Star Wars The Shadow War - Times End - Two new factions opened up! - Legacy: War spoilers!

IC: General Hector Zey
Council Chambers, Temple of Light

"He will be the one you least expect, the one hidden in plain sight." Zey did his best to hide his surprise. This interrogation was yielding answers, though the veracity of them was another matter. He looked first to one side, then to the other, trying to gauge the reactions of the remainder of the Council, and even the others here in the Chamber. Their silence was vexing. If they had any insight into what this Dark Lady was saying, any questions to ask of her, he would be intrigued to hear them. If not, than the interrogation would be short lived. Still Darth Sixtus continued on. "My advice? Look for the warmest, kindest Jedi among you, and that will probably be him." The elderly human stroked his beard. The warmest, most kind among them. Now who could that be?

TAG: Master Selkath, Mitth_Fisto, The_Zeltron, Falcon, Ananta Chetan, Rebecca_Daniels

---

IC: Knight Letali, Knight Elim Rand, Knight Alyali Pasholl (NPCS)
Library, Temple of Light

Knight Letali tried to hide her disappointment at not being asked to help Kai with whatever his project was. She had come to think of the Temple Library as kind of her second home, and if Kai was researching something here, she was sure she could help. She retreated towards a desk near the entrance thinking to herself. Some people wanted to do things on their own, Kai must be one of those people. She would leave him be for now and if he needed help he knew where to find her.

She sat down at the desk she had "claimed" as her own and opened the book she had left there from her last visit. The Clone Wars, from Geonosis to Operation: Knightfall. It was a rather large volume, and she already knew the ending of course, but she still found it fascinating. The details on the beginning of the Jedi Purge were especially poignant given the more recent purges of a few decades ago. But the most fascinating question to Letali was how had the Jedi missed the Sith lord in their midst? How had Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious fooled them all? How had he shared rooms with them, talked to them, without revealing what he really was? Had the Jedi managed to find him out earlier so much death and destruction could have been spared the Galaxy...

She was interrupted from her thoughts (and her reading) by a low cough, a polite hint at the arrival of someone else here in the library. Looking up from the old flimsi pages she saw the slightly mirthful look of Knight Elim Rand accompanied by a more reserve looking Knight Alyali Pasholl. "Oh, excuse me," Letali said standing up slowly to bow. Rand waved her back down to her seat. "We've both," he indicated his female companion, "been summoned here by Kai Dareagen. Could you direct us on where to find him?"

So that's why he didn't need my assistance, he already had other helpers. Well that made sense. "Of course, anything to help," she replied with a smile before directing the two human Knights back to where Kai had set up shop.

TAG: galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Suraya Archisa
Council Chambers

Sitting silently and relaxing in the respite from the interrogation Suraya signaled the same proficient Temple attendant as before to her side and whispered a request to which the young sentient quickly exited the Chambers and returned handing her a small packet.As the Council quietly contemplated the scenario Suraya rose from her chair and gradually walked towards where Sixtus stood alone in the room's center.

And what would you do with your freedom? If the Council agreed to release you...let you walk out of the Temple right now, without any strings...what would you do? Suraya then came to a halt nearly face to face with the Sith woman and stood before her in a serene pose. You say you seek our love...that it is all that you want, okay...extending her hand slowly she offered Sixtus a medical cold pack for her eye...now what?


TAG Bardan_Jusik Falcon Mitth_Fisto The_Zeltron

 

IC: Ian Thrace
TCC, Temple of Light, Saridona Prime.

Ian didn't find "Battershell's" attempts to mollify him very convincing, though no one else really seemed to share the padawan's concerns until Ms. Sandstrider spoke up.

"On the other hand, if this Sith is good enough to hide in plain sight they've probably got tricks up their sleeves. I don't fancy getting stabbed in the back...literally. Lightsaber wounds hurt like nothing else. So we'd want to have some tricks of our own. Anyone here have any ideas?"

"Finally," sighed Ian under his breath, someone was talking some sense around here! He had no urge to go running off into the clutches of the Sith infiltrator, saboteur, traitor or whatever they were calling it now. He felt the weight of the lightsabers on his belt having no illusions of just how ineffective he would be should he come face to face with the...whatever it was.

Master...or was it still Knight? Sandstrider's words gave Ian reason to worry though. It seemed he was giving the official go ahead to their unofficial "Sith hunt". Given the way he looked right now Ian wasn't sure that the male Sandstrider sibling was thinking this all through. Knight Larod seemed to have a handle on the situation though.

"Has the Sith prisoner said anything that might help us in our search?"

Yes, thought Ian. Let the Sith give up their own secrets so that the Knights and Masters could take care of the threat and leave him out of it. His thoughts strayed to the Sith woman who he knew to be in captivity. He hoped she wasn't the one being questioned, he didn't want that brute Taab to hurt her as he was sure to do if he had any role in it. She was so....intoxicating, he found that just thinking about her left him slightly short of breath. He blushed slightly, hoping no one else had noticed his mental lapse and peaked over at Daniel. Maybe he could tell them something more about what was going on in the Council Chambers.

TAG: Tim Battershell, Padawan4687, Skywalker_T-65, @Bardan Jusik, Zurros Ka

 

IC: Darth Sixtus (NPC)
Council Chambers, Temple of Light

"And what would you do with your freedom? If the Council agreed to release you...let you walk out of the Temple right now, without any strings...what would you do?" The question caught Sixtus completely unprepared, not the first time that this Mirialan had accomplished that feat. She shouldn't even be here Sixtus thought as her mind raced.

"You say you seek our love...that it is all that you want, okay" She reached out with a cold pack. Sixtus flinched away at first, as if afraid it would cause her more pain, but looking to Archisa she knew that wasn't this Jedi's plan. So she took the cold pack and applied it to her battered face, alleviating the pain just a little. The kindness from this Jedi surprised her and threw her off balance. From others here she had sensed nothing but a desire to kill her or to cause her further pain, though the Togruta master, Piim, smiled at the Jedi's actions. Neither were at all what Sixtus had expected upon her capture. "Now what?"

This was so unexpected, she didn't know what was going to happen next...and without even thinking about it she told the truth. "I don't know."

TAG: Master Selkath, Mitth_Fisto, The_Zeltron, Falcon, Ananta Chetan, Rebecca_Daniels

---

IC: Darth Harbinger (NPC)
Prisoner Cell 1A, Stockade, Temple of Light

From far above where he sat, Darth Harbinger could feel the conflict within Darth Sixtus, the pain and the confusion. Her interrogation was not going as she thought it might, that much was clear, though Harbinger knew that this was all coming. Naturally he had not told Sixtus everything, and he had told Cavillous even less. He suspected neither would have gone through with all of this had they known the final outcome, and there was but one final outcome. This would all end in fire and death, that much had not changed, it could not change. Harbinger smiled to himself in his prison cell. Everything was going just as he had forseen.

TAG: No one.

 

IC: Kasha Sherland
Council Chambers Temple of Light

"Now what?"

"I don't know."

