The Battle of Coruscant -- The Jedi Temple: Temple Hangers

[Rom]

Jedi Temple, Temple Hanger

While many Jedi had chosen to leave the core worlds and hide, many did choose to stay and fight. They took their stand at their Temple, ready to defend everything they had fought so hard for. It had only been a year since the reconstruction after the bombing and now the Sith had returned in overwhelming numbers. The dark side engulfed its halls, flooding what little light did remain. In order to cut off Jedi forces from fleeing the Imperium has sent their teams to specifically eliminate any Jedi defending ships. The Sith must use any means necessary to stop the Jedi and destroy their transports. The Jedi defending are responsible for protecting these ships, they are essential for transporting the wounded and for withdrawing forces.

 

[Dihm Jon Ko]

A door swooshed open, leading to the continuation of a path from the Temple directly into the Temple Hangars. A group of twelve last minute Jedi Youngling rescues rushed down the hall into the Temple Hangars accompanied by a Padawan no much older than sixteen years of age, or so it seemed. The children expressed a face of despair and fear at the sight of a crippled Coruscant. The Temple was up in flames and most of the buildings were ripped in half. Among the group of Jedi Younglings was Dihm Jon Ko and his cousin Jalon. The sounds of battle had been sounding clear for a long time now, but they had been muted by distance. The Temple Hangars seemed clear of Imperial forces as of yet. TIE Interceptors could be seen flying over the Temple Hangars and around nearby buildings, the children had to be evacuated quickly before a swarm of Stormtroopers rushed in and killed all the hopefuls.

The young Padawan led six of the Younglings into the bay of a nearby shuttle that flagged the emblem of the Galactic Alliance. The other six remained outside until order was established inside the ship, among those children outside was Jalon, the cousin. Just as the second batch of children was about to step inside the ship, a squad of both Stormtroopers and G.A.M soldiers broke through the Hangar's gate with the Galactic Alliance soldiers falling back from a pressure attack on behalf of the Imperium. Before the children could board the vessel, a certain distressed Commander disallowed the entrance of the children, demanding that the people already boarded on the shuttle were to be dispatched.

Both groups of Younglings were panicking, meanwhile the shuttle ascended in the air by throwing compressed air downwards as the cargo bay ramp was closing slowly. The cognizant Padawan maintained control of the situation and prevented the children from committing stupid heroic acts. The space shuttle was on the way to Coruscant's atmosphere, Dihm did not know if he would ever see his cousin again. An exchange of blaster bolts could be seen from the side of the shuttle from a distance, the six Younglings were being protected by the Galactic Alliance soldiers, but they appeared to be outmatched by a centurion of eighty people. The shuttle experienced some damage but the shield generators were strong enough to sustain it. Within a couple of minutes, the shuttle left Coruscant without a trace.

 

[Emerald Iris]

All that was needed to do was to protect them while they were still on the ground. That was why she was still here, why she needed to be the last out.

They were all terrified, she saw it, not a single one of them was prepared for war, much less trained for it. It dropped a Wookiee sized rock on her back, reminding that she too had no experience with this kind of conflict, but she had to look like she did. Twelve lives were in her hands, twelve hopefuls, twelve potential legends; Sionann had no time to think of her own faults and concerns.

She decided to split the group in half, unware of the two cousins that were now just separated, taking six to the nearest shuttle that was flight ready. Every second was critical at this point, so she worked to make sure the first six children found their way into the safety of the Alliance soldiers that were helping them escape. The commander was a man of a skiddish nature, a miracle that he even held his rank as he did, and his fear overtook him when the explosions in the hanger occurred.

Amidst the chaos, the commander prevented Sionann from loading any more of the children into the shuttle, to which she did not bother to argue anymore and the man give into his fears, the shuttle leaving. The fears of the children that were still with her were beginning to turn into a reckless attempt at being heroes of a dying Republic. She made them extinguish their blades and go hide behind some freshly fall debris that was protected enough against blaster fire, while the twin blades coldly ignited on her Saberstaff.

The Padawan only needed to buy time after she placed a quick call on her comlink to what was probably the most reliable way out of this hell. Though, the reply that came was more than expected.

"Why didn't ya tell me sooner kid!? We would have been less likely to become laser paste if I just brought her around earlier!" Came the salty voice of a very upset exploration droid through her ear.

"Gunny, I was told the Ghost Avril needed a last minute repair," Sionann retorted as a blaster bolt darkened the ground beneath her feet. "I cannot talk, just bring it here, I will be ready. I have important cargo."

"You're the boss, we're gonna be bantha fodder if something goes wrong though," The pessimistic reply came back followed shortly by the comlink clicking off.

That was when the blaster fire intensified as the entire unit of approximately eighty soldiers filled the hangers, outmatching the twenty-some odd Galactic soldiers, single Padawan, and six protected younglings. She had to think quickly, looking for anything to use, anything to lessen the intensity of the blaster fire being sent their way. Too many lives were at stake and that was why one of the Starfighters in the hanger needed to be used.

