[IC] Star Wars - Jedi Exile.

[Sep]

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[Sep]

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[Gat]

Kamli sat in the archives going over a few files from the Ruusan Reformation with a pair of padawans, her sabre propped against the desk next to her when the feeling came over her. The sensation hit her hard enough that she grasped at the table for support and reached for her sabre by instinct, she fumbled the grab however and only succeeded in knocking the staff-like hilt to the floor with a dull metallic thud. Whatever had happened the shock wave of pain and betrayal it sent through the force was intense and it took a few moments for her head to stop reeling from the effect. Both the padawans had felt it to different extents she discovered when she could concentrate again. Carefully she picked up her sabre and concentrated on the force to try and discern what may have happened from aftershocks. After concentrating for a minute or two all she got was the same feeling of pain and betrayal in lesser amounts.

Her eyes snapped open as the distant sound of blaster fire and explosions drifted through the doors of the archives. Fighting in the temple? she wondered to herself, Had the Seperatists struck Coruscant again as they had when they abducted the Supreme Chancellor? Motioning for the Padawans to stay behind her he moved towards the door to see what was going on. looking out the door she almost didn't believe what she saw. Clones several squads of them advancing up the large corridor shooting at any jedi they encountered. Quickly ducking back out of view she told the padawns to run for one of the smaller entrances of the archives, there was no way they were going out into that corridor. No sooner had she done that, Blaster bolts started flying through the doorway where he head had been only moments before. Gripping her sabre tightly she resisted the urge to turn and fight and instead ran after the padawans, there was little she could do against such numbers after all.

the trio raced across the archives to one of the smaller doorways out of the large chamber the two padawans a little ahead of her as she kept looking over her shoulder towards the main entryway and pausing to urge others in the room to run also. she was about 5 meters from the doorway the two padawans had just reached when the whole doorway exploded inwards. fragments of artisan carved wood splintered like missiles into the room several coming very close to striking Kalmi outright, several more still closer as one small piece embedded itself in her thigh just above the knee and several more ripped through her clothes and left shallow cuts on her face. The concussive force of the blast sent her reeling for the second time in 10 minutes as she gripped her sabre tightly and used it to keep herself upright. Of the two padawans there was little to see, what she could see made her sick to her stomach.

Blaster bolts followed the explosion and shaking off the effects of the blast Kalmi dug the fragment of door from her leg and focused on the force to conceal her as she moved for what was left of the doorway. A few moments later a squad of clones moved into the room and started gunning people down, Kalmi dropped her concealment and ignited her sabre, striking down the nearest clone before it was aware of her. Moving quickly Kalmi enhanced her speed with the force she moved in and struck at the next trooper just as it registered the death of its squadmate. Next she struck out at the other four clones with malacia, disorienting them briefly so she reposition and strike again. A long swipe with her sabrepike took two of them in the chest before they could recover themselves and Kamli moved in fast to strike a third with the butt of her sabre on the backswing taking him in the knee with a satisfying crack moments before she brought the blade around and sliced clean though the troopers helmet.

The Last trooper recovered his wits long enough to snap off a shot at Kalmi, the shot took her clean in the arm and only her focus and training kept her sabre moving to strike him down before he could fire again. The last of the six troopers fallen at her feet she deactivated the sabre and took a moment to breath and take stock of herself. Her arm hurt like hell, she had a dozen cuts all over herself and a small hole in her leg that was bleeding slowly. There was little she could do about any of that right now, so she gathered her strength and prepared to set off down the corridor the clones had just come from, knowing more were entering the archives behind her. With luck she could find some of the masters at the temple and make a stand with them or flee if that was what the masters decided.

[Bounce]

“Keep the blade steady.”

The large hands of the Mon Calamari weapon master seemed virtually massive in contrast to the youngling’s, as the venerable instructor steadied the raven-haired youth’s grip on the training shoto. From out of the corner of his eye, the young, near-human boy caught a glimpse of a Nautolan boy executing a number of Soresu orbits in perfect harmony. Distracted, Sor-Jan’s jaw dropped open slightly as the amphibian youngling neatly countered shots from the two hovering training droids that were picking away at his defense.

That was before a Mon Cal elbow poked him in the side of his head. “Focus, youngling,” the weapon master chided the boy, pushing on the child’s lower back to straighten his posture slightly. “You have opponents of your own.”

As the instructor took a step back, the young Anzati looked up at the small, spherical droid which hovered just a meter away in the air. Swallowing slightly, the youngling tried to focus his thoughts there. He could feel the Force moving between him and the droid. He could feel the other younglings in the room, the instructors moving through the students...

“It is important to know your surroundings, but not at the expense of what is in front of you,” the Mon Cal weapon master said, breaking through the youngling’s concentration. “Now show me the opening stance,” the instructor directed, crossing his arms across his chest.

Drawing in a large breath, the Anzat boy straightened his body as he brought the lightsaber upright to the center of his body, then elevated it overhead as he took a step back, holding the blade parallel to the ground as he swung his body so that it was positioned on a ninety-degree axis from the droid’s line of fire. As he planted the foot behind him and settled into the stance, the youngling slowly let out the breath that he’d been holding.

“Good,” the instructor commented, reaching into a pouch on his belt and producing a second training droid, which hovered through the air about a meter behind the first droid. “Now, begin.”

Without being conscious of what his body was doing, Sor-Jan realized after the fact that he’d driven the shoto saber forward, holding the blade upright as a training bolt connected with the blade. Instinct was superseding thought, as the young Anzat found himself pulled into a moment that seemed to distort time. He brought the blade into a vertical position, deflecting a bolt from the second training droid, then upright as he stepped around and swept aside another from the first.

“Good, good. You understand the circle of protection,” the instructor intoned. As the two droids drifted apart and began to circle the youngling independent of one another, the boy brought the saber up and around in a tight orbit around his body. “Let your emotions flow like water,” the Mon Cal urged on from the sidelines.

Let your emotions flow like water, the youngling echoed in his thoughts. What the nerf did that even mean? Transitioning from one orbit movement to the next, the young Anzat continued to try and maintain momentum as two more training bolts were fired. Pivoting on one foot, the Anzat neatly neutralized the one along the blade of his training shoto, before whipping the blade around to...

Sor-Jan’s stomach turned, a wave of overwhelming emotion slamming into his body as though he had just been physically punched in the gut. Stumbling over his own feet, the second training bolt caught the youngling in the leg as, all throughout the room, the younglings all cried out in terror.

“Younglings, quiet!”

With a wave of two of his four hands, the clan’s Thisspiasian master disabled all of the droids in the room, sending the spherical shooters clattering to the floor. A yellow lightsaber was glowing in one of Azul Gol’s hands, the first time that Sor-Jan recalled ever seeing the Jedi ignite his lightsaber. Behind him, the Mon Calamari weapon master ignited a blue lightsaber, while another instructor activated his lightsaber as well.

Sor-Jan’s confusion turned to panic as an explosion sent a tremor through the building. Several younglings blurted out questions as to what was happening, as the Jedi instructors again called for quiet. The building anxiety turned to dread as a sound began to echo from outside the room.

It was the sound of blaster fire. For real blaster fire.

“Whatever is happening, we cannot stay here. We would be trapped,” the Thisspiasian Jedi Sentinel declared at the front of the room, as the bearded serpent slithered to the door. The smell of burning ozone whiffed into the room as the Jedi opened the door into the mezzanine. A number of blaster bolts were visible as they sailed by the open portal into the hallway outside.

“This is Coruscant,” the other weapon master stated, a hint of anger slipping into his voice. “The droid army could not invade here.”