Kasha nodded as she sensed the truth from Sixtus. She also sensed the woman was put off balance by Knight Archisa’s kindness. Sometimes a little kindness can go a long way.Who would this kind warm hearted Jedi she spoke of that would be the traitor amongst the group she talked about or was it to throw everyone off? The dark side can shroud and deceive even the most elite Jedi. Otherwise they would’ve caught Palpatine sooner. “You say you want love. A Jedi is compassionate, loving, and kind. A Jedi’s compassion is not to kill in cold blood, to protect others who are defenseless to protect those who can't protect themselves and preserve life. A Sith in the past has always spouted the same lies about being able to keep others from dying. Anakin Skywalker was promised he could keep his wife from dying in his visions. Padme died protecting their children from Vader and Palpatine. My ancestor was a good friend of his before he turned to the dark side. I saw her diary and in one entry she mentioned about the visions he was having and that was the most likely reason he turned to the dark side. It was the only thing that stood out to her. The edge Palpatine had over him. Anakin didn’t deal with loss too well and that was his downfall in the end. He became a twisted version of himself, it destroyed him and everything he stood for and believed in.”

“Best to be on our guard,” Kasha continued with a frown as she watched the council closely for their reactions. She turned her attention to Master Zey. “With your permission, Grand Master. I would like to escort the prisoner down to the med ward to have her wounds attended to properly,” she glared at Taab. “Since they were inflicted after she was captured, it’s the least we can do.”

Bardan_Jusik, Master Selkath, Mitth_Fisto, The_Zeltron, Ananta Chetan, Rebecca_Daniels

 

IC: Eira Dryn
Council Chambers

Damned Sith. The woman made her skin crawl with every word. While interrogating her might be a good idea, Eira was of the opinion they should remove her sooner rather than later, if only to get that creepy feeling from spreading.

(If given the choice, she'd have executed the Sith right away. She couldn't find any sympathy for this woman, not after she'd seen Knight Lycar killed.)

"You will tell us what you know, or I will have him torture you. He once tortued our kind while in the service of the Sith. I find a poetic justice is served by allowing him to return the favor."

Good. Eira kept her glare steady at the back of the Sith's head and her arms crossed defensively, defiantly. Sith deserved nothing less. But instead she answered their questions, unsettling Eira further.

"My advice? Look for the warmest, kindest Jedi among you, and that will probably be him."

She had been right not to trust the Jedi. One of them was a Sith in disguise. Undetectable. Unknown. And meanwhile a Mirialan - some Jedi she hadn't yet met, Eira presumed - wanted to heal her, help her, as did Knight Sherland. Wasn't it obvious they had to push the woman for more information? She could lead them to the Sith, surely. Eira broke her glare at the Sith to glance at the council, then looked away. No, better to keep her opinions to herself; she had the feeling it wouldn't be welcome.

TAG: Bardan_Jusik Master Selkath Mitth_Fisto The_Zeltron Falcon Ananta Chetan

 

IC: Kasha Sherland
Council Chambers Temple of Light

"You will tell us what you know, or I will have him torture you. He once tortued our kind while in the service of the Sith. I find a poetic justice is served by allowing him to return the favor."

"Torture and revenge is not the Jedi way. These are feelings that feed the dark side of the Force," Kasha pointed out with a frown. "In the words of Master Yoda. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. The dark side are they, quick they flow to join you in a fight. The feelings will consume you and you will become what you hate the most."

Bardan_Jusik, Master Selkath, Mitth_Fisto, The_Zeltron, Ananta Chetan

 

IC: General Hector Zey
Council Chambers, Temple of Light

The tide had shifted, all the Jedi in the Council Chamber had felt it. Even though she was their prisoner, it had seemed that Sixtus had been in control of the conversation here, but no longer. With her words and her single act of compassion Archisa had upset the balance that this Darth Sixtus had endeavored to create. The time to press was now, if they continued to push the Jedi could tip things completely in their favor. If they could get Sixtus to break, then maybe, maybe, the Jedi had a chance to break this force forsaken siege.

But there was dissension still in the Council chambers. Knight Sherland had made her feelings known before the entire Council regarding torture of the prisoner. Those feelings had also been expressed in front of that very same prisoner. He saw no way that the discord within the Chamber could be missed by the Sith Lady before them, and no doubt that she would do her best to exploit it. Zey couldn't allow that to happen, he couldn't allow her to fracture the Jedi further, but he knew there was so much more that she had not yet told them.

Sherland had also offered to escort the prisoner to the Temple Infirmary, to address her injuries. Zey saw no point in letting Sixtus off the hook so easily, he knew in his heart of hearts that now was the time to put even more pressure on this Sith. It was not the time to "let off the throttle", Archisa's actions and words, her very presence had disconcerted Sixtus for now, but she was sure to recover eventually. They might not ever get another chance.

He raised a finger, ready to tell both Sherland and Archisa to wait for a moment, but he caught a look given to him by Master Piim. Naturally she agreed with their handling of matters, much to his own chagrin. However, their methodology had been what put Sixtus off balance in the first place. Maybe he was going about this backwards. Perhaps there was a way to allow for their "kinder, gentler" approach, while still keeping the pressure up.

"Major, bring us the other Sith from the stockade please." He gave the Mandalorian a knowing look. "And do try to bring him here to us unharmed this time." They would interrogate the male Sith, and hope that Sherland's softer touch would encourage further cooperation from Sixtus. He turned now to Sherland and nodded his assent to her suggestion. "Knight Sherland, you may escort Darth Sixtus to the infirmary for treatment." His look to the Jedi Knight conveyed that she was to continue to learn all she could from the Sith, a sort of "soft interrogation" along the way. "Afterwards please ensure that she is returned to her cell. I am sure the Council will want to hear from her again soon." He waited for a few moments as Sherland rose and took possession of the Sith from Taab who then spun around and left the Chamber on his way to the stockade. He could feel the woman's resolve beginning to harden once again. Time to shatter the illusion that she had regained control.

His finger came up again. "Hold for a moment," he ordered as Sherland and the Sith came to a halt. "I do have one more question of you Sixtus." She turned around slowly, the smile never leaving her face as she looked the Members of the Council in the eyes one by one. "Since you have shown yourself willing to speak..."

---

IC: Darth Sixtus (NPC)
Council Chambers, Temple of Light

Sixtus breathed a sigh of relief at the dismissal from this Grandmaster Zey. Her relief was doubled by the fact that it would be a Jedi Knight providing her with medical help and not the Mandalorian Bounty Hunter. The feeling was short lived however.

"I do have one more question of you Sixtus." She stiffened and turned around slowly. She had been so close to escaping this interrogation without answering anything further. "Since you have shown yourself willing to speak..."

"Yes?" came the cooing reply as she tried to pull herself together and give off an impression of confidence.

"What...who are these others you spoke of earlier?"

"Oh...those." The smile left her face as she frowned now. Medical aid was so close to hand, she sighed softly. "The others are Jedi, frozen in carbonite from a time during the War." Master Piim's jaw dropped in shock at the revelation. Zey though tried to remain calm. "How many?"

"Dozens, perhaps a hundred of them. We couldn't decide what to do with them." The cold pack was starting to lose its effect and she could feel the numbness in her face starting to turn back to a dull ache once again. "I wanted to thaw them, one at a time, and show them our love. Zelus wanted them murdered, and Veneficus...well he is a Ghoul, he wanted them for his experiments." Yes the ache had returned now and she wondered if Taab had broken her jaw as well as bruised her cheek and blackened her eye. "To keep us all...happy...Cavillous...kept them on ice, until we could take this place and could decide what to do with them."

Zey swallowed hard, barely able to control himself. He motioned to Sherland to take her away. As soon as they had exited the Chamber and the doors sealed shut behind them he turned to the remainder of the Council. "We have much more to talk about then I had even realized. I suggest we do so quickly before Taab returns with the other prisoner."