Her blades became sheathed as both hands rose to meet this large object from afar. Sionann could feel the Force flow her just like it always had, but the Starfighter did not wish to move from its restraints. Several blaster bolts from an observant lieutenant and his men fixed that problem and the ship came loose. She felt the weight, felt it fall into her hands from where it was, but reminded herself that it was all in the mind. Everything is as a feather when carried by the might of the Force.

An improvised barricade, the Starfighter came crashing down in front of the Imperials, effectively disrupting their relentless onslaught. The Alliance soldiers took this opportunity to lob several Thermal Detonators over the fallen vessel, in hopes of cutting the attacking numbers down by a good dozen or more, but it would not be enough as more would replace the fallen in what could only be determined as an infinite wave. Sionann knew this as she continued to pile the debris in the way of attacking Imperials. She only needed to slow them down, slow them down enough to escape with the last of the younglings.

Of course that escape was dependent upon if the Ghost Avril made it to the temple in one piece or not.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

This section of the city was almost deserted. It wasn't surprising really, with most of the Jedi having run the second they learned their precious order was threatened. It just reaffirmed Sisk's feelings towards his old order. Besides a few who had chosen to stay and fight, the rest were nothing but hut'uun. Sisk couldn't wrap his brain around the 'guardians' of the peace's decision. It was unthinkable to him. If Mando'yaim had ever come under attack, he would fight and die, cursing his enemies with his last breath. To run was just... Deplorable.

To make it worse, he had heard rumors that, while the masters had run, the Padawans had stayed behind to try and save the children. It showed exactly how far they had fallen. To leave untrained children to fight while the experienced members ran was the exact opposite of what he believed in.

He had brought a single gunship, loaded down with 20 warriors, their armor not yet repainted from the old colors, and each carrying enough firepower to kill a platoon. It was overkill, plain and simple. Sisk turned to his men, and raised his voice to be overheard over the whine of the engines. "Rules of engagement are simple. Soldiers and Jedi are fair game. Do not kill the younglings unless you are directly threatened. If you do, I will gut you myself." Each warrior nodded, and continued to look.

"Maybe if we're lucky, there will actually be someone here who's a real challenge, but if there aren't, our job is to make sure they can't get away." He took a deep breath, and continued. "These children are not going to be handed over to the Sith. I will not turn innocents over to their hands. Let them slake their bloodlust somewhere else." The gunship swooped low, and to Sisk's surprise, he saw the hangar doors wide open, as if there had been no time to secure them. The gunship banked and turned, and settled the landing ramp on the edge of the platform.

Sisk led the Mandalorian warriors off. Looking for anything that needed attention. At the far end, he could hear blaster fire, most likely from embedded GA troops. The reason for the open doors soon became apparent as Sisk was forced to duck as a fast transport ship zoomed over his head. He opened a link. //Don't pursue that ship. Keep an eye open for any reinforcements.//

The Mandalorians spread out, and made their way into the hangar.

 

[Emerald Iris]

Cold blue blades came back out and deflected several blaster bolts upwards, away from the area where the children were hiding under cover. Sionann had succeeded in making a large pile of rubble for the Alliance soldiers to better manage their position, but that was when she had to look to her left, down the bay of one of the hangers.

"Oh no," She commented seeing the freshly armored soldiers arriving, and it wasn't just any type of armor. From the markings, make up, and from what she had seen in the holograms, that armor was clearly Mandalorian. Her voice became clear to the captain. "Mandalorian raiders! I have to protect the younglings, you do what you have to do"

The reply from the Alliance commanding officer was grim yet understanding. The Padawan had to protect the younglings, that was her priority, not defending the Alliance soldiers. Imperials, Sith, or Mandalorians, they would all kill them without a second thought, and she was not going to let that happen.

Pulling more debris and material in the path of the newcomers, Sionann knew it was futile, because the majority of them probably had jet packs at least that is what she learned in classes. Hopefully it was enough to cause a distraction as the padawan dived behind the debris where the younglings were, scaring most of them with her sudden arrival. Her words were quick and clear, telling the six children to go towards an open hallway, and she would follow behind.

More blaster fire deflected as a straggler of the Imperial line broke through the rubble and came charging for the padawan in an attempt to stop her and the younglings from fleeing. He was being a hero, probably commendable in Mandalorian eyes, but still idiotic in hers. Another deflection as saber hilt passed from left hand to right with the free fingers now aiming towards the charging soldier. Without further want of violence and only the need to protect, a bright blue bolt of lightning ended up leaping from her fingertips, arcing through the air.

The lone soldier was floored by an unexpected electric shock that came from a Jedi, a Jedi of all people. It was an ability that was rare enough in the lightsided order to cause enough confusion to lessen the amount of blaster bolts being traded back and forth and give Sionann, as well as the younglings, the chance to run.