“Stretch out with your feelings. These are not droids,” the Thisspiasian Sentinel answered flatly, before looking over the collected faces in the room. “We will make for the hangar,” the snake-like Jedi stated firmly.

“I shall bring up the rear,” the Mon Cal instructor answered immediately, pushing Sor-Jan and the Nautolan boy forward. Staring down at the group of children before him, the Mon Cal lowered his head and said, “Younglings, when we step outside, whatever happens, do not stop moving.”

Sor-Jan’s eyes grew wide as the confusion and anxiety transformed themselves into a genuine fear that was beginning to take hold, and take control. He felt a hand grab hold of his. Looking down, he saw a green-skinned hand and wrapped his fingers tightly around it as he looked up at Zak, the Nautolan boy. They were both scared...

...no, they were not scared. That word paled in comparison to what they were each feeling. They were terrified.

But they would be terrified, together. And that much helped to abate the chaos and confusion that he was feeling.

The youngling clan master’s voice spoke up again. “Ignite your lightsabers,” Azul Gol barked sternly. “We go. Now.”

[Jakeozzy]

It was just like any other unremarkable evening in the Jedi Temple. Master Aldeo Sabalya was walking with his Padawan through the upper levels of the epic structure talking about the future, how odd it would feel when they finally parted ways, and what path young Erin Corona was going to take...

"I'm very proud of your accomplishments, Erin. If only you put as much time into study and meditation as you did your training with a lightsaber, you'd be well on your way." The old man said happily, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder, "But one thing at a time, I suppose. Now that we're not fighting a war, you can use the facilities here as much as you'd like. Calm yourself gradually, and grow accustomed to other focuses. Connecting with the Force should be a priority of yours while this peace lasts."

"I'll just do my best, Master. Like always." Erin replied in a coldly calm manner, not even sparing a glance at him. That earned a confused look from Aldeo, who noticed his Padawan's unusual behavior. She wasn't normally such a quiet person, so it was strange to witness. Something was definitely wrong... And then he felt it. Pain, like somebody had just bypassed flesh and bone, striking his soul directly. He fell to one knee, noting in the corner of his eye that Erin was spaced out, but she was wincing painfully. "Master!" she cried as she wrapped an arm around her Master and started helping him back to his feet. Soon, blaster fire began to erupt on the lower levels. An attack? This was Coruscant! The CIS were more or less defeated by now, how could they strike into the heart of the Republic like this?

Master Sabalya struggled over to the edge of the walkway, and was then stunned. Clones, and one cloaked figure with a Lightsaber were tearing through everybody in their path. Those blue markings were of the 501st Legion, one of the most renowned units of the war. Why? ...For what reason do they march on us? ...They had been betrayed. Erin was much in the same daze as her Master was, this was by no means friendly fire - this was extermination. "Erin, we have to go. I'll gather as many Jedi as I can, meet me at the hangar bay if it's still under our control. If not, then we must escape by any means necessary."

Erin simply nodded to his command. But before either of the two could move, a large blast of energy blew the walkway in half. Padawan Corona was launched away from the collapse and into a wall, thankfully still on the higher floors, where she was knocked unconscious. Master Sabalya was less lucky, going down with the walkway and landing in the pile of rubble on the base floor of the Jedi Temple. There were clones everywhere down here, and that rogue Jedi was still around. Avoiding confrontation wasn't going to happen - the Clones were already closing in and surrounding the area. He ignited his two green Lightsabers and prepared to defend himself.

"Ma..ster.." Erin mouthed in her forced sleep, seeing the event playing out in her mind. They surrounded him, and though he deflected many of the blaster bolts back at his assailants, the mass of gunfire eventually broke through. Even after he was dead, they didn't stop firing. They made sure he was finished before reloading their weapons and moving on. Even though she was unconscious, tears streamed down Erin's cheeks. She would die here, too. Hope didn't register anymore...

[Heat]

Rego stood in the archives, searching through books for something interesting to read. He scanned the shelves and reached for an interesting book when he heard something, footsteps, hundreds of them, possibly thousands.They were all coming from the same direction outside of the temple. Could it be battle droids? No, that war was over. He used his force vision to glance through the walls at the front temple's steps. Clones, too many to count. Why were they marching on the temple like that? There was no drill scheduled, the Jedi would have been told ahead of time. He looked ahead of the clones and saw a figure at the front of the mass of soldiers. It was a force user, he was certain of that. He could sense the force flowing through this person. Something sinister was afoot, he could feel it.

The Jedi knight drew his lightsaber but did not ignite it yet. He cringed as he felt a disturbance in the Force, like several Jedi had died at the same time. The clones were responsible, there was no other possible culprit, that would explain the marching on the temple. They were committing genocide against the Jedi. Rego used his vision once more to see the figure strike down a Jedi who greeted him at the temple entrance. Rego had to get out of here, he had to regroup with other Jedi and fall back. He knew of Coruscant, they could lose their pursuers in the undercity, then find a ship and flee out of Republic space. His mind drifted to the other Jedi. What of the younglings? A thousand thoughts raced through his head as he ran out of the library corrider, looking for other Jedi. He stopped once he saw the clones enter the temple, firing blaster bolts. He was currently on the lower section of the library, he needed to get out of here, he was cornered, the back doors were probably guarded. Clones were running in different directions, darting down corridors. They had not yet seen him, which gave him a few seconds to get ready. He ignited his lightsaber and put his back to a shelf of holobooks. He heard footsteps coming down the central corridor, clones, it had to be. He guessed that it was only a smaller detachment, perhaps the larger group that had entered the library had split itself up to cover more ground.

Rego popped around the corner as the footsteps were at their loudest. He caught the clone troopers by surprise and swung his ignited lightsaber into the first one he saw. The trooper went down with a scream as the ones behind him stopped right in their tracks. He counted three in front of him, he had the advantage over them in this tight corridor. He lunged forward, swinging at another clone, he cut that one down and had his lightsaber up in a defensive position immediately after. One of the clones fired off reaction shots, which Rego deflected away. He sliced up, driving the blade into the clone's torso. The last clone had it's rifle up and was backpedaling, trying to create distance between him and the Jedi. Rego was overconfident in his abilities as he misjudged the first bolt and it struck him in the shin, he grimaced but momentarily shook off the pain, and deflected three blaster bolts, then swung into the clone, slicing it in half.

That was all of them. Hopefully he could have a moment to think before more clones rushed him. He let out a sigh and deactivated his saber. He bent down and rolled up his pant leg, checking on the wound. It was painful, but it wouldn't kill him, he was lucky that was where the bolt landed, a little up and it could've struck an artery. He ripped off a piece of fabric from his sleeve, then wrapped it around the wound. He rolled the pant leg back down and stood up. He once again channeled the force, using it to see through the walls with his vision. He saw a Jedi fall not far from him, then began to turn to look in another direction before he was blasted backwards, and knocked out of his vision. He was thrown backwards, hitting the wall hard. He groaned, rubbing his lower back. Something fired into the wall across from him, the library shook and the blast was strong enough that it knocked him across the corridor. He rose to his feet once more, and walked down the corridor, heading towards the rotunda in the middle, hoping to find other surviving Jedi.

