Ask Under the Radar [Bogano]

[Lucifrey Sol]

Once Luci successfully lifted the Resistance soldiers across the temple's traps she drew her custom Neowing blaster pistol and kept the barrel down at the ready while she moved along behind the others. As she activated the weapon a soft blue would glow from it, lightly illuminating the walls that she walked near.

The young Jedi couldn't help but appreciate the Zeffo architecture and culture, though she didn't really have the time to stop and examine any of it since the group was all on the move. Until Knight Akatosh proposed the idea of using the temple guardians against the Kiliks.

"Good idea." She responded to Faen with a hushed voice. She nodded to the others, and hunkered down into a slight crouch as she began to move along the walls in the opposite direction of Lady Demici to search the other side of the chamber with a pair of soldiers to watch her back. She deactivated her thermal vision while she swept along the walls and other small stone statues, using the light from her blaster pistol to take a closer look at everything.

It wasn't until the lady pointed out she thought she'd might've found one that Luci noticed a large metal ball next to a depression in the ground that looked as though it were lined with the same material. It seemed like a slot for something, which Luci quickly deduced it must've been for the large sphere that looked like it had been shoved away into a nearby corner.

"I think I found something too. Looks like a puzzle that must've already been solved by someone before the Kiliks came along. A big sphere and what looks like a slot for it, but some of the bugs must've knocked the ball out of the slot while they were crawling around down here." She quietly whispered over the comms. Then she checked around, making she and the two soldiers she was with hadn't attracted any other attention, when she noticed what seemed to be a slight seam of the same material from the other two objects in an arch that resembled a doorway.

"It looks like there might be a door here next to the puzzle too. Could lead to another side room." She quietly continued as she ran her fingers along the threshold of the inconspicuous doorway to inspect it a little closer. "I wonder if it has one of those automatons in there."

@Charles @HoneyMagpie

 

[Faen Akatosh]

"Fantastic job, my friends!" Faen congratulated the two Jedi through his coms as quietly as he could. This was indeed an exciting amount of discoveries to behold! Sybella had found an old temple guardian and Luci found would could be a key to open another door that could lead to potentially more automatons. So, as Faen made his way over to examine the machine Sybella found, he couldn't help but smile giddily. Hiding his excitement may have gotten the best of him, however.

"Look at the gears and markings on their forearms and feet..." But the Seer made the very mistake he warned the others about making, and carefully traced his fingers along the automaton's arm. A blue light slowly began to shine from a sphere in it's chest, that likewise began to churn and spin, giving the archaic droid life. "My bad... I can fix this." Faen said, mostly to himself. These old guardians were programmed to exterminate any intruders that weren't Zeffo, but if Faen could modify it's memory to believe that the Jedi here in the temple were Zeffo, then they could use the robot effectively against the Killiks.

After focusing on the droid's memory banks with the Force, the Seer was, instead, able to compel the droid to his will. So, he flooded it's memory with Faen's own memories concerning the Killiks, making sure that the automaton got the memo of who the real enemy was. Finally, the droid was free to do as it's adapted coding allowed. Sadly, the droid starting up had alerted a few more scouts from the hive.

"Let's see what you're made of..." Faen said to the droid as he drew his greatsword, watching as the temple guardian channeled a strange power through it's fists and feet. "Luci! Use the Force to get the sphere into it's crater. It will open the door. Get everyone in as fast as possible, then get the ball out of it's crater to shut the door."

@HoneyMagpie @AdventCore

 

[Sybella Demici]

Despite the peril of their situation, Sybella couldn't help but smile at @Faen Akatosh endearing passion; the delight was rather infectious. Under different circumstances, she would have admired the Zeffo and their engineering but with the ever-looming threat of Killiks, Sybella thought it best to try and focus on the task at hand. It didn't help that her Seer companion was doing exactly the thing he had warned them not to; he had activated the automaton!

At first, the Serennian stepped back, worried the damned thing might start attacking them; luckily, however, its original programmed was overridden. Now they had a real advantage. Still, Sybella felt the need to caution he fellow knight, least he allow his excitement to further distract his common sense. "Ahem. Faen, my friend, as fascinating as all this is, let's try and stay focused."

With the next phase of their plan clearly outlined, Sybella moved into position. She would handle the moving of the troops whilst @Lucifrey Sol worked with the puzzle. "Everyone, get ready to move!"

 

[Lucifrey Sol]

"Nn! Understood!" Luci kept her volume mostly down as she replied to Faen over the comlink in her mask and moved away from the inconspicuous doorway back to the puzzle. She gave the Resistance troops time to get into place before she extended her left hand towards the sphere, grasped it with the Force, and yanked it back into the nearby slot.

A few moments later a loud rumble emanated from the discreet doorway, and the stone slab in the outlined threshold suddenly shot down into the temple floor.