"Keep going," Her voice cried to them, filled with concern for their own safety. "Keep going, and go where I tell you to. Only fight if there is no other choice, other than that, don't stop running."

There was still more time that was needed for the Ghost Avril to arrive, but conditions were rapidly deteriorating, and she knew full well that more and more enemy reinforcements were arriving. She knew it was only a matter of time till someone crossed blades with her.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

As the debris came flying, Sisk barked a single word. "Sky." The squads activated their packs, and easily cleared the debris, coming down lightly on their feet, their rifles barking death towards the GA troops. At this range, any bolt that connected would be easily deflected by their armor, and the dings and spanging sounds around Sisk told him that at least a few bolts had found their marks. A warrior from Fett grunted, and his hand went to his side. He stood a moment later, however, and resumed his advance, the ablative body glove he wore negating most of the energy.

Sisk raised his rifle, and the graviton rifle spit a got white beam, the concentrated gravity round finding its mark, a man in officers armor. It pulverized the rib cage where it struck, and Sisk could hear the scream of pain even over the din of battle. The targeting computer in his buy'ce removed the red targeting reticle from the man, and immediately locked onto another soldier. It was working overtime, the advanced systems tracking and tagging at least 60 targets, and beaming the information to the rest of the squad.

It was a classic advance, the Mandalorian warriors moving forward quickly. As they grew nearer, Sisk slung his rifle, and drew his beskad from its sheath on the small of his back, and the ripper on his left thigh from its holster. The young Jedi he had spotted earlier was still in cover, but shed be forced to confront him sooner or later.

"Attach charges to the engines of the shuttles! Keep them grounded!"

 

[Emerald Iris]

The Mandalorian advance was everything that the text books said it would be. Efficient, Quick, and Brutal! Sionann had whirled around to see the captain she had spoken to only a moment brought down by a round fired by the Mandalorian that was in the front of what could only be assume to be his unit.

At the same time the younglings came running back to her exclaiming in terror that the pathway was blocked due to fallen rubble and Imperials, one of which had a red lightsaber. She quickly pointed to the shuttle furthest down the hanger bay and ordered them that way. There was no point in waiting for Gunny any longer, of course the Mandalorians had other plans.

"Attach charges to the engines of the shuttles! Keep them grounded!"

Well there goes that plan She felt her mind sigh, quickly changing her plans and telling the children to make a break for the outer hanger doors while following along the sides of the hanger bay to stay out of accurate range and look for a silvery ship with twin guns to pick them up once they made it the new rendezvous point.

"Gunny, I may not make it in time, but there are six children that need to be picked up." Sionann called while dropping her dark cloak to the ground, and handing her quarterstaff with an 'I will need that back' gesture to the oldest of the younglings who then began leading the rest to the hanger doors.

"Ya doin somethin stupid, kid?" Came the somber reply over the com.

"Stupid enough to save innocent lives," the Padawan replied while stepping out into the open on the runway of the hanger. Her dark brown robes letting her stand out like a sore thumb against the bright metallic surface, along with the shine of her former Master's long-handled lightsaber gracing her back. She was deliberately calling attention to herself in order to protect the younglings that were fleeing towards the outside.

"Ya ain't allowed to die till this bird visits every planet in the Galaxy, ya hear!"

Sionann let small laugh leave her lips before she felt her body give itself over to the Force and the comlink switched off. Her reflexes suddenly became beyond superhuman, the world around seemed to move slower, allowing for much better interception of incoming blaster fire and evasion of whatever it was that hit the captain. She was ready for whatever came next, most of her attention fixed on the Mandalorian with the drawn melee weapons.

 

[Varik]

A concentrated Varik made his way to the direct lift for the Temple's Hangars with his dark robe's hood covering his face from his eyes upwards. The young Dathomirian Sith was recollected and maintained his cool whilst many panicked and raged engaged in combat. Unlike most Sith Acolytes, Varik had a very strong grasp on the philosophies of the dark side. Varik's anger towards the Jedi only gave him task focus. The task was to destroy any Jedi survivors in the Temple to conclude the invasion. The Force was strong in Varik, he could literally smell the stench of Jedi in the upper sector above his head. His feelings urged him to press the upwards arrow in the lift, and so he did. Whilst pacing back and forth in this secluded circle, Varik grasped the middle section of his saberstaff's hilt, holding the weapon adjacent to his right leg. The lift began to slow down as it reached the Temple Hangars.

The doors remained closed for a few seconds before they set apart to reveal the image of the Sith before the Mandalorians and the Jedi present in the area. Varik fixated his sight upon the Jedi, Sionann, and the evacuated children being protected by the remaining docked spacecraft. This was not to be allowed. Whilst holding his saberstaff with his right thumb pressed against the respective palm of his hand, Varik took each side of the hood that covered his head, flipping it backwards very dramatically. He continued to walk forwards until he was a few meters away from the Temple's lift. Varik held the saberstaff an arm's length away from his chest horizontally, igniting the red beaming blades in a small fraction of a second. This was bound to be a monumental battle...

