fight, but stick together," he suggested through the comm, and glanced at the Padawan currently attacking Vakira. Alpha dashed to Clara, lightsaber in his hand. She was rather close to Vakira, but Alpha behind her and aimed a powerful kick toward her hip as she attacked his comrade. If the kick connected, she would be sent stumbling for a couple of meters. She would be able to dodge it, but only if she abandoned her attack.

The refugees that had made weapons began thinning out as the Ziost soldiers gathered their bearings. Some had gone scouting, and returned with holomaps that they drew of the place. Now that they all knew where they were going, the rebellious refugees were dropping like flies, their holdout blasters no match for the automatic ones that the Ziost soldiers were using.

 

[Narsi]

Hausser scowled at the mention of his name and the faint recognition flashing in the Jedi's eyes. Watching the Jedi settle into a stance, Hausser cracked his neck and raised his right fist, still clamped around his activated lightsaber, and began to focus the force into that limb as well. Doing so whilst charging his left hand was only a little taxing, but it did hamper the flow of energy throughout the rest of his body. As he did so, Hausser preoccupied himself with meeting the man gaze and for a moment they were staring deep into each other eyes.

The moment the Jedi's final offer crossed his lips, Hausser was already fake retching, " Really now, no pain? That's what your lord said before he tried to burn me. Alive. I found the experience rather enjoyable but it definitely wasn't a no pain scenario. " Hausser nodded towards the Jedi, "Tell me do you think its painless?" As the last word left his mouth, Hausser quickly thrust his left hand outwards in an angle facing the floor and his opponent. The writihing energy that had built up was discharged in the form of a large stream of flame. When it struck the floor it spread out like a water, covering the floor like moving carpet as it was driven in the direction Hausser was facing, towards the brown skinned Jedi.

Though formed from the force, the flames had Hausser's passion behind them and burned hot and bright. Rebounding off the floor, they were flowing forward at near knee height and almost immediately achieved the width of the hallway. While the spread was quite wide, it wasn't a danger to any of the other combatants save the Jedi it was quickly approaching and other occupants of that hallway end.

 

[Flamjetxx]

I am writing myself out of the thread.

Somehow,mthrough divine intervention, the concentration Vakira had spent towards causing the Jedi's feet to work against themselves somehow managed to make her faster in her approach. It was truly a wonder how Vakira tried so hard in his concentrations to Force one leg over the other, tripping her, and yet somehow, the Jedi with no concentration to spare, having not even noticed Vakira had used the Force against her, managed to come off enhanced by Vakira's somehow poorly timed use of the Force.

Vakira coudl sense it. The Force was working against him in full. Despite the feelings of being perplexed though, Vakira could recognize when the Force was working against him, and if he were to fight it, it wouldn't work out in his favor. He needed to leave. There wasn't much time left for him to make his move though. Vakira drew upon the Force is a wave of energy flowing down the hallway, meant to simply prevent anyone from following him as he sliced a cut through the makeshift lock he'd put on the door earlier, and flying through the room he leapt through the glass window, suffering whatever minor cuts. But giving the circumstances, it was his best escape, since he had easy access to the escape route and a lightsaber to shatter the window with.

Vakira would never been seen again, disappearing into the surrounding wilderness.

 

[Phoenix]

Spoiler: OOC

Hopefully I got all the details in my post right. That was a lot of text so I'm just kinda trying to insert into somewhere non-aggressive for my first post. Also hai gaiz!

Vash was really the worst kind of Sith. Nothing about him was conventional. He didn't hold to the Sith religion, he didn't often use a lightsaber, he didn't look or dress like a Sith. Granted, he used the Dark Side and was extremely violent, so that's something of a similarity at least. So here he was. The "not Sith-like" Sith, had come here to attack some Jedi temple or something. I mean really, I'm just here to kill people, ya know. You think I've got anything better to do? Yeah, I'm talking to you in the chair. I just want the simple life. Kill a couple people, but no. The Jedi just haaave to come in here and try to stop me.

He spun and unloaded a round from his shotgun into a droid. Why? No real reason. The droid didn't do anything except move, but moving was just annoying. You know our therapist says we need to work on that. Our anger management, I mean.

We don't have a therapist, the voice in his head retorted to the other voice in his head. Or were they in his head? Was he saying this out loud?

He'd entered through another area of the temple with a fellow Sith. Dead. The idiot had barely made it in the door. Now, shotgun in hand - and a myriad of other weapons including a pair of trishots, his usual melee weapons, combat vest, and a couple grenades - he made his way to the sound of sabers.

He was quickly confronted by the sight of another Sith - Alpha - facing off against a pair of Jedi. Well, hello there. I'm Vash and I'm going to kill you now! His voice sounded so chipper despite his psychopathic tendencies. He waited for one of the Jedi to look to him rather than his younger friend, and if neither did, well then he could shoot them with their backs turned. Yipee!

 

[Jabonicus]

Seeing as how her target had suddenly lost all nerve and had vanished down the hallway, Clara was able to respond to the attack of her assaulter without interruption. Turning to Alpha, her lightsaber swung downwards, at his leg as he kicked. Should he continue his kick, he would find his leg chopped off.

Her other arm was pulled back, ready to either grab the hand of her assaulter, or to push him back with the force. It was simply there as a defensive measure.