[ColonelCaboose]

Kraytan walked the halls of the Jedi Temple with his partner, Deja, a Cathar woman who was a bit younger than him and was a newly assigned Temple Guard. He could feel she was a bit nervous, excited, and everything in between. He smiled underneath his mask, he had felt the same way when he had become a Temple Guard prior to the Clone Wars. He knew she would soon learn to relax and knew she would also come realize that there was nothing exciting about the job as a guard. They had just left the Library, which was one of their stops on their graveyard shit route. It was a quiet night like most nights at the Temple. However while it was usually quiet at the Temple, problems had been arising more than they had prior to the Clone Wars, he was sure of that. So far he had dealt with rogue padawans, suicide bombers, even a few assassins, but the worst was the protestors outside the Temple every once in a while when they formed to well protest something the Jedi had done. As he walked down the large halls with Deja he stopped in his tracks as he was bombarded with his visions once again, however instead of the whole thing he could only see the pillars of smoke rising from burning towers and the sounds of thousands of panicking and suffering screams. The vision was stronger than it ever had been before, it hit him hard and gave him a massive headache causing him to fall to one knee.

"Kraytan are you okay? What's wrong?" Deja asked him as she knelt down next to him and helped him to his feet. He stood a bit dazed, stressed, and confused. He looked at Deja's same blankness face mask before shaking his head and standing on his own. He then felt something in the Force, something that was wrong... A presence was approaching the Temple and it spelt destruction in the fire's of war.

"Let us cut our routine short and head to the Temple Entrance, I feel something is out of place my friend." He replied as he walked at a brim pace down the halls. Deja followed behind him. As they approached the Temple Entrance from the balcony above, Kraytan began to run faster as his vision began to play in his head as the sound of tens of thousands of feet marched was becoming louder. He was confused at first if the marching sound was coming from his vision or if it was coming from the actual world around him. As they reached the balcony he saw the 501st Legion marching up the steps led by a dark figure. The last part of his vision played in his head, directly over what he was seeing now, they were a perfect match. Those weren't Mandalorians he was seeing they were clones, and those weren't towers that were on fire they were the spires of the Jedi Temple he had seen. "Deja alert the other Temple Guards we must form up and defend the Temple at all costs!" Kraytan yelled as he began to run towards a flight of stairs that led to the level he was on. He activated his lightsaber and ran down the stairs. initiates and padawans were fleeing up them as clones pursued.

"Kraytan! There are too many! We have to retreat!" Deja yelled as she tried to catch up with him. Kraytan guessed she was feeling super nervous and perhaps a little fearful, but it was hard to tell because panic and strife had flooded the Temple as clones began slaughtering Jedi everywhere. However he would not handle that kind of talk. They were Temple Guards, they were Jedi Temple Guards. They were sworn to protect the innocent, and sworn to protect the Temple at all costs. It was their sole mission to do this and he would see his job accomplished.

"Then you retreat Deja! Round up the Padawans and initiates! Link up with the other Temple Guards and ensure their safety!" He yelled back to her before jumping over the ledge of the flight of stairs and landing with a hard thud at the bottom sending some clones into the wall while others fumbled about. He began slicing their weapons as they raised them to shoot him down. He ducked and weave between blaster bolts, taking cover behind other clones and letting them shoot each other. The clones were starting to come at him in too great a numbers and he was force to give up ground as he retreated back up the stairs deflecting blaster bolts back at the clones and using the force to push them back down when they tried to run up them. He stared in disbelief as a clone with a rocket launcher came up from the mix of them and knelt down and aimed at him. He leapt up on the guard rail and then jumped up allowing the force to aide him and landed on the next level and then did it again until he was at the top. The clone fired the rocket and it locked onto him. He ran through the doorway and turned as the rocket came up and at him. He used the force to direct it upward into the roof which made it collapse on the doorway of the level he was on. They wouldn't be pursing him from that way at least. He began to run down the halls of the Temple looking for others to help and hoping to hear word from the Temple Guard Master as to what their strategy was to stop the clones.

[Hexaflexagon]

Master Sorni was deep in the cavernous bellows of the archives, she sat alone at a table. Her hands were interlaced in front of her as she peered at the Holocron in front of her as it hovered gently about an inch off the table. The holocron in particular was, not just any old holocron it was one taken from the ruins of the Library of Ossus. The secretes held within dated back to the Great Hyperspace war and some even before that. But Sorni wasn't just a lore keeper, she was looking for something, something important. These holocrons contained within them knowledge of not just Jedi, but Sith, they equal held the power of the light side of the force and the dark. It was here job to vanquish pockets of dark side energy, to help heal the dark wounds of the force. But before she could do that, she needed to of course know one's enemy first, practically as well as she knew herself. Hence the usefulness of these ancient long forgotten holocrons. Then it her, like it hit all the Jedi within the temple and all the Jedi in the galaxy, the cry of anguish that ran through in ripples of a larger shock wave. She looked about, the archivists around her had felt as well, something terrible had just occurred and they all knew it. Sorni tried peering deeper concentrating, but all she could find was residual agony and betrayal, that amplified over the hundreds of Jedi that had just felt the wound open in the force.

That was when the shock wave hit, something exploded above them somewhere, and the great halls of the archive shook with the tremor. Valka looked down at the holocron as it shook, another tremor and the holocron fell to the table and all was silent as Sorni watched it roll and finally hit the ground with a metallic thud. Moments later the doors to the archive were blown upon, and the sound of laser fire and the screams of the wounded filled the air. Then as they drew closer the Jedi Master, had another surprise as she saw the white and blue of republic clone troopers. It didn't make sense, why were the clones attacking the temple? What was happening? But Sorni knew that right now she add her fellow Jedi in whatever she could. It was then the PLX-1 warhead came slamming into the bookcase behind her, and the whole thing came creaked and groaned before it was about to fell right atop of her. The Jedi master rolled to the left behind another stack, as it came far too close to almost killing her. She looked at her shoulder which was know bleeding, a piece of shelf lodge in it. Whatever was happening the Clone Troopers were not playing around.

They were funneling in from every direction, the main entrance and the smaller side entrances so exit through either of those was out of the option. But then she looked above her, the upper levels of the archives had yet to be stormed. The clones were by the staircases, so the only way up was with the force. Sorni leaped into the air, soaring far above normal jumping ability as she grasped onto the handrail of the upper level, with her good arm and hosted herself up. The clones saw these acrobatic display and soon, a hail of laser bolts soon being following her. She rushed forward, trying her best to keep the stacks between her and the incoming laser bolts. Her goal was about three meters in front of her, one of the small service entrances leading in and out of the archives upper level. The only problem was that their was no cover between here and there. But the Jedi Master was not one to let things like the possibility of becoming blast hole ridden corpse fetter her. She lunged across the open space rolling out the open door as blaster bolts soared around her one skimming her leg singeing her clothes and the skin underneath.

As she scrambled back to her feet a team of soldiers from the Temple Security Force, ran up to her. They all looked beaten and exhausted, singed clothing and some of there had wounds on their arms and legs. The Captain came to help Master Sorni to her feet, the rest of them moving around them in a defense position guns aimed down the hallway. As she got up, and looked around the whole temple still shaking around her, screams and blaster fire could be heard coming from every direction, the smell of smoke was thick in the air. She turned to address the Captain who had a worried look in his eyes. As he was skittish looking both ways, up and down the hallway sure that any minuet another squad of clones would come bounding in.

"Can you give me a status report Captain?" Master Sorni asked him, trying her best to block out the boom and quake of the bombings occurring above and the sounds of hundreds being slaughtered in the middle of the night for no apparent reason at all. The captain nodded and took out a small hologram projector turning it on, a small scale version of the Jedi temple greeted them, spinning in place. The Captain began speaking rifling off information.