 

[Emerald Iris]

She knew it was only a matter of time till one of them showed up. Only a matter of time to someone who actually wanted nothing more than her to be a red stain on the floor arrived. At least this one was something she had seen and dealt with before. It evened the playing field at least somewhat between the Padawan and the Sith, but Sionann was still concerned about the Mandalorians.

Her reflexes relaxed a bit as she deflected a few laser bolts upwards into the crane above, breaking it loose from its foundations. A free hand reached up and pulled the machine downwards, snapping it off the ceiling and sending it crashing down in front of her, keeping the Mandalorians from using her for target practice. Keeping as much blaster fire away from her and the still fleeing younglings were Sionann's biggest concern. She felt that as long as she only had to cross blades, things would turn out alright, but with the introduction of the Sith, things were getting worse.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

The Lector, in his mask ((see his bio for a picture) was unrecognizable, he wore the robes of a Sith today, and not his traditional suit. He had come from the training halls having killed several on his way and left two acolytes to see if they could kill a jedi on their own. His mask was twisted by the darkside, revealing the true evil in a person and projecting it outward in an aura of palpable fear and dread. The evil inside the Lector was vast. A cannibals hunger was not something to be looked upon lightly and what one might see is not The Lector as he acts day to day, no no. This mask he wore today was his true face. This beastly sorcerous form was his true self. His deception was one he wore almost always. Today was a day to be himself.

He entered seeing several things going on, but he cared very little for them. The Lector cloaked himself in the force deeply so as not to be detected and walked briskly to the end of the hangar. He saw infront of him a crane come crashing down, just after another Sith entered as well. Using the force to speed his movements and aid him he cleared the crane with relative ease, still cloaked in the force. He then hurried past the children attempting to make their way to the hangar, again with aid of the force passing them with relative ease but he left them unharmed, for now. When he reached the outermost hangar doors he felt triumphant in his goal and removed two detonite charges placing them on one side of the giant hangar bays open frame. The Force Cloak was released, allowing the aura of fear and dread to spread outward. The Children screamed frightened, and would not move closer toward the cloaked man, he didn't even need to turn toward them. He walked briskly to the other side and began to fix the last two detonite charges to the hangar doors...

 

[Varik]

Varik wrapped his left hand's fingers around the remaining length of his saberstaff's hilt, spinning it in a whirlwind motion whilst exchanging looks between the Jedi and the newly introduced Sith. Varik's expression turned sour, he produced a frown on his face and rage quickly filled his eyes. This was supposed to be Varik's true test, a duel with a Jedi. He did not appreciate the addition of this new Sith. After initiating a sidestep to his left, away from the Temple's elevator lift, Varik held his left palm outwards discreetly whilst fixating his sight upon Lector. He concentrated his mind on the explosive charges whilst contracting his fingers towards the direction of his palm, activating them when still being installed by Lector without warning in an attempt to neutralize the man with the heavy explosions. As soon as Varik instigated the volatile baradium substance inside the charges with the Force, a trigger emitted a short burst of energy that forced the baradium into a state of fusion reaction quicker than the usual. The explosions from the charges led to an expanding particle field that atomized its surroundings within the radius of the reaction's outcome. Lector was the closest being to the explosion, Varik hoped that his actions would at least render the other Sith useless by knocking him out cold into a status of comatose or even blow the man's arms to bits.

Varik was shook himself. The explosion had caused him to stumble backwards somewhere near the Mandalorian soldiers. He placed his knuckles against the ground after turning his saberstaff's blades off and pushed himself slowly back on his heels. Varik brushed his shoulders with both hands, cracking his neck sideways whilst his muscles pulled his vertebrae together. Varik was walking in the Jedi's direction, he re-ignited his saberstaff's blades. “This is my kill!”

 

[Denzein]

Coruscant was burning, for the apocalypse had finally come. Sith interceptors filled the skies, vying for dominance with the Alliance's own craft in vicious and swift dogfights. The sky was murder, yet the man had no choice. In a sick and twisted way this was what he'd always wanted for the Jedi Order, it was the vision he'd had long before he'd risen to leadership. He had left because his vision was impossible to realise, or at least it was impossible for him to bring it about. One Jedi can never sway the opinion of the entire Order, but annihilation at hands of the Sith has always served to do so throughout history. Provided at least some Jedi survived this day the Order would be forever changed once more, this time from a proud and flawed organisation into a band of desperate soldiers, men and women united in the fight for freedom, and the breaking of the Sith.