"Room is open!" Then Luci went to turn and rejoin the group, when one of the bugs suddenly revealed itself from its hiding place on the ceiling above her. In nearly an instant it dropped onto the girl, and pinned her to the ground.

"AH!" She cried out and felt its sharp claws dig into the edges of her left arm and right shin. Without hesitation she brought her blaster pistol up to take a shot, but the Kilik slapped her hand away with a third claw before she could. Luci tried not to panic as she noticed the creature raise its forth claw in preparation for another attack against her. The vigilant Padawan hastily swept her lightsaber into her right hand, activated the loud blue and magenta blade, and flicked the lower half of her arm from her left side up and around to the right.

The bug screeched and swung its arm down towards the girl's neck like a pendulum, nearly cutting her throat until her lightsaber tore through its body and sliced the Kilik in half. Her slightly faster attack threw the bug's swipe off course just enough that it missed her neck and ripped across the surface below her collarbone instead.

Luci loudly squeaked in pain as she felt and saw the creature strike a gash across her upper chest. Adrenaline pumped hard, she scurried out from under the crumbling corpse, and sprinted towards the opened room while low-key trying her best to keep her cool and not freak out from the uncomfortably close encounter.

Spoiler: Dice

Pistol attack: 3/20
Saber attack: 18/20

@Charles @HoneyMagpie

 

[Faen Akatosh]

Faen and his new best friend (the automaton) were able to quickly subdue the Killik scouts that alerted the rest of the nest to attack the intruders. The droid would simply punch or stomp on the bugs with ease while cutting the Killiks down with a greatsword was no problem with the Seer. However, when Luci cried out, Faen caught a glimpse of her arm. Trusting in the automaton's abilities, Faen sheathed his greatsword and made his to the Padawan.

With the Force, Faen spewed fire from his palms, enveloping the bug until it charred over. The Knight wasted no time to further channel the Force through himself and into the Padawan, sewing the wounds on her arm and chest. It was a bit draining for the Knight, but he knew what Luci was capable of when she was at her best. They all needed to be at there best if they were going to cleanse this temple.

"Go with Sybella and the others. I'll hold them off long enough for you to regroup." Faen waved his hand towards the geared sphere, moving it off of it's crater allowing for the great doors to slowly shut. Then, the Seer drew his lightsaber hilt, activating the purple blade before drawing his illegally modified stun pistol in the other hand. "Don't worry about me," He said with a warm smile. "I'll have Tanky over there to keep me company." The automaton was currently stomping on one bug while choking another with one of it's arms.

"Go now!" Faen cut down one Killik before shooting another twice, felling the insectoid. The onslaught of Killik reinforcement became a horded swarm instead of a few stragglers. The Jedi Knight would wave his saber in the air before running back to the tiles of doom to draw their attention away from the others. Faen just needed to reach the tiles before the bugs reached him.

@HoneyMagpie @AdventCore

 

[Sybella Demici]

The situation was turning just as Sybella had feared. The bugs were swarming, and they had to push on. Moments like these, in which there was panic, often had the poorest results. Some acted rashly, whilst others moved without care. That is when killiks struck and that was when they liked to take their victims. It seemed the padawan was the first to be targeted.

It was an awful thing to hear, the cries of pain from a fellow Jedi. When Sybella heard the sound, she turned to find the alabaster hybrid in great distress. "Luci?!"

She would have fought tooth and nail to reach the girl's side, but Faen was closer; whilst he used flames to beat back the bugs, Sybella was mobilising the rest of the party. By the time she had finished, only Luci and @Faen Akatosh remained. "Come, padawan. Lean on me."

The seer had done well to close the wound, but the knight knew further aid was needed. She shouldered some of Luci's weight, holding her steady as they passed through the great doors. It was then she realised that they were beginning to close, and Faen was shouting something. Had he just said...

"What do you mean 'hold them off'?" Curse that man and his heroics! "In the history of bad plans, that is THE worst plan. We're not leaving you behind, Faen!" As if to prove a point, Sybella lashed out with her hand, sending a ball of energy towards a killik lining up to swipe at the Seer. It was sent falling back so far, it crashed into the crowd that was now assembling at the mouth of the chamber.

Sybella hated the idea of leaving him. It went against every fibre of her heart but deep down, she knew it was their possible choice. Faen knew the Zeffo and their puzzles - he could figure it out. If anyone could, he would be him. Still, with her kohl-coloured eyes ablaze, Sybella stood just beyond the doors. As long as she could see him, she could lend a hand. If the insectoids came too close, she would fling rocks and debris (even the corpses of their own dead) - anything just to give the seer extra time.

But soon enough, the great stone doors were closing, and the visage of Faen vanished from sight. "Come back to us." She shouted, "You hear me, Faen? Come back to us."