"Sure thing, Master Jedi. The clones came in through the main entrance, and are currently besieging the entire building. LAATs are bombing the temple from above, we have lost the main corridor. The clones have us surrounded on all sides and we are severely outnumbered, even if we counted all the younglings in our numbers. At this point retaking the temple is no longer a option. Temple Security Force has made an executive decision to try and delay the clones for as long as possible, while we try to funnel survivors out of the hanger bays in the lower levels of the spires and into the under city. I would suggest, that you head there yourself Master Sorni, for they are going to need as much help as possible to hold off long enough for evacuation." The Captain explained as he shut off the holocron.

"Thank You, Captain" The Echani shook her head, it was getting worse and worse by the minute. The temple was lost, and in shambles, the clone army that Sorni and many of the other Jedi had fought with side by side against the separatists now turned their guns against them. All around them, explosions rocked and fire burned, the bodies of young and old alike strewn across the floor indiscriminately. It was a dark day indeed for the Jedi Order. A living nightmare, but one couldn't get lost in despair, there would be time for mourning later. It was at that time that they heard footsteps and around the corner came another squad of clones came charging down it towards them.

"Captain we got company!" One of the security officers called as they raised their rifles and began to exchange fire with the clones, Master Sorni ignited her saber ready to join in combat against the clones, but the Captain shook his head and pointed down the empty hall.

"No need, for your to sacrifice yourself here. Go head down the hallway and towards the hangers! We will hold them off!... Men return fire!" The captain yelled as they began to fire upon the approaching clones. Master Sorni nodded, once again thanking the Captain silently as she turned and bolted down the hallway enhancing her speed with the force as she rushed down heading towards the hanger bays. She passed blown open meditation rooms, and she dared to not to look inside to see the carnage within, the mediation gardens were alight with roaring flames that were growing higher and higher and escaping the confinements of the room and reaching out into the hallways themselves. The dead and dying laying about Jedi and clone, alike. It was becoming more and more of a indiscriminate slaughter by the minute. Sorni knew that she had to get to the hangers, had to help whoever was left but she still had distance to cover, and even using to force to enhance her speed she could only go so far, without risking burning herself out. But she had to keep on moving, not stopping, not giving up.

She bounded a corner, in front of her down the hallway, a squad of clones facing the other direction, one of them armed with a Reciprocating quad blaster. In front of them a Jedi Knight with a group of younglings behind him. His lightsaber was raised but he was injured and there were too many of them. The clones fired indiscriminately into the group, the other clones fire suppressing them along the quad blaster to tear through them. Master Sorni bonded down the hallway to stop them, but she was already too late. Soon the Knight fall a blast bolt to one his legs bringing him to his knees and then continuous fire cutting him down. The younglings behind him fell afterwards, the bolts strong enough to carry their small frames into the air, as if the were punched in the gut . They didn't stop, they were just children, not a harm to anyone and they just did not stop. It was at that point that Master Sorni reached them. One of the clones saw her and told the rest of his squad, they quickly turned around to face the Jedi who had manged to close about three quarters of the distance between as she ignited her lightsaber. As she ran, she lifted her hand and concerted on the gunner with the quad blaster. In response a concerted blast of energy slammed into the Clone's chest an equivalent of getting a sledgehammer slammed into it, and he was sent flying backwards. As she got closer their aim got better, a few shots getting close and one hitting her upper left leg, but she barreled on blocking out the pain. She reached the first clone and caught his rifle with an underhand slash, before bringing her elbow hard into his face mask as she turned sprawling him flat on the ground. She weaved and danced the age old dance of the Jedi, her light saber flashing between and it went on by the end of it the five clones had been brought down, one dead, the rest incapacitated. She had more cuts and burns to add to the collecting but nothing that she couldn't deal with later, even though they did rage with a burning pain.

The pain in her leg and shoulder, stung and she generally was in pain, she looked at the clones around her still perplexed at was going on. That was when she saw the gunner with the quad blaster, struggling with his large pack and larger blaster to get up. Master Sorni slowly walked up to him deactivating her light saber and looked down at the solider, as he struggled. She had so many questions, she would of liked to ask the soldier but she didn't have time for questions, the time to find answers would be later. So she simply give the man a swift kick to the head, knocking him out before moving on. She walked slowly to the viewport and look outside, the smoke rising from seemingly everywhere, an occasional bolt of red, or flash of a lightsaber illuminating the clouds. It was then that she heard the footsteps turning around she saw a larger group of clones, blaster rifles raised and looking at her. Their were too many to handle in her current state. And at that moment she thought that was going to be it, her saber flashing to life and she prepared to make one last stand for the Jedi Order.

That was when another tremor shook the floor below them as sort of explosive was fired off below, and a groaning sound was heard as she felt the floor below herself begin to give way. The clones were loosing their footing as well shambling as it seemed the walkway was tilting to one side. A few moments later the entire floor give out from under her. She was suspended in air for a moment before she came hit into a wall and came crashing down with the rubble. Hitting against metal and stone she felt something crack in her ribs, as she tumbled and finally came to a stop. Coughing up dust and wiping the blood off of her face, a large cut now running down her right cheek. She was disoriented, and her ears were ringing but she sensed someone in front of her, and ignited her light saber which she somehow manged to hold onto in the fall. She was about to bring it to the assailants neck when she stopped pulling back and looking at the Noghri in front of her. A Noghri she had fought with during the clone wars, and judging from his appearance he had just almost been crushed and or blown up by whatever explosion brought the floor she was standing on almost down on top of him. Her lightsaber bladed flickered out of existence with a hum, as she spoke.

"Vor'loch? You got caught up in all of this as well?"

[Sep]

-snip-

[SonofJET]

Alaric was panting heavily, having just passed the midpoint of his exercise routine and coming to a stop in the middle of the training area. Sweat dripped from his deep blue skin at short, regular intervals, tickling the long tendrils that grew from his head before falling. The light sound the individual beads made as they dropped to the floor gave him something to focus on, and he seized the opportunity quickly, finding the rhythm of the drops, losing his conscious thought to it, and settling his body down for the rest of his exercise.

The rhythm reminded him somewhat of an intravenous drip, something he had seen quite a lot of recently...

The young Feeorin had been traveling with his Master, an elderly human named Yorik, for the past several months, completing various humanitarian missions in systems affected by the ongoing wars, and they had stopped back at Coruscant for a break. Yorik had raised concerns that Alaric was growing too focused on the morbid nature of their work, losing himself as they delved into those tragic environments.

The man was not far off. Alaric had noticed that his waking thoughts were always focused on the mission at hand, or on the horizon, and rarely in any hopeful way. Dark thoughts occupied his mind, ranging from the anticipation of encountering emotionally devastated individuals to trying his inexperienced hand at various emergency medical procedures.

He still had the occasional nightmare about his first time treating what was so clearly a doomed victim. The look of hope in their eyes, and the eyes of their children, at the realization that the mythical Jedi had come to their rescue, and the eventual dawning of heartbreak as it became evident that they would not survive. The wailing of survivors as he stood from beside the body, thick hot blood absolutely covering his hands and clothes.

Shaking his head, Alaric brought himself back to the present, no longer feeling fatigued, at the expense of his cheerful attitude only a few moments prior. In fact, he quickly began to feel sick, and his sweat immediately went cold, just as a wave of pure, relentless anguish ripped through his core. He fell to his knees, feeling hot, unfamiliar tears leap to his eyes as he began to understand what had happened.

As one familiar with death, and the pain it caused among those who cared for the deceased, Alaric quickly pieced together the morbid puzzle. He had been overcome by the Force, resonating with the death of many friends, teachers and those who were as close to family as many Jedi would ever know. Shortly thereafter, he felt the following grief, a far more subdued, sickening shudder that went through him.