Lecchamemnon had wanted an Order of Shadows... And at last he had got it. The cost in lives to him was irrelevant, for the former Grandmaster did not see the world in stark blacks and whites as other Jedi do. Many were dying so that a few might continue the fight with the mindset required for victory; that of the Shadow. That of the Jedi that wins at all costs... Or so Lecchamemnon saw it.

He had come to Coruscant as the force willed him, and appeared just minutes before the offensive begun. He'd brought The Spectre through the atmosphere as blinding lance strikes rained down around him, and TIE fighters chased in his slipstream. He'd avoided the worst of the dogfighting with his cloak and his deflector shields, presenting a target both difficult to detect and difficult to harm as he'd made a beeline directly for the Jedi Temple. Smoke was already rising, but the force told him he was not too late. Gunning the engines and broadcasting on all frequencies, he sent out a message to any and all Jedi commlinks in the area (using his old identity codes to access them). When you fall back, make for the Hanger. I will be waiting for you.

Surprisingly he'd received a hail before he arrived, and another ship fell in formation to the right of The Spectre. It identified itself as Garuda, and the Jedi Knight on board had much the same idea that Lecchamemnon had. Together they resolved to evacuate as many Jedi as they could, for both of them could feel the day already being lost. The plan was for The Spectre to punch a hole and land amid the confusion, relying on its advanced cloaking technology to get in and among the fighting quickly. Lecchamemnon would take to the field leaving the engines running as Garuda came up behind and covered the Hangar approach from the air. They would gather up as many Jedi in search of salvation as they dared before making a break for it, jumping for the outer rim and trusting that the force would see them survive the Naval battle raging in the heavens. It was a sound plan, for thirty seconds or so worth of work.

The only part of the plan that troubled Lecchamemnon was his newfound comrade. What did they know of him, and were they capable of trusting him given what he'd done to the Order? He sincerely hoped so, all of their lives depended upon it.

The Temple Hangar was open, and black smoke billowed from it like the exhaust of an old speeder. He reached out with the force, sensing multiple life forms and at least two Sith in the hangar - facing off against many bright candles that guttered in the wind of imminent death. Running power to the guns, deflectors and cloak he decreased his speed so as to come in slow enough to land. It was a tense moment, one wrong move or slip of the controls and he'd end up so much force sensitive blood smear on his viewscreen.

The Spectre burst through the smoke and into the hangar, engines screaming at the stress they were being put under to stop in time. The air electrified and charged as the deflector shields blazed, blaster turrets spitting death at armoured figures the ship's computer had rapidly identified as probable Mandalorians (due to their unique armour styles and configurations). All the enemy could see would be the shimmering mass of a ship obviously cloaked, and the muzzle flash of multiple laser weapons. Flicking the ship into landing procedures and disabling the cloak to save on power, Lecchamemnon left the pilot's seat and made for the door. His face was a mask of concentration, his ancient blade already in his hand. The Spectre landed on the rubble, wreckage and corpses that carpeted the Hangar floor with an uneasy crunch, and the ramp lowered without hesitation.

Willing the force to aid the pilot of Garuda to make the best use of this potent diversion, Lecchamemnon, fallen Grandmaster of the Jedi Order and living saint of the Church of Nothing, strode from his ship. The grey pilgrim went to war, and destruction followed in his wake.

The force sang through his body as he walked from the ramp, igniting his blade in a shining explosion of emerald light. He didn't hide his overwhelmingly powerful force signature, instead wanting the Sith to recognise him as a deadly threat. He drew power all around him like a shroud, ready to draw on as and when he needed it. The dust thrown up by his landing cleared, and at once he could see the battlefield. He had landed in the middle of the hangar, and he could sense the Sith both nearby. Wrecked ships were all around him, as were Mandalorian and Alliance forces battling for supremacy. If any turned to deal with him, he would be more than ready. he expected, however, for the Sith to find him.

If they didn't, of course, he could always find them.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

He had just finished putting the third detonite charge down when he felt some insolent whelp try and cause them to explode, whats worse is that the power drawn was easily detectable from the darkside. His heightened awareness, as well as force speed allowed him to react before the light on the charge had gone from red to green to exploding. He shoved it away with the force as hard as he could, and sent up a shield. The explosion caused part of the landing zone outside the hanger to fall off into the Coruscant depths, the shield protecting the lector from all but the most minimal burns. He turned around, his anger stoked. His passions lit ablaze. A ship came crashing in at that exact moment, and the lector moved quickly with force speed, looking only to walk at an exceedingly fast pace in order to avoid the ship. The Lectors strength was in the force, though he was somewhat skilled with a lightsaber. He scanned the group for his intended target, and found it. An Acolyte? An Acolyte thought he could attack one trained by Darth Atroxus, one of the most feared Sith Sorcerers of his time. Could attack one who killed that Darth and ate his heart and brain absorbing much power and knowledge from his fallen master? Oh...this one would pay.