TAG: Master Selkath, Mitth_Fisto, The_Zeltron, Falcon, Ananta Chetan, Rebecca_Daniels

 

IC: Hochner Trevalus
Council Chambers

It was done. Little more could be commented on about it. The tilting of scales and a verbal jousting royal event had happened and he had played spectator, after his initial emotions he had managed he felt to keep feelings abstract. In this there was removal from the present situation but in this was great danger as both his prior teaching trees of the Force had cautioned. It is like being in a 3D maze and standing over the entrance, you can see what enters, but without great peril you cannot touch those that pass below although they can draw you down. Hard.

A precarious position and as the Sith was to be taken out he felt himself return to the level ground, the place within his own emotions a part of himself once again. "I should become a Limmie player." he simply sighed with a shake of his head. He had truly had that option after his first Master had died and his second non-Jedi master was teaching him. Instead he had to go off on the fool idealistic mission into the unknown that had brought him here. For good or worse it was passed, and as his words left they too were passed and drifted off into the ether.

Cautionary words he wished to utter, but all seemed far to obvious to be needed spoken to Knight Sherland. So instead turned his hand and with a trilling wave of three fingers at the Sith he bid her farewell with a vision of her body and head not being one. His trunk curled a bit in a wry smile and the warm mirth of safety and joy at the remote possibility was the same he felt when he considered which grub was at the proper stage to eat in his room tonight, that of warm contemplation and sated desires apart from the living or dieing of any thing. It was good.

And the red one with green stripes was ready.

TAG: Bardan_Jusik, @Master Selkath, @The_Zeltron, @Falcon, @Ananta Chetan, @Rebecca_Daniels

 

IC: Lenea and Daniel Sandstrider

Somewhat surprisingly, it was the other Knight, Larod, who was the first to say anything to Daniel's statements. Logical things, to be fair.

""We are forgetting one thing. We have no idea, none at all, who, or what, we are looking for.... It could be a Sith or one of their minions hiding in the shadows. It could be a traitor among us. It could be a droid programed to do the Sith's bidding, maybe even without it's own knowledge. Or it could be any number of other things, or some of those combined. We don't even know how many saboteurs we are looking for!.... Has the Sith prisoner said anything that might help us in our search?".

Leave it to Lenea to comment snidely though.

"Y'know, that's just common sense stuff. I'm sure Tim over there has already thought about it...he seems the type."

Smiling slightly, Daniel didn't dispute the point, "Common sense or not, it is true. It is why I would prefer we not do anything to search. But I am just as aware that even if I said no, it would still happen."

"Eh, most likely."

Turning to the other Knight, Daniel held back his amusement with his sister. Already it was putting him at ease, which considering the situation...wasn't a bad thing by any means. Of course, it wouldn't last long though. They had to figure out what to do about the Sith, and there was no doubt about that. So...

"She had not said anything other than asking me if Lenea was okay..."

"Eh?"

"...at the time I left. I assume that was to take me off guard, not a legitimate question...though I wonder how she knew I had a sister. That wondering makes me doubt that anything she may say is accurate. Clearly, these Sith- or at least this Sith -has knowledge of us somehow. She can use that to keep the Council off guard and avoid giving any real information...no matter what is done to her."

Daniel frowned slightly, as he remembered Taab hitting the woman. Effective maybe, but not good.

"The Council may get something however, and I would relay whatever may be found when I am made aware of it. As to your other suggestions, what I can do is ask what my sister had asked right before I arrived...anyone have any ideas? We have a decent group here...I am certain you each have unique skills that can be applied here. I myself would suggest anything done be limited to setting up monitoring equipment and other such things for the moment. The Council already has an investigation ongoing, and I would rather not interfere with that."

After saying that, he looked out at the others in the room. Of them, only Tim he trusted in a fight- the man may have been a Padawan, but he had quite the skill with a blade. Daniel did not know Larod well enough to judge his skill. Lenea, for all that he loved her, was still very far behind in lightsaber training, even if he had pushed her to actually apply her skills after the incident in the Library. Thrace and Tano were Padawans through and through, and not a match for a Sith who could hide this well- or a traitor. The Faleen he didn't know at all, and could not judge his skills accordingly.

Needless to say, he arguably wanted to avoid any encounters with the Sith. Leave that to those who could fight better, such as the Major or the others on the Council.

"Nor do I want to engage the Sith. I have faith in the skills of everyone in the Temple. We are all Jedi- aside from Taab and my lovely sister..."

"Eh, it's my own choice."

"...but fighting a Sith or traitor who can hide in plain sight may well be beyond most here in the TCC. I would far prefer we monitor the situation and contact those who can."


TAG: Tim Battershell , Bardan_Jusik , Gotab , Zurros Ka

 

IC: Tim Battershell
TCC, Temple of Light - Saridona Prime.

Tim had taken advantage of the pause and Daniel Sandstrider's comments to put his terminal to good use again, though in 'User Mode' this time, and also to consult his DataPad. What he had found was disturbing.

"I doubt we have time for anything too drawn out, Sir; the situation is actually worse than Knight Larod has painted it." Tim said, addressing Daniel and adopting the 'Sir' as a nice compromise between full Jedi formality and the first-name terms that had applied in private aboard the Redemption. "I believe we need to come up with the truth, preferably have Darth Slinker in custody as well, before Knight Dareagen completes his "Official" investigation and starts the finger-pointing going in earnest. If not, we run the risk of false accusations being levelled against an innocent individual, or individuals; either splitting the Order apart or depriving us, perhaps permanently, of a skilled and powerful fighter. That on top of leaving Darth Slinker still in a position to harm us!

I've just discovered that the Security Holocam recordings have been compromised, certainly those from inside the TCC. The images are corrupted; although it may be possible to rebuild them, at least clean them up enough to extract useful data. Criminals have been attempting to erase evidence against themselves that way for years, so Systems' Manufacturers and Security Forces got together to counter the problem. I have a copy of the specialised software they came up with, and a computer powerful enough to run it, aboard my ship.

However, our biggest problem is that we don't know when the Sith Device was planted; which, according to the Guardians' own historical data, could have been anytime within a nearly two-year window of opportunity. To my mind, though, it's most likely to have been done after Grandmaster Decinchi's return a few months ago but before Redemption and Defender arrived.

To quote Miss Lenea; we do indeed have things up our sleeves. For instance, I doubt a Sith would suspect that Zurros Ka - here - or Miss Tano - over there at the Communications Desk"; Tim decided to not only name the two Padawans but to also point out each of them directly in case Daniel didn't know them by sight; "Are as capable with their blades as they actually are. Miss Lenea has improved her own skills, too, I notice! Your Jedi Training is masking the 'tells' I base my capability assessments on, I'm afraid, Knight Larod.

Also, Knight Dareagen's overt investigative activities are highly likely to focus any Sith attention on him; leaving us in the shadows, ready to pounce! Quite a big 'trick' in itself, I'd say! Darth Slinker may even be in reasonably close proximity to Knight Dareagen, the better to monitor his progress. Some Criminals regularly cosy-up to the teams investigating their crimes for just that reason. Seem not to be able to keep away, despite the risk!

My profile of Darth Slinker, for reasons it would take quite a while to explain, suggests a single Organic Sith; though how the 'hiding-in-plain-sight' trick is accomplished, I'm at a loss to explain.