They are dying... He thought, horrified as he heard the distant sound of blaster fire, of shipboard cannons laying waste to the temple he had called home. Of rolling thunder as structure failed and fell to the ground.

"Master!" Alaric gasped, realizing that Yorik had been speaking with a tribe of younglings, and that he would likely be defending them from whatever was assaulting the temple. Moving with a burst of Force-assisted speed, the Feeorin grabbed his belongings and raced towards the training halls, where he hoped to find his Master. Surely, he would know what to do.

Alaric only hoped that he could help to save as many lives as possible, and that they would all survive to see another day.

[ColonelCaboose]

Kraytan continued running down the hall he was in when the Temple shook as a hangar was bombarded with missiles destroying it and a part of the Temple along with it. "That didn't sound good..." He said to himself as he continued to move on. He was closing in on the Library, if he failed to protect the Temple today then so be it, but he had to destroy the Holocrons that contained the location of all force sensitive children at all costs. As he approached the Library he heard the sound of blasters, activating his lightsaber he ran forward through the large archway and saw his former masters battling off a few dozen clones. He hopped into the fray without another thought and caught the clones off guard as he came up from the rear. He began sweeping the area with his Lightsaber pike, cutting blasters and paralyzing clones. They were laying siege to the Temple, but even of all the times to adhere to the Jedi Code and to preserve life now was that time, for the dark energy that was looming over was merely waiting to fill anyone who would allow it to with the Dark Side. After several minutes the three Jedi had subdued the threat for now. "Masters! I am glad to see you are alive." Kraytan said as he deactivated his lightsaber.

"As well as you my padawan, but we have no time to exchange greetings we must preserve the knowledge of the Library." His mother said as she moved to the Holocron vault. His father stepped in front of her and waved his head back and forth In a disapproving way.

"While I would love to preserve this great Archive of knowledge, sadly I think it best to destroy it, less it fall into the wrong hands."

"But we can't! This is the Order's future right here!" She exclaimed as she pushed him aside and moved to the vault door opening it. Kraytan moved up and stood next to her. His face was masked, but she could very well sense that he agreed with his father.

"I am sorry master, but I agree that we must destroy the Holocrons. If the dark one who has come to the Temple gets his hands on the location of any force sensitive children or any of this knowledge housed here, he could very well use it as a tool to spread the influence of the Dark Side. Our Order must live on with the survivors of this attack, not by mere records. It will be a sad thing to see our history lost, but we shall rebuild it one day." Kraytan said as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She lowered her head, but acknowledged that he was right. The three Jedi went to work destroying the Holocrons and quickly left the vault. By now reinforcements had arrived in mass, there was too many even for the three Jedi.

"My padawan you must leave now while there is still time!" His mother yelled as he battled a group of clones. Kraytan was caught in the center of several clones and spun rapidly and cut the ends of their blasters before force pushing them all away.

"It is my duty to protect the Temple! You two must go!" He shouted back.

"The Temple has fallen, your duty is now to protect the Order and to ensure its survival! Leave now, that is an order from a member of the Jedi Council!" His father yelled to him as he was shot in the leg, his pain could be felt through the Force, but he battled on.

"Take this with you my padawan! It is a Holocron I have been saving for when the time was right! It will guide you on your path to becoming a Jedi Master as well as reveal the truth as to who you really are!" His mother said as she tossed him a Jedi Holocron. He caught it and watched as a rifleman on the balcony above fired a round right into her chest and sent her to the floor. Time seemed to stop around him as his former master's hand hit the floor and her lightsaber rolled out of it. His father looked on in shock before raising a large force barrier to protect them from the dozens of blaster bolts.

"Get out of here now and take this with you, I won't need it anymore..." His father said as he tossed him his blue lightsaber. Kraytan caught it and gave him a look in the eye one last time before calling on the force to bring his mother's green lightsaber to him. He clipped both of them on his belt and placed the Holocron in a pouch and took off running. As he ran down a nearby hall he could feel the Force's energy swell up in the Library and disperse into a million directions, he could also feel as hundreds of voices disappeared in the blink of an eye. He continued running, almost blindly, not sure where he should even go that was until his communicator began to buzz.

"Kraytan this is Deja! The Master has ordered a full retreat! The Temple has been overridden! the Hangars are being destroyed or being flooded with clones. Our new pritority is to ensure the safety of all escaping Jedi and to see them off world. We are to abandon the Temple with whoever we can find." Kraytan didn't reply, he understood his orders, but as of right now he was trying to combat the loss of his two former masters. He was a Temple Guard, he had been trained to be detached to everything, to be able to make objective decisions, but he had never experienced a loss like this before. He did his best to push the thoughts to the deepest recessions of his mind and headed for the training halls, they were the closest and most vital location near him now that the Library had been overrun.

[Bounce]

As an Anzat, the youngling normally breathed with such subtlety as to be neigh imperceptible, even with medical scanners. It could make people around him uncomfortable, for the notion that he didn't breathe. The fact that his heartbeat was likewise undetectable made it seem as though Sor-Jan was precisely the monster that the legends made his species out to be. Now, as he ran, the young boy was palpably aware of each breath, as it seemed to stick in his throat with a sensation of ice, as tension and anxiety squeezed every breath he took back out of his lungs. The luminous blue eyes were wide with terror, even as he plunged out into the mezzanine on the heels of his youngling clan. His training saber was in the grip of his left hand, because his right was holding fast to the Nautolan boy. And neither was willing to let go.

The sounds of blaster fire echoed through the halls, growing louder even as the pair of boys rushed headlong toward the sound, pushed onward by the hands of the Mon Calamari weapon master behind them. And then, they were there. Blue bolts of charged ions went searing through the air, most at eye level to the youngings, sending a series of terrified cries through the gathering of small ones as they were urged out into the corridor. The other weapon master was standing there, wielding two lightsabers as he moved to deflect the incoming rain of terror. As he turned his head, feeling the direction in which the crowd was being directed, Sor-Jan could see the Thisspiasian master out in front of the younglings, the bearded snake's yellow lightsaber weaving a golden thread through the air...

...as it cut apart men in white armor, their blood evaporating into a pinkish steam as their bodies were bisected by the Jedi's indiscriminate blade.

Sor-Jan gave a yelp as the panic overwhelmed him at the realization that people were dying. He had never seen death before. Not like this. Certainly not here, and yet, the nightmare was real. Tears slipped down the boy's face as he turned his head, and saw the Zabrak youngling - a kid his age, from his clan - lying still on the floor, a smoking hole burned in between his shoulder blades. He saw an armored man separated into three pieces, before being violently cast aside by the Thisspiasian's incessant press forward. The child's breath shuddered then, as his mind was slow in comprehending what it had just witnessed. Defenders of life, protectors of liberty, sentries of democracy were all very heroic ideals... cast now into bloodshed and violence, things he would have attributed to evil but committed by the Jedi he loved the most.

He didn't understand. As he looked around, as he struggled in the midst of surroundings intimately familiar, his home, yearning, desperate for anything familiar he could hold onto, the youngling was overwhelmed by the singular realization that he understood nothing. And, as his mind reeled in lack of comprehension for the sight of things mirrored in his eyes, Sor-Jan realized... he didn't want to understand.

From all sides, the youngling was overcome by waves resonating through the Force like an explosion, pummeling his body as though being assaulted by a hundred fists at once. Numbly, the child could see in his mind the weapon master being struck down as the hail of blaster fire overwhelmed the Jedi. Zak, the Nautolan tightened his grip on Sor-Jan's hand, as though fearful that the Anzati was letting go. The sensation bolstered something within the youngling, as the raven-haired youth raised his head back up, catching his breath as he continued to push his body to keep going at the maddening pace set by the serpent-like Sentinel up ahead.