He summoned the full power of the Darkside, aiming his Aura of Fear and charging it into a beacon of Horror assaulting the mind of Varik, it would almost certainly leave him in a cripppled state, as extensive training was needed to withstand such an assault on the mind. Next his voice rang out in the minds of everyone, including the insolent Sith who attacked him. "I will allow every child to escape unharmed from this hangar with their lives fully intact, so long as the cancerous filth who would claim to be Sith is wiped from my order." He raised a hand and pointed a singular finger at the Zabrak. From his finger a single thread of the darkside shot outward, unseen as the Affliction wrapped itself like chains around the Zabraks arms and legs, adding to his already assaulted mind the extra burden of Force Affliction, a power designed to slow and hinder all movement in the assailant.

 

[Sisk_Renelo]

Sisk's ripper barked once, twice, three times, bringing low alliance troops with each shot. One particularly foolish soldier charged forward, and with an easy movement, Sisk cracked him on the side of the head with the butt of the ripper, and as the man fell, the beskad flashed, slicing through the mans spine. Sisk's stomach roiled. This wasn't war. It was nothing but slaughter.

As he grew closer to the Jedi, he slid the ripper home, and drew his mace from its mag lock with his freed left hand. Around him, the Mandalorian warriors continued to advance, finding cover when possible and trusting their armor the rest of the time.

The arrival of the Sith complicated things. It meant that the variables Sisk ha to deal with had just multiplies a hundred fold. They only knew how to kill, and that was a problem. He opened a comm channel. //Keep them away from the children. The actual Jedi are fair game, but the younglings are innocents.// A flurry of confirmation came back, and Sisk prepared to charge.

But before he could, a ship crashed into the hangar, knocking aside shuttles and transports before sliding to a stop. All of these new arrivals were doing nothing but making his job more difficult. This was supposed to be a quick OP, and all of a sudden it was becoming much longer.

As Sisk turned to face the new arrival to ascertain the problems they could cause, a movement in his visor caught his eye. The 360 degree HUD had a contact at 194. Another Sith, planting explosives. All of a sudden, the figure blurred as the explosives detonated, and ended up in an altercation with his fellow. Sisk couldn't believe it. 'Osik. They can't keep off each others throats long enough to finish a simple job.'

The ramp of the newly arrived ship yawed open, and Sisk's eyes opened wide as he recognized the figure. He had been grandmaster when Sisk had still been with the order, but then he had disappeared, and the only things Sisk had heard were odd rumors and whispers. But he was here, now, and Sisk knew that of the assemblage here, he was the only one with the ability to hold him off and keep him from his brothers.

He rolled his shoulders, and dug into himself. He would need every ounce of skill and power for this. The temple was alive with Force energy, and Sisk drew it into himself, readying his abilities to fight and defend against his former leader. A quick blink ran a systems check, and everything came back green, including the new surprise Sisk had installed earlier into his gear. A quick comm burst told his brothers to advance, but to stay wary.

Sisk activated his jet pack in a quick burst, and dropped to a crouch in front of the former grandmaster. He rose, his beskar beskad and flail held loosely, ready to intercept any strikes launched at him. His visor slid open, allowing him to see without the enhanced vision. "Master Lecchamemnon, its been a long time."

 

[Emerald Iris]

Too many things happened at once for the padawan to keep track of. At one moment she was preparing to do battle with an approaching Mandalorian and Sith, at the next the screams of the children came up at the appearance of another Sith, someone far darker than the one approaching. He seemed to be doing something with the hanger doors, but that was when whatever he was doing exploded in his face.

“This is my kill!” Sionann turned her head around to see the first Sith challenging her while calling out to his other brethren in a distasteful tone.

At this point a ship came barreling down into the hanger. She did not even need to be actively wondering what it was when she felt another powerful presence come with it. The padawan moved out of the way to clear the path for the ship entering the hanger, and quickly turned her attention to the Sith still approaching her.

"I will allow every child to escape unharmed from this hangar with their lives fully intact, so long as the cancerous filth who would claim to be Sith is wiped from my order." The darker one called after the dust cleared from the explosion.

"Great," she muttered seeing no other alternative, not having enough time to gather who was exiting the ship that had just entered the fray. Friend or Foe, it didn't matter at the moment as anything that helped to protect the younglings was all that mattered at the moment, even if it was a Sith that spoke those words. She wholeheartedly expected the darker one to go back on his words, but a gamble was a gamble.

She had no idea what to expect from the one approaching her (Varik), but the saberstaff was a cue that he had better than average experience with lightsaber combat which gave rise to more analysis. His stance, grip on his weapon, all of it was familiar which gave rise to the safe assumption that he was another Juyo practitioner. He had the scorn of someone who wreaked of the dark side, and the audacity to interfere with that one's plans, making him both confident and arrogant. This one would want to make the first move to assert his claim and make it his fight from the start. Sionann would not let that happen.

The padawan acted on instinct for her lightsaber form, and for the protection of the younglings, and made her move.