Nobody is going to like my suggestion, to be honest I don't really like it myself, but a 'Sting Operation' - as in panicking the Sith into breaking cover to eliminate a major threat, such as someone who's discovered his or her cover identity and is just about to inform the Council - is the only way I can see to resolve the problem within the time constraints. On the upside, that does enable me to dictate the location of the notional 'battleground', which should make things a little bit safer.

Whatever we actually decide, it's vital we leave the TCC with enough good fighters to defend it.


TAG: Zurros Ka, Bardan_Jusik, Gotab, Skywalker_T-65, Padawan4687

 

IC: Suraya Archisa
Council Chambers

Suraya felt that Sixtus had almost slipped through their fingers, that was until Grand Master Zey had the insight to seize the moment by confronting her regarding the others just as she was leaving the room in Sherland's custody. Now Suraya sat quietly in a sullen awe at what they had heard, ruminating over the possibilities, while occasionally glancing up at the Guardians whose expressions mostly mirrored her own, that was except for Hochner who appeared to be brooding and staring down at his stomach...Navel gazer... she whispered to herself alone, allowing a slight grin to ease her own tension.

Raising her head slightly and finding her voice she finally decided to break the silence...Putting the pieces together of what we know , which of course may or may not be wholly if at all accurate...what currently remains unresolved and most urgently in question? If one or more of the Sith are intent on experimenting on Jedi, why not just use those that they have already safely captured in carbonite? Why come here, and in so few a number...from what we know...and risk invading a Temple of over 200 Jedi with only droid forces? What other motives or end game scenario might they have in mind? Could it be the Temple that they primarily want? Saridona Prime as a home base for their operations? Are we, the Jedi here, merely a sort of consolation or trophy if we can be captured or used in some way?Now she paused briefly and smiled...forgive me for such a flurry of questions...looking up with a reserved expression...but sometimes I find it easier to just verbalize the stream of conscious thoughts...she cleared her throat and waited a moment before continuing also feeling a tinge of shyness from speaking so boldly before a Council of Masters whom she had so recently met...but it promptly passed and again she felt at ease in their supportive Force presences.

Is Sixtus their lone dissenter? The only one who might possibly not be primarily motivated to want all of their deaths? Or is she a pawn or ruse? If Cavillous is aware to some extent of all of the various contradictory objectives in his enclave, how might he plan to weave them altogether in the next phase of their attack? Also what could we imagine collectively might be the next move of this hidden Sith within the Temple to further this agenda?

Taking a slow, deep breath she felt her heart begin to swell imagining the plight of the many faceless number of Jedi now residing within frozen blocks aboard the Hellfire of whom she never even knew existed before. What of our Force comrades aboard the Sith vessel? Can they be saved? Even trying to fathom the complexity and challenge of such a rescue made her feel an indescribable unease. She knew that Harbinger would soon be before them so that they would have to share whatever reflections they had hastily.


TAG Bardan_Jusik Falcon Mitth_Fisto The_Zeltron

 

IC: Kasha Sherland
escorting Sixtus to the temple's medbay.

Kasha was shocked at Sixtus's revelations about Jedi from a war being frozen in carbonite. She wondered who those Jedi were and which war were they from? Master Zey wanted her to continue the interrogation on the way to the med bay. She deliberately slowed her pace a bit as she glanced at Sixtus. "You said these Jedi frozen in Carbonite were from a war. My curiosity is peeked, which war are they from?"

Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Kai Dareagen
The Library, Temple of Light, Saridona Prime

“Thank you Knight Letali,” Kai says to the helpful Jedi. The young Knight sets up two chairs across from him on the other side of the desk he has been working at. Knights Rand and Pasholl take the invitation to sit. Rand has a more mirthful expression than his companion. “Sorry to call you down so suddenly but, I assure you it is important.”

“It’s not a problem, we’re always happy to help, aren’t we, Alyali,” Knight Rand replies in a Coruscanti accent, Kai had not heard that particular accent since he visited the capital planet to find his parents. He had always been curious about who they were. After much asking Master Sarr eventually relented and took them to triple zero, telling the council it was personal business. It took a while and led them to the lower sections of the planet wide city but, eventually they found them, Cura and Bimar Dareagen, his father, Cura, didn’t recognize the boy at first then it dawned on the man that his son stood before him. Not the toddler they brought to the temple but, a teenager preparing for the trials that remain a little further ahead.

The older man tried to stand resolute against his emotions but, the Jedi padawan could feel them plain as day. Their home was just a hole in the wall with room barely for one occupant much less two. Although the two humans in front of Kai were brimming with emotions, he could not return them. He felt no more love for them than a Jedi feels for any other being. This pained the learner, these people gave him life and he could not return their most sincere feelings in kind. They went on to explain that when Kai was born they didn’t have the money to raise a child and that when the Jedi came calling they knew it was the only way to give him a better life. They were right, as he looked around the small room he couldn’t imagine growing up there. He felt he should do something, so he offered to help, his time, some money, a healer to help Bimar who was bedridden. Suddenly Cura’s demeanor changed he became angry, infuriated by the mere suggestion that they needed help. Soon after Kai was ordered out,

“Not what you were expecting, was it my padawan,” Master Sarr’s words bring the young knight back to the present where he is interviewing two other knights.

“Was there a reason you called us here,” Knight Pasholl says a hint of annoyance in her voice. Knight Pasholl is older than Kai, with slight wrinkles around her eyes. She seems more enigmatic than her rather straightforward partner. Her green irises aren’t piercing like Arca’s more searching looking for a reason to listen.

“Yes,” Kai replies curtly, “I wanted to ask you about your scheduled watch in the TCC.”

“What about it,” her voice makes her seem cold, disinterested.

“Could you describe what happened during it, in as much detail as you can?” Knight Rand speaks first.

“Well nothing much happened at the start, until we got a false intruder alarm at the east entrance.” Pasholl’s blonde hair sways a little as she turns her head to focus on Rand.

“What made you think it was false?” Kai asks further, he notices Knight Pasholl’s gaze shifting back to him for a brief moment

“Well,” Rand continues, with a bit of a chuckle, finding this whole process rather amusing “because we dispatched Knights Larod and Reese to investigate and they found nothing. Alyali and I chalked it up to melting snow setting off the sensors.”

“Yes,” Pasholl confirms, “It happens occasionally.”

“And after that, what happened next?” Kai presses on with the interrogation.

“Nothing really,” Rand answers, Kai furrows his brow.

“Didn’t Knight Aroon stop by?” The younger knight asks a little suspicious at the omission.

“Ah, you’re right,” Rand says gesticulating a with small movements of his hands, “Knight Aroon did stop by,”

“He said he was looking for the Major,” Pasholl recalls, “and thought he could find him in the TCC.”

“He never gave a reason why he was looking for our friendly neighborhood Mandolorian,” Rand cuts in, “and we didn’t ask. He did ask if either of us knew where the Chief was, and we sadly did not, he left soon afterwards.”

“Anything else of import, before you were relieved by Major Taab?” Kai asks, Rand and Pasholl look at each other then back to the third knight shaking their heads. “Did Taab give a reason why he arrived fifteen minutes early?” Rand has another small laugh,

“He always arrives early, he’s consistent like that.” Pasholl nods her head in agreement

“He asked for a status update, which we gave,” She explains shifting around in her chair a little unnerved by the Mando's presence in the temple, “Then said we were relieved.”