A series of tremors tore through the temple, noticeably more violent than those he had felt before. Azul Gol just stopped, the younglings skidding to a halt behind their master, as the bearded snake seemed to peer upward as though gazing somewhere beyond the ceiling. That was the first time that Sor-Jan had realized how few of them now were, as fully half of his clan was missing.

No, not missing. They were back there. Like the Zabrak boy that he had seen.

"Azul, we cannot stay here!" the Mon Cal weapon master shouted hoarsely, as the orange-skinned amphibian moved in a blur of motion and energy, deflecting blaster bolts back toward their attackers behind them.

"The hangars... they're gone," the Thisspiasian was heard to whisper, as he turned his attention back to the corridor before them, as more of the white armored soldiers poured out into the hallway before them. Blasters to the left of them. Blasters to the right. The Thisspiasian coiled his body tightly as he seemed torn between the right course of action, until there was no more time for meditation. "We stand. We fight. FOR THE REPUBLIC!"

With that, the serpent launched himself at the encroaching soldiers before them. Gone, in a moment, leaving Sor-Jan and Zak bewildered as blaster bolts began sailing by from both sides. Reluctantly, the boys let go of one another, taking up positions with one behind the other, back-to-back, lightsabers ready. It was as thought this was what they had been training for...

...but really, what had they been training for? Certainly not this.

Pulling his training saber into a tight orbit, the youngling felt himself lifted up by the force of impact as the blaster bolt connected with his blade. A shot from behind him strayed too close, splitting open the shoulder seam of his tunic as he felt a searing pain run down his arm. Squealing, in pain and in terror, the boy staggered to his right. But there was no stopping them. No time out. No second chances. All around him, the people he had thought of as brother and sister were falling down under the rain of blue blaster bolts. And that was when Sor-Jan had an epiphany, a single moment of clarity where he felt as though he were one with the Force.
And a voice whispered inside his mind and said, I'm going to die now.

But it was all right. Somehow, the youngling was at peace. As though he were waiting for it to happen, or even wanting it to.
Behind him, the Mon Cal weapon master pivoted around on one foot, holding out his free hand toward the two remaining younglings - the Anzati and the Nautolan boy. With the simplest of applications, the Jedi instructor lifted both boys into the air and flung them into a ventilation grate. As the grate gave, the younglings tumbled down into darkness, with only a single word spoken.

"Live."

[Heat]

Rego ran down the corridors of the Archives, he heard blaster fire and screams every so often. As he ran he felt the sound of blaster fire get louder, then stopped when it was at its loudest. Rego was standing near an archway where several Jedis were battling a massive wave of clones, finally he found some of his own kind, and not more murderous clones. The Jedi knight gripped his lightsaber and prepared to rush into battle until he realized just how many clones there really were, and how few Jedi there were. No matter how much he hated to admit it, he had to get out of here and leave these Jedi to their sacrifice. One of the Temple guards was thrown something and started down the hallway.

A blaster bolt landed near Rego's feet as he was spotted by the attacking clones. Another just missed clipping him in the arm. He rose his hand up, and summoned the Force like he had so many times before, using it to push the clones firing at him over. That would only give him a brief moment of peace, but tjust long enough for him to break off from the battle and escape, hopefully catching up with the guard on the way. He channeled the Force again, sprinting down the same corridor that the guard had. This guard seemed to be heading for the Training Halls, which seemed like a smart idea, there were probably more friendlies there. Rego managed to gain ground and catch up some with the guard. He shouted out, hoping to get the man's attention.

"Hey you! Wait up!" He shouted, loweing his pace down to a jog in which he rose his arms to swing his unlit lightsaber, signaling that he was a Jedi.

[ColonelCaboose]

Kraytan stopped in his tracks as another Jedi came running after him. He allowed him to catch up, but made sure to keep his guard up, who knows where more clones were going to pop out of. The Temple shook slightly again, no doubt another run by starfighters over head. "Hurry up, I have been given direct orders by the Temple Guard Master. The Temple has fallen, I am to round up all survivors I can and ensure their escape. I must survey the Training Halls for any padawans or imitates. They need the most protection." Kraytan said as his communicator beeped. He activated it and put it on speaker for the fellow jedi to hear.

"This is a message to all surviving Temple Guards, be on the look out for a dark figure. The dark side surrounds him, I believe him to be the Sith responsible for this attack. Others report he was also responsible for the massacre of a group of younglings. Several Guards have engaged him and have been terminated. As Temple Guards I have instilled all of you with the greatest courage and to never fear any opponent, but I order all Guards to avoid the Sith at all costs, however if you do so, let it be as a sacrifice so others may live. May the Force be with you all on this dark night." Kraytan deactivated the communicator and placed it back in his pocket. He began to head to the Training Halls again Lightsaber Pike in hand.

"Come, we shall round up any survivors in the Training Halls and I shall escort you to safety." Kraytan said to his fellow Jedi. He didn't doubt the face that the man couldn't protect himself, but Temple Guards were highly trained in defensive lightsaber forms and to protect others.

[Jaeda Fel]

The pain through the force had hit like a wave, almost simultaneously assaulting the padawan with the sounds of blasters and shouts. The tall, slender Vahla had been in a time of private, quiet study in a more secluded corner of the archives while she waited for her master to meet her. She would look at the process of the telekinetic mastery skill practice and then once again try and successfully move the stone ball in a spiral up to the rim of the bowl without causing it to tip or allow the ball to slide and then fail... again. When the commotion started and the pain hit, she had nearly shattered the bowl and the holocron she had been using for her research. She was on her feet in an instant, as she threw her things in to a small bag at her hip. Something was horribly horribly wrong.

Keilara began running through the rows of archives, drawing closer to the sound of blaster fire and screams as she rushed for the main area of the library. She could feel the death now and the fear. She never stopped moving, though her hand found it's way to the lightsaber at her thigh and she began to reach out with the force in search of her master's presence. Stretching her mind to the limit, she finally felt his presence and called out to him with her thoughts, Master! Master, what is going o- Her frantic thoughts were cut short as the familiar presence seemed to blink out of existence. A cold shock of fear flowed through her body. She had to know what was wrong. She had to find one of the knights or masters. The red-haired padawan did not have to wonder much longer, as a strong feeling to react and move had her swiftly taking cover behind a set of shelves before she had even seen the clone that fired at her. The blaster bolt narrowly missed her head and burned through the wall behind her. Not good, not good, not good! I'm beginning to think my people were nomads for a reason. OhVahl! Why are the clones attacking us here?! Now I really really should find someone.

Thoughts running faster than an angry Krayt Dragon could snap, Keilara ignited her lightsaber and snapped up, managing to deflect another blaster bolt as she turned to run. She extended her sense in the force again, looking for any presence near by that would represent one of the Jedi Knights or Masters. She managed to find what she thought were two Knights moving quickly toward the training rooms. The distraction was somewhat costly, however. A searing pain shot through her side and up her back from a shot she could not detect while looking for help. The wound just above her hip was near impossible to ignore, though she tried her hardest. She had to buy herself a little more time. Turning to face the pair of clones trying to kill her, she gathered the force as best she could and used it to slam them back as hard as she could. It wouldn't do much damage, but it would help her flee in the direction of the closest presences she sensed, and flee Keila did. Clutching her side with the hand closest and the other wielding her lightsaber, now dormant but at the ready, she ran the quickest paths she knew to the corridor she had sensed them on and hoped to the Force and any god anywhere that might exist that she hadn't just made a huge mistake.

