An uncomfortable silence settled into the entrance hall, Yerbol not helping burst the discomfort on account of the pain that was currently residing in his ribs. He hadn't told Aria about his struggles to breath properly, but he assumed that when he had suddenly collapsed to one knee a couple of times during their battles in the sewer and gasped for air, she could figure out he was fighting a losing battle against his injuries. There was, of course, no other option than to keep plowing forward until Illesia was stopped. The details were a bit fuzzy, but thankfully Voldon was there to spark a discussion on how to proceed:
"The tower's security protocols are reactivated, so civilians are sheltered in place." A hacking, purposeful cough rang through the air, prompting a sigh from the Elder.
"Thanks to Junoco."
"Bloody right." He mumbled with a mischievous smirk, monitoring the status of the tower through his datapad. 
"We've accounted for the gangs, but the Xiis...they're nowhere to be found. I would have assumed that their target was here, but they haven't announced their presence." Yerbol spoke in a coherent line of reasoning for what felt like(to him) the first time in decades: 
"They will. They stick to the shadows, but when they're ready, they'll strike. That means we need to hit them first when they're not prepared to deal with us."
"And how do we find them?" 
"Force them to play their hand early. In every instance we've faced off against the Xiis, they were prepared for our attacks, anticipated them really. If we can tease them out somehow-"
"We're not going to endanger her life." Voldon protested. 
"But that's where Illesia is headed! If we can get to Saresh first, set up some kind of trap for her to walk into-"
"I can help with that!" Junoco raised his arm forcefully in the air, waving to emphasize his willingness. 
"The system has a few things I could play around with...by my stars this place is bloody awesome! Stun grenade launchers coming out of walls? Cryo blasters hidden in cameras? I knew this was a secure location, but wasn't expecting such...firepower." Another grimace(a common expression for the Battlemaster) crossed Voldon's face as he pondered the plan.
"Unless there's something else we can do? Because other than waiting for Illesia to strike, I don't see any other option." Voldon grumbled something under his breath, his right foot tapping listlessly on the ground for a few moments before he ordered:
"Stay at the entrance. Guard it with your lives. Junoco, you're with us. We need to get to war room on the third floor." Yerbol rose shakily, allowing Aria to help straighten him out.
"I assume you can fight? You made it this far against thugs. Will the Xiis be too much for you?" The Champion walked to an exit on their left, calling out to the Elder:
"Let's hope that they can survive what I have in store for them." 

____

"They're here!" A male hissed, head peering out for a moment to survey the expansive main hall before he attempted to crash through the door that separated the maintenance room from a small hallway that led straight into the open. As his shoulder was millimeters from barging in, a powerful gust of energy slammed his back into the cold marble, Illesia shaking her head.
"That only means we should take things slower."
"Hunger!" A female uttered, her teeth chattering in bloodlust.
"Use your hunger to fuel you." Illesia placed a genteel hand on the girl's shoulder, nails grazing her skin.
"To make you stronger. Powerful." The female nodded in submission.
"Wait until they head upwards, out of sight. Then kill the soldiers. Quietly." A slight snicker came from the leader's throat.
"Soon after, we'll have what we need. Soon. Oh so soon." 

_____

"An inconceivable notion!" General Laer slammed both palms on the large square table that dominated the center of the room, rising to his feet, face flushed, horns almost ready to be ejected from his skull. 
"And what other choice do we have, General? Allow these monsters to break down the doors of the tower and slaughter you? To leave you to the gangs that will eventually find their way in and let THEM have their way with an Alliance cabinet that was just formed? No. This is the only course of action we can take." Voldon calmly asserted, his experience in dealing with high ranking officials in crisis situations giving him a icy determination that wouldn't be broken by raised voices and ignoble sentiments. Saresh had worn a similar expression to Voldon's while the trio(and Junoco) explained the premise of their plan, staying silent until after Voldon's final justification, then choosing to speak:
"So allow me to clarify this." She motioned to the smuggler.
"This...Junoco fellow is going to use the defenses in the senate tower to thin out the numbers of these 'Xiis', seeing as they won't be expecting resistance due to their perceived victory in crippling our infrastructure. Their leader, a powerful Force user, is after my head in particular, which means that I should be in my office awaiting her arrival. Once she does, she'll be ambushed by the three of you and I'll escape using an emergency hatch, where I'll be able to wait out the death of this woman." When the Chancellor spoke the plan aloud, it seemed risky, dangerous and somewhat reckless, but it appeared that this would be the best course of action...for now. 
"We're asking a lot of you, Chancellor. I'm aware of that. But I'm also very aware of the immediate threat the Xiis possess. If they kill you, they'll be coming after the rest of the Cabinet, which would throw this already new government into chaos. We need to put a stop to them now." The ten cabinet members assembled took wary glances at each other, weighing the Elder's words with non verbal communiques and a few hushed whispers. Saresh allowed them to speak before she made the decision:
"Fine. We'll go through with your plan. The Cabinet members will receive the maximum security allowable, correct? I can't be the only one who gets a safe room to hide in."
"Come now, Chancellor, don't you know your own security protocols?" Junoco asked with a chuckle, which dissipated almost instantly upon a stony gaze. 
"Right, right, of course. This 'war room' is outfitted with thick shutters and miniature defense turrets along with a stun gun just below the threshold. It should be more than enough to let those bloody blue people know that they should stay away." Yerbol felt a twinge in their bond, looking to his partner and asking:

[i]What is it? If you've got something to add to all this, go for it...or maybe I'm just reading your feelings wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.[/i]