“In his usual kindly manner.” Rand continues a smile on his face. He seems to enjoy the merc’s brisk demeanor. “Afterwards I went to the gardens to meditate.”

“And I went to the Canteen to get something to eat.” Silence overtakes the conversation as Kai thinks if there is anything more he wants to ask, “Do you have any more questions for us or can we leave?” Knight Pasholl asks.

“Uh,” Kai responds a little startled, “no, no, you’re free to go, thank you for your time.” Pasholl gives a nod then moves toward the exit.

“Good luck with your investigation Kai,” Rand says with a slight wink, with both knights gone Kai is left with his thoughts. Aroon’s visit is still a mystery. Maybe he’d get answers from the man himself. Kai gets up from his desk to stretch his legs a bit. He approaches Knight Letali’s area,

“Excuse me, Knight Letali,” he says in a soft tone, “Do you think you could ask Knight Aroon to come see me please, if it’s too much trouble I can hunt him up myself.”

OOC: NPC responses approved by Bardan_Jusik

TAG: Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Ian Thrace
TCC, Temple of Light, Saridona Prime.

"She had not said anything other than asking me if Lenea was okay..."

Ian's face froze at Daniel Sandstrider's statement. She. It was her that the Council was questioning. Ian blinked. The mysterious dark sider clearly had a hold on him, though what he could do about that at the moment eluded him. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to do anything about it. He blinked again, the situation here was far too important to be daydreaming about the woman.

"...but fighting a Sith or traitor who can hide in plain sight may well be beyond most here in the TCC. I would far prefer we monitor the situation and contact those who can."

Now that Ian wholeheartedly agreed with. He wanted no part in taking down a being powerful enough to remain hidden this long. The farther away from any such battle the better. "Battershell" seemed to agree, at least with regards to Ian. He noted the padawan's glowing assessments of the other's combat skills hadn't been applied to Ian, not that he was disappointed by that. Just another being seeing the obvious, Ian just didn't have what it took.

"Battershell" was itching for a fight with the Sith though, or so it seemed. Ian didn't know how much of what he was saying was true, or if it was all bluster. Maybe it was all said to keep suspicion away from him, but one thing was clear. He wasn't content to allow Knight Dareagen's investigation take it's course. He wanted to take part in the hunt for the Sith himself, or at least make it look as such. That in and of itself Ian found suspicious, even more so given his previous suspicions. To him it was confirmation. Ian would have to come up with some excuse to get himself to the library, so he could talk to Knight Dareagen alone.

TAG: Tim Battershell, Padawan4687, Skywalker_T-65, @Bardan Jusik, Zurros Ka

 

Co-GM Update Part I

Knight Larod (NPC)
TCC, Temple of Light

Larod looked shocked at the revelation Sandstrider made regarding the Sith's knowledge of his familial relationships, it spoke to just how far into he had managed to penetrate into Jedi's inner workings. Someone so entrenched would be far more dangerous than they had all previously thought. Perhaps the unofficially approved surveillance mission wasn't such a good idea after all.

"The Council may get something however, and I would relay whatever may be found when I am made aware of it. As to your other suggestions, what I can do is ask what my sister had asked right before I arrived...anyone have any ideas? We have a decent group here...I am certain you each have unique skills that can be applied here. I myself would suggest anything done be limited to setting up monitoring equipment and other such things for the moment. The Council already has an investigation ongoing, and I would rather not interfere with that."

Running two parallel investigations did have it's drawbacks, as well as benefits. Perhaps one group would discover something the other had overlooked. At the same time it was an inefficient duplication of effort and the two parties could easily get in each other's way, hampering rather than helping things to move forward. Given how connected the Sith seemed to be Larod had his doubts as to whether the surveillance that Tim proposed would bear any fruit but it was worth a try. If Larod had been in charge though (as he was of the TCC up until Daniel had arrived) he would have approved of Tim's plan to set up equipment in the Cafeteria, though not until their shift in the TCC was at an end. No point in their abandoning their present duties to jumpstart something that in his mind was a long shot at best. Especially if it meant leaving the TCC of all places understaffed.

Tim's next comments further cemented that notion. "I've just discovered that the Security Holocam recordings have been compromised, certainly those from inside the TCC. The images are corrupted; although it may be possible to rebuild them, at least clean them up enough to extract useful data. Criminals have been attempting to erase evidence against themselves that way for years, so Systems' Manufacturers and Security Forces got together to counter the problem. I have a copy of the specialised software they came up with, and a computer powerful enough to run it, aboard my ship."

Tim went on with his analysis, and despite the importance of the issue the Knight found his eyes glazing over. Given everything he was saying, and the actions he desired Larod began to wonder if he saw this as his investigation as opposed to Knight Dareagen's.

"Nobody is going to like my suggestion, to be honest I don't really like it myself, but a 'Sting Operation' - as in panicking the Sith into breaking cover to eliminate a major threat, such as
someone who's discovered his or her cover identity and is just about to inform the Council - is the only way I can see to resolve the problem within the time constraints. On the upside, that does enable me to dictate the location of the notional 'battleground', which should make things a little bit safer."

Tim was right, Larod didn't like it. Running a low key parallel investigation, one limited to surveillance of specific areas, seemed prudent. Going out of their way to bait the Sith into action? They didn't have the skill or the manpower here in the TCC to accomplish that. Especially if they were to leave enough here to actually defend and man the TCC as they were tasked to do. Larod bit his lower lip thinking though. It was a good plan, just not under the current circumstances. He looked to padawans Tano and Thrace, or with the current personnel. He spoke.

"It's an...interesting idea Padawan Battershell. But I think it best to leave it to the Council to take such action, or least inform them of the idea before instigating it ourselves without approval. Perhaps Knight Sandstrider can present it to them upon his return to the Council chamber." He looked around the room. "Until then, do we have the manpower and the approval," his look moved to Daniel, "to go through with installing surveillance equipment in specific areas of the Temple?"

TAG: Tim Battershell, Padawan4687, Gotab, Skywalker_T-65, Zurros Ka

---

IC: Knight Letali/Knight Aroon (NPC)
Library/Armory, Temple of Light

The Mon Calimari watched as the two human Knights left the library. Knight Pasholl seemed rather indifferent to things, while Knigt Rand seemed almost amused by it all. Given the stakes, Letali found the attitude rather strange but different beings handled events differently.

“Excuse me, Knight Letali,” his tone was soft and gentle, though Kai's sudden appearance startled her slightly. “Do you think you could ask Knight Aroon to come see me please, if it’s too much trouble I can hunt him up myself.” Letali stood up and bowed, she had been listening in on the conversation so this request didn't surprise her. "Of course Knight Dareagen, by your command."

Out of habit, she then hurried out of the library before raising her comm link to her lips. "Knight Aroon, would you please report to the library?"

---

Armory, Temple of Light

The words came through loud and clear over Aroon's com link. He grabbed it quickly off from its place next to his new lightsaber on his belt and replied. "Of course, I'm on my way." His padawan looked to him inquisitively, though the others on guard duty looked more annoyed than anything.

"First Rand and now you," said Reese, his mechanical right arm still screeching a bit too loudly. "What in the nine hells is going on down there?"