The pair came in to sight just as one caught up to the other. The one waiting, to her relief, appeared to be a Temple Guard. Breathless, frightened, and in pain, Keilara tried to call out, but her weakened voice was lost to the distance between. The Vahla reached out to the presences just ahead in the distance with her mind. She had never been so grateful her master had encouraged her learning of telepathy through the force. "Please! Please, wait for me, too!"

[Bounce]

A loud murmur resonated through the ventilation shafts which snaked through the walls of the Training Halls, the sound slowly building until it was almost recognizable. Two bodies tumbled in a free fall, propelled by the power of the Force which had flung them into the air duct after which gravity had taken hold for the remainder of the journey. Sor-Jan thought he may have screamed at one point, his voice lost in what seemed a continuous echo that drowned out his own hearing as light and dark became alternating glimpses of a world without either direction or orientation. There was merely the fall.

Finally, the raven-haired Anzati’s body connected with something, a ventilation grate that gave under the youngling’s weight, spilling the boy out so that he very nearly collided with a crimson haired Vahla as the teenager went running past where the youngling was unceremoniously spilled out onto the floor, before a second youngling tumbled out behind him.

Disheveled, dirty, blistered, and bleeding, the two younglings peered up in a fog of panic as each struggled to try and get their bearings now that they were no longer tumbling through the ventilation shaft. As Sor-Jan eyes focused on the three individuals he saw now, his mouth fell open with a million questions… and, yet, so much confusion that he wasn’t certain what any of them were anymore.

When the pair nearly collided with her as they fell, Keilara spun around. Startled and unsure of what nearly hit her, she had ignited her lightsaber as she moved. However, when she spotted the frightened younglings she tapped the switch again and restored it to the holster on her thigh. She was too on edge, but she couldn’t quite tell herself it was uncalled for. Wincing from the pain of the previous sudden movement, one hand still covering the wound on her side, the Vahla girl offered a hand to the closer, young Anzati. “Come on. You must get up quickly.”

She lightly jerked her head in the direction of the Temple Guard and other Jedi, reading the confusion on his face, “They might be able to tell us what is happening, too.”

“Indeed I can tell you. The Temple Master has ordered a full retreat. The Temple has fallen, a Sith is responsible for leading the attack and is highly dangerous. I have strict orders to round up any survivors I can find and ensure they escape. These were the last orders given to me by the Temple Master and they be his last, so either way I am honor bound to make sure all of you escape this defiled place alive.” Kraytan said to the padawan’s. Right now he seemed the most capable to lead as well as to fight. He was the only uninjured member of the group, but he didn’t believe that would last long though. The other knight however he trusted would be strong enough to fight in needed, but as of right now he would take point and cover the others.

With a turn of his heels Kraytan began walking with his Lightsaber Pike in hand down the hallway they were in. He reached the end of the hallway and hear the sound of boots marching as well as voices. “Check over here! We must do a full sweep of the Temple, General Vader’s commands…” Kraytan knew the sound would cause panic for his group and moved quickly to not keep them waiting on what his plan was. He placed his hand on the large marble wall and slid it back and forth, using the Force to search for something. His hand stopped as he felt the lever behind the wall and used the Force to pull on it. A small door opened up in the wall and he ushered everyone inside. It was a small two person wide dusty hallway that had was dimly lit, but it was their only hope for staying out of sight right now.

“Come younglings this way there is no time to waste.” Kraytan said as he stood by the door and waved his hands ushering them forward.

Rego heard the clones too, he then watched the Temple Guard open the secret door, it was nice little trick he had to admit that, would get the younger Jedi out of danger for the time being. He looked at the young Jedi and spoke to them, agreeing with the Guard. “He’s right, move it.”

The Jedi knight hoped they would find a larger group, he didn’t feel that confident in his chances for survival even if he was with a skilled Temple Guard, the issue that concerned him was the younglings. They were the most vulnerable, he didn’t know how they would do in a fight against a large wave of clones and especially didn’t want to think what would happen if they ran into this ‘Lord Vader’ that the clones had mentioned, who was most likely the force user that had led the attack on the temple. Anyone who could literally walk into a Temple full of hundreds of Jedi, defeat many of them and live through it was someone powerful indeed.

“So am I right to assume that we’re going to face the clone troopers?” Rego asked Kraytan quietly, still clenching his lightsaber, he didn’t dare to speak too loud in case the clones heard him. “We could probably get the jump on them, leap out right as they come, catch them by surprise.”

“No, the time to fight is over, we must flee. The Temple is filled with secret passages and for now we shall use them to our advantage, because it won’t be long before the clones figure that out. This passage will lead us to the heart of the Temple Guard Chamber’s, it is a secret place and only the High Council knows of its location. If we are lucky we shall meet up with any other survivors there. If not we have two options, press on into the maintenance shafts the run underneath the Temple and into the city or head to the cargo bay and make our escape through there.” Kraytan said as he readied to shut the door once everyone was in. The sound of marching was growing closer and he could sense his heart as well as the others beginning to speed up.

[Sep]

-snip-

[Jaeda Fel]

Keilara did not hesitate to move at the orders of the older Jedi, though her mind seemed to spin at the information. Clones with the Sith and the Temple fallen? She did not want to imagine the power behind the Sith... this 'Lord Vader' the nearing troopers spoke of and she firmly denied that spark of Vahla blood that tried to ignite her mind with a slow growing greed for power like that and freedom from the Temple's Order. Vahl was nothing more than a swear to her, not a god, and no Sith was actually free, she reminded herself as she entered the secret door that the Temple Guard had opened. She seemed to naturally try to gently herd the two younger ones in before her.

She took a breath, quiet and slow, once inside the dim hall. She needed to calm herself, to restore her mind to balance and to check her fear. If she didn't she couldn't absorb the situation properly and that kind of denial or distraction could kill her. She looked at the blaster wound just above her hip and thought to herself I've proven that much already. Instead of focusing on the fear, she focused on the soft words of the pair of Knights. The boot steps grew closer but she allowed them to take a secondary place to the voices. The other was trying to formulate a plan, or perhaps guess the Guard's, but it seemed the Temple Guard already had full orders. Honor bound by duty and dying words of a master to save survivors, Keilan recalled his first words to herself and the younglings. However, it was not until she heard the direct statement that the meaning hit her fully. ... The time to fight is over, we must flee. She pushed back a wave of dizzying sickness with another soft, slow breath.

"So... It really is finished?" She exhaled the words so quietly, she wasn't sure anyone would hear. "The Temple really has fallen to the Sith?"

[Bounce]

Holding onto the Vahla teen’s hand, whilst his own was being clung to by the Nautolan boy, the young Anzati trailed along with the Jedi in confusion and awe at the revelation of passages into the Temple he had never seen before. Perhaps he wanted to ask where they going. Perhaps he wanted to ask what was happening, or why it was happening. But none of that mattered. The youngling was overwhelmingly grateful for the comfort offered by so simple, so basic a gesture as offering a hand to a child. Both younglings huddled close to the padawan, even as they were urged and ushered onward. But neither boy voiced any complaint. It wasn’t safety, but they weren’t alone. That would do for now.

The Jedi - the real Jedi who were actual knights - were commenting on something, a point which had sailed well above the youngling's head. But it hadn't missed the red-haired teen that the boy was trailing so close to, who commented on it as well. Vader. Sith.