Dashing forward, with a dexterous grace, Sionann came within saber range of Varik and made the first attack against the Sith. A test of his reaction time, and defenses, she attacked with a variety of staccato like thrusts at his main body, followed by a sweeping horizontal slash that turned into a quick retreat. All of this was done without breaking eye contact with the Sith she now crossed blades with in this ever worsening battle.

 

[Wit]

Coruscant was falling, the Temple was burning, it was happening all over again. He was back to that day, all those years ago, the day the Sith had bombed the temple. He had emerged shattered and broken from the events of that day, it had taken him a long time to stitch himself back together. Today was going to be worse, far, far worse. He could feel it in his bones, sense it through the Force, in the pain, anguish and raw, unite peered darkness boiling on the planet. But he was not the same man he had been back then, he was stronger now, he was prepared, this time he was his own light and no Sith was going to extinguish that light.

He piloted the Garuda with all the skills the Force had bestowed upon him, fighting through a hive of opposition unlike anything he had ever faced. He had no idea how many ships he vaped, how many times he almost had his ship blown out from below him, he just went on. He had to make it to the hanger, there were still Jedi in the temple, Luthair and Kain among them, he had to get them off the planet. The day was lost, all they could do was survive, survive to fight another day.

He had finally managed to get clear of the action when he sensed it, a strong presence in the Force, a Jedi close by and hedging towards the temple from the looks of it. A quick sweep of his surroundings airspace revealed it to him, the Spectre, it's transponder identifying it as an ally. That was a Jedi flying the ship and he seemed to be having the same idea as him, get to the hanger. Falling into formation behind the ship, they quickly figured out a course of action.

Bringing in his ship behind the Spectre, he waited just a moment as the ship burst into the hanger before following its approach vector. But where the other Jedi had made a rushed landing in the hangar, Moridin hung back at the hangar entrance, hovering just within the entrance, warding off any further Sith excursions into the temple from this direction. Turning the ship around and letting it hover just above the ground and opening the rear cargo entrance. Passing over control to the crimson droid seated in the copilot's seat, he made his way to the now opening ramp, trusting in Arty's superior programming to take care of things for the brief amount of time they would need to gather up as many Jedi as they could.

 

[Varik]

Varik held his head with his left palm, pressing his fingertips against his skull as his mind became momentarily infected with suicidal thoughts and fear. Life was hard for a young Varik. Any show of hesitation or a mistake was severely punished, and any hint of mercy rewarded with cruelty. The Sith tattoos running through Varik's body symbolized exactly that, the excruciating pain that the Dathomirian Sith had to undergo in his upcoming journey to become a Sith. He was more than trained to withstand such cerebral mind plays and invasions. All he had to do was look deep within his feelings. Only the dark side would set Varik free from this spell. A low voice emerged from Varik's person, as if he was possessed by a malignant spirit. “Feeding me fear will only entice my desire to end your life, Sith. This fight is no longer with the Jedi!”

Varik tried his best to physically overcome the burden that plagued his muscles from the second spell acting on him. He had great faculty in deciphering how this power worked as it inflicted the movement of his body and changed his disposition, Varik was becoming increasingly exhausted. His knees were closing and within thirty seconds Varik was kneeling before the incoming Jedi, resting his thorax against his patella. In this situation, an attack would be the best defense. Varik separated his fingers, keeping his saberstaff pressed against his right palm by keeping his respective thumb hooked around the midsection of the hilt. Trained to be an assassin, Varik's body was designed to endure Herculean obstacles, but he had never experienced anything like this. He reacted quickly at the sight of the jumping Jedi.

As soon as Sionann advanced into striking range, Varik flexed his contorted knee upwards, channeling Force energy down his limbs, hurling arcing bolts of electricity from his fingertips and palms into Sionann's body, aiming to physically hurl her backwards into one of the crumbling spaceships docked in the Temple Hangar. Varik diverted the direction of his right palm to the whereabouts of Lector, attacking him with powerful discharges that would branch out into dozens of smaller forks between his body parts. Whilst exchanging looks between the two, Varik ensured that Sionann was somewhat in a critical state before aiming his left palm at Lector in order to double the potency of the Force Lightning. Varik thought that the metallic composition of the ship would act as an electricity conductor to keep Sionann stuck to one of the ship plates, saving him some time before the Jedi returned to strike him again or even disabling her from engaging in combat with himself again. “My fight is with the Sith!”

 

[Denzein]

Lecchamemnon couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Even as he arrived, presenting a greater threat through the force than any other single warrior in the entire hangar complex, the Sith he'd initially sensed began fighting among themselves. A gutsy Jedi padawan also got involved, and he wished her luck in her fight. For now though, he had an opponent of his own. He watched the Mandalorian commander (for he was obviously a commander, his armour a beautiful work of art - cold, clinical, yet filled with the passion of the warrior within) jump towards him on a jetpack burst and land smartly before him. He held vicious melee weapons that would no doubt hold Lecchamemnon's blade, and had removed his helm. The former Grandmaster nodded in respect to his foe, for this was no Sith. This was a true warrior, a man that deserved to die with his honour intact. Lecchamemnon sensed the force about him, which was strange for a Mandalorian. What was stranger, however, was what came next.