Aroon shrugged meekly. "I'm sure I don't know. I'll do my best to return as soon as I am able, I'm sure Elim will do the same." Zoe then started after him. "No padawan, stay here. Reese will look after you in my absence." The other knight grunted as if annoyed, though his smile betrayed that he was teasing. "Only I was called, no need to pull us both from guard duty." She smiled meekly at him, a tinge of fear could be felt rising within her at the thought of being separated from her master once again. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

TAG: galactic-vagabond422

 

Co-GM Update Part II

IC: Beskaryc Taab/Darth Harbinger (NPC)
en route to the Stockade/Stockade, Temple of Light

Taab walked the corridors of the Temple of Light with a purpose, steeling himself for what was to come. He had been dismissed to bring the other Sith to the Council chamber, alone this time with no backup. It perhaps spoke to a level of trust building between he and the General (Zey) or perhaps it was just an oversight on the Grandmaster's part. Either way, Taab didn't care. He had a task and he set about doing it.

Likewise Taab didn't care for the additional rebuke given by the General. Sixtus had it coming when she disrespected Dirteater (Sandstrider) and his sister like that. If the male Sith acted in a similar manner, he would get the same treatment. They were prisoners now, acquisitions, and they would behave like it or face the consequences. Taab had treated his Jedi prisoners of the past no differently.

Arriving at the stockade Taab again aimed his flame projector at the Sith while deactivating the cell's shield. He tossed a pair of Mandalorian manacles into the cell. "Put those on, nice and tight." The Sith replied with just a smile as he followed the simple command. Taab stood him up, testing the manacles to ensure they were properly secured. "I see you didn't return Sixtus to her cell," the Sith now prodded with a grin. "I hope nothing untoward happened to her."

Taab considered him for a moment. Sixtus had seemed to enjoy the majority of her interrogation, and Taab had been through enough to tell when that was the case. He didn't know what, if anything, she had told the Jedi was the truth, but that wasn't his call. If the Jedi called him to fight, he would fight. Now he expected much the same of this Sith, perhaps even moreso. Maybe he should have killed him outright instead of capturing him when he had. He motioned for the Sith to move along, out of the cell. "Just keep you mouth shut until we reach the Council chambers," he indicated the dark saber on his belt, a trophy claimed from this very Sith. "I would hate for you to be...killed while attempting escape before the jetiise can interrogate you."

The Sith's smile dropped, though the glimmer in his eye told Taab that the threat amused him. "You'll get your chance I am sure Bounty Hunter, but not yet. Take me to the Council, I have much to tell them."

TAG: No one

---

IC: General Hector Zey/Master Piim (NPC)
Council Chambers, Temple of Light

Zey sighed inwardly following the exit of Darth Sixtus from the Council's presence. It seemed that most of the Council was still in the same contemplative mood that had marked most of her interrogation. He couldn't blame them, she had given them much to think about, though he thought it would be better if their own observations had been put out there, not only for the record, but to help Zey figure out his own feelings on what Sixtus had revealed and how it affected the Guardians going forward.

Their first priority had been to (and still was) to identify the mole (or moles) within the Temple. Until they did so they could make no further moves against the Sith laying siege to their
Temple. Here Sixtus had not done much to help them, though her testimony did reveal one thing. If she could be believed, there was just one Sith infiltraitor among them. Sadly she could not identify him (again if she could be believed), but knowing that there was but a single Sith to root out was a relief. He hoped that Knight Dareagen was making progress with regards to that particular endeavor. Perhaps when the Interrogations were over he would recall the Knight for a progress report.

With regards to the droid army that had landed and encamped not far away the Sith had not been questioned. This was not surprising. Those landed troops were not yet a major threat to the Temple, the Jedi here had shown an ability to handle the droids themselves fairly easily, though their Sith masters were another matter. The sheer number of droids could pose a problem, but Zey was confident that they could be cleared out when the time came. Sixtus had also given some insight into how the Jedi were seen by those Sith leaders, though which were aboard the Hellfire and which had made planetfall was not known. Regardless of who had landed and what their motivations Zey knew that the time to confront the droid army would be upon them sooner or later, though whether that was at a time of the Jedi or the Sith's choosing he knew not. He did know that he far preferred the former option. Best to take the initiative he thought, even if it meant attacking a dug in force on the defensive. Perhaps the male prisoner would be more forthcoming with regards to the Sith's landed forces.

Of course Darth Sixtus had been as silent on the Star Destroyer keeping them pinned here planetside as she had about the droids. On that matter Knight Sandstrider's insight would have been most helpful, he would have known what questions to ask and what answers could have been given the most credibility. Zey rubbed his forehead. Perhaps he had been too hasty in placing Sandstrider on the Council. At the time he felt that there hadn't been much choice, they needed experienced leaders in these chambers. He had abandoned them before even beginning the questioning though.

Thinking on the current silence in the Chamber Zey had that same doubt regarding many of the other Knights who now sat here. At least they hadn't run off though. The most interesting information reported to the Council by the prisoner had been the existence of maybe a hundred Jedi kept in stasis aboard that same Star Destroyer. Zey's hand went from his forehead to stroking his beard in contemplative silence. Could she be believed? It did seem like the information had come out almost by accident. Throughout her questioning it had seemed as if Sixtus had been toying with them, as if she had enjoyed being the center of attention among them. But not when the topic had strayed to those captured Jedi. Zey sighed again. Who were they? How had they been captured? What were the Sith doing with them? These questions and more nagged at Zey, though in the end he knew the answers would probably elude them. Maybe Sherland could help them shed light on that.

They would have to be rescued of course. He couldn't allow for them to befall whatever fate the Sith had in store for them. Their recovery would also bolster the Jedi's flagging numbers here. The Guardians couldn't afford to be reckless though, this could still be some sort of trick or even a trap. They would discover what they could from the male prisoner, and take into account what Sherland would get out of Sixtus and then make a decision together, as a council.

Zey looked up now, the Council was still in silence, perhaps the members trapped within their own thoughts the way he still was. Knight Archisa though raised her hand slightly and Zey inclined his head granting her permission to speak.

"Putting the pieces together of what we know , which of course may or may not be wholly if at all accurate...what currently remains unresolved and most urgently in question? If one or more of the Sith are intent on experimenting on Jedi, why not just use those that they have already safely captured in carbonite? Why come here, and in so few a number...from what we know...and risk invading a Temple of over 200 Jedi with only droid forces? What other motives or end game scenario might they have in mind? Could it be the Temple that they primarily want? Saridona Prime as a home base for their operations? Are we, the Jedi here, merely a sort of consolation or trophy if we can be captured or used in some way?Now she paused briefly and smiled...forgive me for such a flurry of questions."

They were good questions, and Zey found himself smiling at this new Jedi's insight. It had been her presence that had unnerved Sixtus to begin with, her probing questions that had caused her to falter and reveal as much as she had. Now she cut to the crux of the matter here. He found himself put off balance by one question in particular. What if the Sith just were after Temple itself?

Sixtus had made mention of a relic, one that may very well be within these Temple's walls. Was that really all they were after? Could the Jedi here have been simply an inconvenience, something to be cleared out so they could take possession of a homebase hidden from the Galaxy? Zey felt a cold shiver grip him. That felt...right, for some reason he couldn't explain, though he found the notion rather insulting as well. The potential discovery hardened his resolve even further.

"Is Sixtus their lone dissenter? The only one who might possibly not be primarily motivated to want all of their deaths? Or is she a pawn or ruse? If Cavillous is aware to some extent of all of the various contradictory objectives in his enclave, how might he plan to weave them altogether in the next phase of their attack? Also what could we imagine collectively might be the next move of his hidden Sith within the Temple to further this agenda?"