That last was actually familiar, though it was a moment before Sor-Jan could recall why. The Sith were supposed to have been bad people, who fell to the Dark Side of the Force. Just what the Dark Side was, exactly, Sor-Jan wasn't precisely certain. He gathered however that, in general, the Sith had been them and the heroic Jedi were the obvious us. And, besides, hadn't that all been in history class, because it was... well... history?

"I thought the Sith were all gone," the child voiced quietly, looking up at the padawan rather than the knights, as though expecting to have needed to have asked for permission before speaking.

[Hexaflexagon]

Collab with Jakeozzy

Master Sorni, nodded as she listened to Jedi knight. The cargo bays, made sense after all they would expect them to try and exit through the hangers but not through bays usually reserved for surplus supplies and garbage. But the problem of the knocked out padawan was something she had to address, for heading through the killing fields of the temple as they were with here would not end well for anyone. But then something dawned upon her the service corridors used by the maintenance staff. They provided a straight shot down, without having to run into much resistance from the fire teams. She just had to find one of the entrances. It was at about that time that the clones began to close in on them. As Vor’loch agreed to hold them off, she bowed her head in thanks as she picked up the girl and turned to face the other direction. The two of them had fought in enough battles during the previous three years, to know that no other words were needed, they knew their destination and the plan, any other talk would just delay them. But they knew that they would might each other again soon enough.

The Jedi Master ran back towards the collapsed bridge, where Vor’loch had found the girl. The gap was too large even with force powers to get across. She couldn't turn back at that point, she could still hear the sounds of blaster fire coming from down the hall, going the other way would just get her and the girl killed. So she went the only way, she could she wrapped her arms tighter around the girl pulling her as close to her chest as possible, before jumping down the hole. She braced herself as she landed on her feet, the lower floors were more or less empty as the clones had moved deeper into the temple to finish the extermination but they had left sentires about. One of which Master Sorni ended up landing right in front of, the two figures stood looking at one another for a lone moment of silence. But Master Sorni took the initiative throwing her shoulder into his right arm, forcing his rifle to go off balance as he fired the bolt know only burning the skin around her elbow as if grazed her rather than killing her outright. The clone got up to recover and fire again but he didn't have the chance as he heard the signature pophiss of a lightsaber being ignited and then moments later a sharp pain in his lower abdomen. The clones eyes fell on the jedi as he fell, she had her lightsaber propped underneath the padawan as she held her in both arms, the saber singeing the padawans robe but doing no more. The clone let out an indiscernible grugle as he fell to the ground.

The Jedi Master looked around, seeing if the other sentries had heard her; but so far she seemed fortunate. She looked along the walls, up and down the right and left side for a long moment searching for something. Then she found it a small hatch built into the wall, that had locked down automatically when the temple had been invaded, preventing an invader for sneaking around the defense and getting the drop on the Jedi and Temple Guards. But the reinforced door would not stop her for long. She laid the girl against the wall and ignited her lightsaber once again jamming it into the door, using the force to alter the damage down by the lightsaber itself as it began to sink through the door. That was when she heard the footsteps and the shouting she cursed under her breath, of course she wouldn't be that lucky. She would disengage from the door and fight the clones, but she wouldn't be able to protect the girl and she was her top priority at the moment. As she was reaching the end of the cut through the door, she could see them now and when the panel came way, they began to open fire open them. Master Sorni turned deflecting the most immediate bolts away. She looked in front of her and saw a piece of the bridge resting on the floor. She came up with a plan quickly as she reached towards the piece and put all her energy into it, and the piece lifted up off the ground only by an inch, for an inch was all she needed. Laser bolts continued to fly around her, some getting too close for comfort but beside grazing her none did serious damage, but her training keep her in focus and a moment later she propelled the large horizontal piece of bridge at the squad forcing them to dive away or be knocked down. In the momentary confusion, she picked up the girl throwing her good shoulder and slipped into the shaft. The girl and her tumbling through the maintenance shaft as it rushed downwards, falling into the darkness…

By the time Master Sorni had reached the bottom, of the long descent downward, she was breathing heavily. Her injuries were slowing, her down and she didn't know how much more she could take. The path diverge in two directions from their point, one deeper into the darkness and towards the lower cargo bays and one slanting back upwards. Her back was pressed against the wall, the girl lying in front of her as she attempted to address some of her own wounds at the current moment. Ripping pieces from her robe and using them as makeshift bandages to at least stave off the bleeding momentarily. She looked down at the girl and muttered to herself with a sigh.

“You know, young one if you were awake. You and I would be in a much better situation than we are now.”

As Master Sorni finished speaking, there was finally a sign of life from the young Padawan as the girl picked herself up off the ground with her arms. She then used one to grip the back of her head, a little blood rubbing off on her hand. It didn't look like a lot though, and Erin wasn't exactly freaking out at the pain. "Agh, my head..." Looking around, she quickly realised this wasn't where she fell unconscious. How much time had passed, and where was she now? Her tired eyes met with Master Sorni's, then scanned along her robes to see those various battle scars she'd earned recently. Yet here was Erin without a scratch, save for that smack on the head earlier. No, she couldn't have... Not with all those Clones swarming the temple! That's absolutely insane... But if she is a Jedi Master, that would explain why we didn't bite it yet.

"Master? ...Did.. you save me?" Erin asked, looking quite guilty and moving closer to inspect the wounds. Then her mind raced. There were currently just two of them, it was hard not to assume the worst had happened and that they were alone. "Wait.. The Temple? What's the situation now? Has anyone else escaped? What about the younglings?"

The Jedi Master looked at the young Padawan, as she came to and began asking a series of questions. She marveled at the young ones ability as they all seemed to be able to be filled with energy after being almost blown up, shot, tortured etc. As she asked about the Temple and everyone within, the Jedi looked away for a moment, before turning back with a sigh as she finished tying her makeshift bandage. “Calm down young one, you must control the fear and anger within in you.” Master Sorni explained gently as she got to her feet slowly.

“The Temple as you know is under siege by the clones for reasons that even I do not know. We can no longer hold out against them and many people; Jedi or not are dying. We are currently in the Maintenance Corridors running through the temple. We are heading for the cargo bays in the lower level to meet up with Jedi Knight Vor’loch and any other survivors he can find. So I would not say that you are saved just yet.” Master Sorni explained as she began to head down the sloping corridor towards the cargo bay. She walked for a few moments more before turning her head over her shoulder and giving the Padawan a small smile.

“If you want to just sit there and wait for the clones to come find you; I will not stop you. But if you wish to live to not let all those that died and are dying to protect the temple to allow the likes of us to escape. Then it would be best to follow me.” She said as she began to head out again, not bothering to look behind her again to see if the girl is coming.

“Coming!” Erin chimed in almost instantly, taking both her lightsabers off their belt clips and following obediently behind the Master. After being told to calm and control herself, the girl looked much more at ease, but kept a fairly serious demeanor. There was no way she was going to get out of here alone, and she doubted that the Jedi Master would either, even if she had pulled them both through so far with just one arm. Erin didn’t believe in strength in numbers after playing her part in the war, but she agreed that nobody should fight alone. “...Master?” She asked as they began to move, “My name is Erin Corona, I was Padawan to Master Sabalya until.. this happened. Could I please learn your name?”

Master Sorni, tried her best to hide the smile on her face as she turned to the girl as they continued to move down the corridor. “My name is Valka Sorni and I’ve worked with Master Sabalya before… he had only good things to say about you. So let me be the first to say that it is a pleasure to have you awake again..” And with nothing else said they progressed deeper and deeper as the temple around them shook as the LAATs continued to bombard the temple from above.