“I’ve gotta admit...that is REALLY strange.” Aria muttered as they found the Mystics stuck in the same trance as they had been before the whole fight with the Faceless had started. As her partner shot her a confused look, Aria responded with a shrug of her own.
“The heck if I know, Bol...never been near a Mystic before in my life.” a glance was cast back at their older companion, hoping Ashara would have more of an idea than the Champions did. 
“Let’s see-” Ashara began stepping towards the Mystics to attempt to lift them, but at that moment was interrupted as a violent boom shook the underground cavern and threw them outwards into the walls. 
Aria found herself momentarily incapacitated as her back was slammed into the cavern wall, knocking the air from her lungs. The Champion coughed, the dust from the collapsing debris making it difficult to see for a few moments before it cleared. She squinted to find both Yerbol and Ashara still on their feet though as wobbly as she was. The Mystics had thankfully also been protected from falling projectiles, courtesy of the barrier their Togruta companion had thrown up around them. 
“What was that? Not to say I’m stupid but...WHO else could possibly want to attack the Tower if we’re here and Manus is here too?!” it was clear there was some sort of attack going on above ground, likely the Tower which, if Aria remembered correctly, they were situated in the lower levels of. Who was behind that attack, however, was a mystery to her.  
“I think I have an idea who it is.” Ashara muttered, her face grave. “But it’s not good, at all.” 
Either way, there was no time to waste in getting back to the two Elders and getting out of there.
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Cheriss couldn't see through the flames, despite her best attempts to squint and see whether Voldon had emerged victorious. The Elder started upright once again at hearing his shout, concerned at Voldon’s lack of mention of his own escape plan. She would have to trust that he could get himself out….or not, if the Force decided that. It was out of her hands now. Instead, she answered with a nod and called back. 
“Alright! How much time do we have?!” 
When the officiating Elder informed her of a paltry ten minutes for them to evacuate, she knew she had no choice. She had to find the Champions and the Mystics, NOW. 
“Khem, find them!” as the beast thundered off in the direction the Champions had run, Cheriss paused briefly to throw a glance towards where she guessed her friend could be. 
“This better be worth it, you idiot!” She couldn't bear to utter the word “goodbye” directly, it would make it seem too final. As if there was not even a slim chance he would survive this, but at the same time...she knew it WAS final. He knew it. Just as Noctis had…
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“Get them up, we're leaving.” Cheriss and Khem Val seemed to appear out of the shadows of the cavern shortly after the cavern stopped trembling, the Dathomirian barking a sharp order that reinforced the need to get the Mystics out of the tunnels. The Dashade was easily able to lift one of the prone Voss onto his back to carry them out. 
“But Voldon-!” 
“- Is a grown man and can take care of himself!” Cheriss cut off any protests from either Champion. Aria exchanged a pained glance with her partner, her head turning back towards the tunnel they had entered from. 
“We can't just LEAVE him in there, Cheriss he's our FRIEND!” 
“VOLDON has asked us to leave.” the Dathomirian regarded the younger woman with sharp, narrowed eyes as she helped Ashara to lift one of the Mystics. 
“[b]BUGGER THAT![/b]” Aria snapped in retort, spine straighter than a rod as she spat once onto the ground. “I'M not leaving him here to die even if you're happy to!” and turned sharply on her heel after her declaration, as if to march right back down the passageway. 
Only for Cheriss to intercept her, the Elder moving with frightening speed to place herself in front of the Champion, thus blocking all access to the previous route. Aria cursed vehemently as her forehead bounced lightly off Cheriss’ forearm, scowling up into the Elder’s pale blue eyes with an expression that pre-empted another tirade of foul language condemning Cheriss’ moral ethics. 
“We're taking the Mystics out of here to safety.” Cheriss repeated, expression unyielding and tone slow and deliberate, as if she were scolding a disobedient Kath pup for bad behaviour. As Aria's mouth opened for yet another argument, Cheriss raised her voice to shout for the first time since they had gathered the former Sith and Jedi Masters on Zinuthra: 
“THAT IS AN [i][b]ORDER[/b][/i], MASSANI!” 
Aria shrank back, her defiance deflating from her posture in an instant. Years of training and conditioning at the Academy had rendered her physically incapable of disobeying a direct order from a superior, however much she may disagree with it. 
“Y-yes, Ma’am.” The Champion coughed, sullenly returning to help Yerbol and Ashara drag the Voss up off the ground. 

Between Cheriss, Yerbol, and Aria they managed to carry the remaining three Mystics, while Ashara ran in the lead, conjured light orbs illuminating their way as she led their escape through the tunnels, quickly turning them around before they became trapped in a dead end and after a few painstaking minutes bringing them back to the top of the tower as another rumble shook the structure. The Mystics, much to the befuddlement of the Champions, remained unconscious even as they made the run through the levels to deposit them in one of the more secure rooms under the guard of an Alliance squadron while the Champions ascended a nearby staircase which led to an outside balcony from which they could survey the approaching forces. 
“More Gormak than us, Master.” Ashara whispered, her complexion flushing darkly to betray her agitation. “Starting to think coming after you was a bad idea...suppose they decide to make sure you stay dead this time?” the beginnings of a playful smirk flitted across the Togruta’s lips, but quickly faded before it filled her features.
“Not if we can rouse those Mystics.” Cheriss pointed out, turning back towards the tower as another assault rocket connected closer to the base of the Tower and shook the structure. “Its not over yet.” 
“So how DO we wake them?” Yerbol questioned, the only one of the two Champions to speak as Aria had remained tight-lipped since their altercation after abandoning Voldon and Manus underground.