Determining their next move, and what counter moves the Jedi should make was a major cause for calling this council together. Hopefully the interrogation of the male prisoner would give them some answers to Archisa's other questions. If both Sixtus and Harbinger had their own agendas here (which Zey thought was likely) then their usefulness to the Jedi would be exponentially increased.

"What of our Force comrades aboard the Sith vessel? Can they be saved?"

That was to Zey the biggest question, and the one that he answered first. "They can be saved, and they must be." He caught a look from Master Piim, and felt her shock at his response. He was determined though, to protect the Jedi wherever they may be found. "Maybe not right away, but we will make plans to rescue those Jedi when the time comes." He tone brooked no argument, though he knew that if others on the Council had reservations about such a mission they would make them known. Master Piim spoke up.

"During the questioning of Sixtus Knight Archisa sent me a note, the crux of which stated that she felt no other force presences aboard the Hellfire..."

Zey waved his hand dismissively. "While it is right to question the word of the Sith, that note alone means nothing. Being kept in stasis would mask the captured Jedi's force signatures from all but the most powerful Jedi." He paused momentarily stroking his bear once again. "Perhaps it does mean that this Darth Cavillous is alone abord the Star Destroyer, with no other Sith acting as his backup. If so, and we would just have ship's crew and droids to deal with a boarding action may be possible." Master Piim looked ready to object, they had so much else to take care of first.

"When the time is right of course." Her curt nod in reply indicated her acceptance of that line of reasoning, at least for now.

"Your other questions are also valid Archisa, you seem to have great insight into the matter and how the Sith thought process." He smiled approvingly. "And while I would enjoy hearing what others have to say regarding these insights, whether the Sith target is us or our Temple the result is the same. We will not run, we will not surrender. There will be no retreat. We will fight, and we will win."

TAG: Master Selkath, Mitth_Fisto, The_Zeltron, Ananta Chetan, Rebecca_Daniels

---

IC: Darth Sixtus (NPC)
en route to the Infirmary, under guard

Despite the pain it caused her, the Sith smiled again to herself as she sensed the confusion in her "escort" to the Temple's medical facilities. She had perhaps given away too much, but at least the answers she had been forced to provide gave rise to even more uncertainty within the Jedi ranks. As they departed the Council Chamber she could sense that same surprise there as well, though its intensity subsided as they moved farther away. She knew they would bring Harbinger in next, and she knew that he knew far more about what was going on than she did, though what answers he would provide eluded her. All she knew was that things were about to get interesting here in theis Temple.

"You said these Jedi frozen in Carbonite were from a war. My curiosity is peeked, which war are they from?" Ah yes. That. The smile dropped away as she assumed a neutral expression on her battered face. She knew as soon as the answer had been forced from her that this would dominate the Jedi's small minds. Always on the lookout for a rescue if they had the means. A Sith would chalk up their loss as casualties of war, not so the Jedi. Perhaps they did have more "compassion" than their Sith counterparts, but to her mind they did not know true love.

"They were prisoners of the One Sith, from the recent war, the so called Sith-Imperial war," she answered in a rather uncharacteristic for her monotone reply. There was still the sense of curiosity from this Sherland, so rather than drag things out Sixtus continued on. "The Hellfire was a prison ship, used to detain Jedi that had been captured both during and after the war." She looked around as she spoke, noticing how the few Jedi they came across gave them a wide berth, their eyes widening at the sight of her. "Bounty hunters would bring them to Coruscant, to see if they could be turned," she shook the Mandalorian manacles clasped around her wrists. "Your pet Mandalorian might know more about that than I," she smiled broadly again. "Some were turned relatively swiftly while those those who could not be turned were killed outright."

She paused to glance at Sherland before continuing on. "But some, some, had...potential to be turned, though Krayt and his minions had neither the time nor need to do so right away." The cold pack had completely lost its usefulness now and with another shake of her manacles she dropped her hands from her face. "So they were frozen and placed aboard the Hellfire." She had already told the Jedi about the debate after the One Sith had been defeated, how the differing Sith aboard ship had wanted different fates for those carbonite blocks. It wasn't the whole truth, how could it be without mention of Darth Shaga, but it would serve.

TAG: Falcon

---

IC: Padawan Nikoob Takkoo (NPC)
Temple Gardens, Temple of Light

The 12 year old Rodian picked a leaf off of a Kuvara tree growing alone in the garden before tossing it unceremoniously to the ground. He took a few steps before turning around and looking where it had fallen, suddenly cognizant that he had killed a living thing. It hadn't been his intent, but it bothered him anyway. Now as he stared at the "fallen" leaf it couldn't help but remind him of his fallen master, cut down by the droids during the recent Sith assault on the Temple.

His eyes moistened as he prepared to weep. He had come here, to the lush gardens in an attempt to forget what had happened, or at the very least come to terms with it. The trees, grass and flowers of the gardens all spoke to life. The serene waters of the central lake and it's small island were a physical representation of calm. He had hoped that he would be saturated with that calming glow of the force.

He couldn't calm himself however and he couldn't shake the foreboding feeling he had arrived here with. Those same Sith who had assaulted the Temple were not driven off entirely. He hadn't been told that of course, but rumors still flew through the Temple grounds, and those whispers were reinforced by what he saw for himself. Security patrols, orders for the Jedi to remain inside, and just the general sense of everyone being "on edge" lent credence to the feeling that permeated them all. They were under siege, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

His weeping stopped and he tried to dry his eyes on his robe's sleeve. Perhaps being somewhere else would help. The library or the cafeteria or...anywhere. Without giving the leaf another thought, and without really knowing where he was going, Takkoo left the Gardens.

TAG: No One.

OOC: I'll wait until next week's update (probably looking at no earlier than next Wednesday) to get Sixtus to the Infirmary and Taab (with Harbinger) to the Council Chamber for questioning. Until then, feel free to continue what you're doing (interrogating Sixtus/discussing the situation in the Council Chamber). I'll be able to do IC mini-updates probably once a day (perhaps more) as they are needed for you all. The same goes for the players tagged in the first part of this update. Vagabond, feel free to continue on Kai's investigation as discussed.

 

IC: Kasha Sherland
Hallway headed towards the temple's medbay

Kasha could not contain her gasp in shock as she looked at Sixtus. Were they Imperial Knights or were they Jedi from Ossus? She made so many friends on Ossus before Krayt attacked it. "Are they Jedi from Ossus or are they Imperial knights?" She questioned with a frown trying to glean more information from Sixtus, this was a shocking development. She was curious about who these prisoners were. She glanced at the ice pack in Sixtus's hand. She stretched out with her mind slowing down the molecules int he ice pack instantly refreezing the ice pack. The more Sixtus dulled the pain, the easier it would be for her to answer questions.

Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Darth Sixtus (NPC)
en route to the Infirmary, under guard

Sixtus smiled at the gesture of generosity from Sherland, as well as the question. "They are a mix. Some Jedi, an Imperial Knight or two. Most of them are young, too young to really be anything anymore." She shrugged, causing the manacles to clang against each other again. "Some are older, stronger though. They had seen the war and knew what the purge was. I'm afraid I don't know any of them by name."

She noticed Sherland's frown now. "I am sure that given enough time I could have converted most of them, I can be very persuasive when I want to be..." She trailed off, her eyes becoming unfocused for a moment. "With Cavillous alone up there, just him and the droids, he will probably thaw them one by one and execute them now." She smiled wickedly at Sherland. "Unless of course you set me free and allow me to save them."