"Master Lecchamemnon, it's been a long time."

A former Jedi then, Renelo by the face - an exile from his time as Grandmaster. Lecchamemnon owed this man an apology, like he did countless others. Was he the very cause for this warrior's joining the Mandalorians? Lecchamemnon didn't really want to know. Instead he replied in kind, turning side on to his opponent and holding his blade in a ready stance. There was no salute, the former Grandmaster instead preferring to skip the rest of the pleasantries. He stood and waited, knowing the Mandalorian would make the first move. He watched with the intensity of a hawk, not only with his eyes but also through the force. Nothing this man did would surprise him.

"Sisk Renelo... It seems I'm not the only exile returning to the Temple today. I give you one chance to surrender, I suggest you take it... I'd hate to have to kill you and your boys."

He goaded his enemy slightly, gauging the reaction he got. It was likely the man would simply respond with violence, which Lecchamemnon was more than ready for. The force blew through the hangar like a gale, the former Grandmaster breathing it in like a nourishing fresh air. He could sense every last force user in the hangar, and saw that many of them were barely older than younglings... He didn't dare tell the padawans to make for cover, at least not until there was a clear path to the ships. He had no idea if the Mandalorians would gun them down in the open, or if he only had to worry about the Sith. Erring on the side of caution with children's lives was usually the correct path.

The Garuda's shadow floated into view, darkening the scene as it remained hovering, blotting out the sun. Lecchamemnon's ally took to the field, and he dearly hoped the man would lend aid to the padawan beset by two Sith. The younglings were as safe as they were going to get, but she was in mortal peril. He had no time to make sure that happened, however, focusing instead on his own problem. Hooded and cloaked Lecchamemnon waited for his opponent to make the first move, apparently in true Jedi fashion. He almost smiled at the deception.

 

[Emerald Iris]

The defenses of the Sith were tested, and he responded in a typical Sith fashion by using their most infamous ability. There was nothing more Sith than Force Lightning, as Sionann would always tell herself, which is why I have to master it. It was a way of understanding them to gain a better advantage against them and also to understand one's one potential darkness. Fortunately, learning about Force Lightning, one also learned how to defend against it properly.

Sionann halted her assault and raised her blades in a grounding defense that caught the lightning on the top blade and let it be absorbed and arced downward at the floor. The force of the attack was enough to blow the padawan back a few meters and the relentlessness of the lightning made it difficult to make a reprisal, however she had an idea.

Using her right hand to hold her saberstaff in a vertical fashion she freed her left hand, and held it dangerously close to the lightning absorbing top blade. Calmly focused on letting the Force do its work, a bright bolt of blue electricity answered the Sith's lightning, and arced through Varik's own bolts, back into his hand. The resounding shock would have overloaded the current going through the Acolyte's hands and caused an explosion infront of his face if he was not ready for the Jedi's reply, thus blowing him backwards, a likely result with his burdened mind. If that had failed, Sionann made sure she picked up a few fragments of foundation with the Force, and hurled them upon the Sith, so he would stay down.

With that brief engagement and display of Force technique over with, Sionann quickly turned back to the huddled younglings and raced for them. Her steps were urgent, though she spared her mind and body the strain of Force Speed, the padawan's own natural agility was more than enough to place herself between the Sith Sorcerer and the children within a matter of seconds.

"Is that enough of an answer to your request?" She called out to the Lector, knowing full well what to expect, as her feet and posture adopted another aggressive Juyo stance.

Others had arrived, but once again Sionann did not have the chance to look upon them, as her concern remained the younglings and this Sith Sorcerer. She hoped that they were at least friendly, and help to finally leave this temple before it completely fell.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

"It was. Thank you padawan." He gave a polite bow before dropping all his force powers, save the shield in case one of them attempted to attack him. He walked over to the fallen sith acolyte and ignited his blade, the snap hiss sending the crimson lightsaber straight into the heart of the unconscious sith. He had made sure that his body blocked the view of the younglings "It's a shame you ended up with the Jedi, I sense much potential within you...now, get the younglings to safety. I gave my word and it would be quite rude to go back on that." He pulled the two detonite charges at the hangar entrance to him from the wall, deactivating them as he did so and also shielding them with the force to avoid any tampering again. Fool me once, after all...

Once they were safely tucked away in his robes he looked at her again. "Just so you won't think I'll simply detonate them while you pass, causing you to fall to your deaths" He then began to set up the detonite charges on the weakpoints holding up the ceiling. "But I will keep anyone else in the building from using this hangar...I suggest you leave quickly."