TAG: Falcon

 

IC: Kasha Sherland
Temple of light, walking towards the med ward.

Kasha shook her head with a frown as they continued walking towards the med ward. "I have my orders to take you to the med bay to attend your injuries. Then I will be escorting you back to your cell. I will not be releasing you," she made plans once Sixtus was in the med ward to send the information back to Master Zey about the prisoners. If they were on the Hell Fire which was above the planet, then there was not much they could do for the prisoners anyways. For all she knew this could be a trick to get her to release Sixtus freely in the temple. That caused her to be on guard. "Anything else we should know about the purpose of the Sith's visit?"

Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Darth Sixtus (NPC)
en route to the Infirmary, under guard

Sixtus let loose a low chuckle at Sherland's respone. Yes, she supposed that would have been far too easy. She liked these Jedi, loved them even, and wanted to see them saved from the light side of the Force, but they could be obstinate and stubborn. She saw that now.

"Anything else we should know about the purpose of the Sith's visit?"

Sixtus shook her head, her blonde hair bouncing. "Nothing beyond what I have said already. This place was to be a refuge for us, a place to lick our wounds and gain strength. We were rather surprised to see so many of you here, we expected no more than a handful." She sighed, loath to speak ill of her ally among the Sith. "Sadly Darth Velerius failed us there."


She cast her gaze downwards. "I am sure Zelus will punish her for her failure, even relish in it. One can only hope, for your sake and mine, that Velerius takes her punishment and doesn't exact her revenge on Zelus. If she does, well then I suspect that you will never rescue your frozen Jedi, and I will never walk the decks of the Hellfire again."

TAG: Falcon

 

IC: Tim Battershell
TCC, Temple of Light - Saridona Prime.

"It's an...interesting idea Padawan Battershell. But I think it best to leave it to the Council to take such action, or least inform them of the idea before instigating it ourselves without approval. Perhaps Knight Sandstrider can present it to them upon his return to the Council chamber." He looked around the room. "Until then, do we have the manpower and the approval," his look moved to Daniel, "to go through with installing surveillance equipment in specific areas of the Temple?"; was Knight Larod's comment

Tim came back quickly, not wanting to miss the opportunity of a 'Mad Swordsman Moment'; "Perhaps then, Knight Larod, you'd do me the inestimable honour of indulging in a 'passage of arms' or two with me immediately our current shift in the TCC ends? Training strength blades, of course.... Maybe in the Temple's Sparring Arena?

The Council would almost certainly need to know just how well my blade-work compares to that of a trained Jedi or Sith, in order to arrive at a properly informed and considered decision; don't you agree?"

He was careful to hold his features in a perfectly neutral 'Sabacc Face', keep his voice even and not allow anything else to show from behind his mental shielding, but had those considerations not applied, he would have been seen to be wearing a vulpine, if not somewhat feral, expression.

Time to twist the vibroblade and modulate the oscillation rate!

"I'm not exactly a beginner with a blade, although my nearly thirty years experience of pushing one about in various Halls of Arms, every real chance I got, has almost entirely involved Metal-bladed Duelling Weapons; starting with five years of instruction from a retired Professional Duellist from the Tapani Sector."

Duellists from that part of the Galaxy didn't commonly retire. As the norm was to use fully-powered Lightfoils all the time, they usually died on the blade of someone just a hair or two better on that particular day!

"Took me ages to figure out how to get through his defences; even then it wasn't certain. I've kept in practice as much as possible on my travels with Prestorious and since. Built my current weapons with the aid of some holo-recordings.... of Jedi called Kam Solusar, Corran Horn, Kyle Katarn and Luke and Mara Skywalker...."

By now, Knight Larod should be feeling he'd been rather 'had' and possibly like he'd wandered into a turbolift to discover the artificial gravity and acceleration compensation weren't working!

Tim certainly could have asked Daniel, or his Master, for a quick Lightsaber bout or two and have settled the question before this; however he didn't know if they would go into the encounter(s) intent on making it easy on him; and he certainly didn't want to risk humiliating either of them should his skill and experience prove to be markedly superior. To that extent, risking humiliating Knight Larod didn't matter in the greater scheme of things.

"Luke and Mara met my grandmother when she was a little girl and kept sending her holos and suchlike in the hopes that she'd start training as a Jedi herself, only she never did. Kept it all safe and passed it on to me, though. Unfortunately, none of Luke's group of Masters were expert in Form II, knew about it of course, but all of them had begun their training with the two-handed grip, and mostly kept to it.

Still, I've adapted what I could and grafted it onto my personal Form's Metal-bladed and Tapani roots."

Now the question became; 'Could Larod slide out of the challenge without losing face?' Certainly in the eyes of the assembled Padawans, perhaps in Daniel's eyes too.


TAG: Bardan_Jusik, (indirectly Zurros Ka, Gotab, Skywalker_T-65), Padawan4687

 

Knight Larod (NPC)
TCC, Temple of Light

Larod was confused by Tim's sudden challenge and change in attitude. Before this, he had wanted to intrude on the investigation as soon as possible, now he wanted to take time out to duel? It made no sense. Was Tim trying to shame Larod into dueling him? How sad. Fortunately Larod was above such things

"I think we have rather larger fish to fry at the moment Padawan." He gave Tim a disapproving look. This was not the time to be indulging in simple duels among each other, even in the name of training or combat evaluations. He would leave such things to those better qualified, such as the padawan's master.

He turned away from Tim now, ignoring him and waited for Daniel to weigh in on their next course of action.

TAG: @Tim Battershell, @Padawan4687, @Gotab, @Skywalker_T-65, @Zurros Ka

 

IC: Kasha Sherland

Temple of light walking to the infirmary

Kasha shook her head sadly. As she suspected Sixtus was confused of what true love really was. Punishing someone for their failure was not the Jedi way. “We don’t punish nor relish in punishment for someone’s short comings. It’s not the Jedi way. We don’t torment or physically abuse. Taab crossed over the line when he hit you. Violence doesn’t solve anything, it just makes things worse. If Sith showed true love then my husband’s sister would still be alive. Instead she died from a Sith attack on Ossus, she died saving my life from a Sith attacking me directly, I was a saving a youngling from being cut down then she intercepted the fight. She told me to run and not look back. She loved her brother and knew we were destined to be together. She sacrificed herself so I could be with him. We owe her everything."

Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Darth Sixtus (NPC)
en route to the Infirmary, under guard

The wicked smile never left her lips as Sixtus listened to Sherland's story. If anything it grew wider, and even more sinister as her eyes gleamed. "You lost a loved one, needlessly, and you never need lose one again." She seemed full of energy now, as if somehow revitalized by Sherland's words. "And now you husband is here....your children are here." She looked up and around them at the walls and ceiling of the Temple. "And out there...the Sith, wanting nothing more than their deaths." She looked Sherland in the eyes now, her own eyes yellow with power, couldn't help but convey her delight. "And somewhere in here, Darth Praedator waits. He also desires nothing more than to kill you all."

She adopted a more innocent sounding tone now. "Are you willing to let that happen Knight Sherland? Are you willing to watch your husband and children die in your arms at the hands of the Sith?" She reached out to caress Sherland's hair though her manacled wrists prevented her from doing so. "I can save them, I can save you all. All it would take is your word, and my freedom, and you will all truely know love. Forever."

TAG: Falcon