[IC] Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

[EliteCommander]

It took a few moments for Kresst to register in his mind that Mach was referring to him. He certainly had not fought with clones near enough to consider himself a "General." Aside from that, the announcement of a sudden Separatist attack had Kresst confused. "Separatists? Why would they be here? Back when they were expanding, it made sense. Potential support from the population, a base within striking distance of the Hydian Way. But now, the Separatists are reeling, a huge portion of their fleet destroyed after Coruscant. It does not make sense for them to go on the offensive here, of all places, unless...it has to be about the relic. It is the only thing here that would be enough to motivate them to risk forces on this."

There was a pause from Kresst as he stared ahead of them contemplatively. On the ship, he had usually had something of a light air about him, but now he appeared as stern and serious as any battlefield Jedi that Mach would have worked with. Combat was not Kresst's area of expertise, but that did not mean he did not understand the risks involved. "If Mevann is confident they can defend with minimal casualties, then we can press on. As long as the relic is here, this planet is going to be a target."

[Sep]

Mevenn rushed through the trees, she had her pistol in one hand and her lightsaber in the other, currently unignited, as she passed through the bush. Jumping over fallen logs and through bushes, her armour protected her against any possible dangers the terrain presented to her. Jumping up above a particularly large branch she pushed herself with the Force and spun around in a sommersault. She heard the droids clanking ahead. Landing on a branch she perched it scanning through the trees. Aiming her pistol, looking down the sight and ensuring that the centremass of the droid was right in her sights. She fired.

The droid went down as the bolt connected, but her pistol was already on a new target. She fired off, and took down three, droids before they returned fire upon her position. There was a snap-hiss off her Lightsaber as she flicked the activation stud. The blade ignited an emerald green as she jumped down, into a high block and rolling herself and her blade through four more droids. That's when she felt the coldness as the droids around her just deactivated. She stayed on her guard, this had to be some kind of new trick the Separatists were employing. Then all of a sudden there was another snap-hiss before something came towards her, ducking as her senses kicked in a red double bladed saber came crashing through the trees, slicing everything in it's path.

She paused in hesitation as a figure dressed in black and grey extended their hand and the saber came back to it. Was this some new kind of Separatist Agent? Separatists trained in the Force. Stood with her blade doww to her right in her opening stance. "Who are you? What do you want with this place?"

---

Mach tapped his comms before turning back to Kresst. "We're loosing comms-" They passed into some form of tunnel, lights could be seen ahead. "-from what I gathered Mevenn seems to be handling things. We shouldn't be underground too long, just so we can keep up to date with whats going on. Apparently we've recieved a priority order from Coruscant."

[EliteCommander]

The figure dropped down onto the ground, lightsaber in hand, and seemed to give a glance towards the now-disabled droids. Although, it was difficult to tell for certain through his helmet. He was in black and grey full-body armor with no identifiable markings, as well as a full helmet with overlapping plates that obscured his face. All that Mevann could determine from appearances was that he was a large male, either Human or near-Human, and that he was, of course, quite force sensitive.

For a few moments, there was silence between them as the man stared Mevann down, taking on an aggressive posture before he finally spoke. "Who I am does not matter. You are...a test."

---

"An order from Coruscant? I cannot imagine what that would be." Kresst commented with some degree of confusion. "The Republic just finished destroying half of the Separatist fleet at Coruscant, so I highly doubt they're back there again. Regardless, we are at least a week out from being able to get back to the Core at our fastest, so I doubt an extra hour or two here will matter in the long run. Hmph, perhaps the Separatists have surrendered and the war is over. Wouldn't that be some wonderful news to return to?" He chuckled.

For Kresst, emerging from the tunnel into view of the temple was quite a sight. As the Captain had described, it was a large pyramid structure. It was not the largest that Kresst had heard of, but it was still something to behold in person. For a historian such as himself, he could easily lose months examining all of the fine details of its architecture. Even to a casual observer, the pyramid held an impressive, if ominous, presence to it. Even before they had made their way underground, Kresst could feel the dark force energy that radiated from it.

As much as Kresst would have liked to take his time, the Separatist presence did put him in something of a rush. "Well, he had best get started quickly. The most logical place to start would be where you first found the relic. Could you please take us there, Captain?"

[Sep]

Mevenn ran at the figure. Lightsaber in a low right, letting go of it for a split second she reversed her hand on the hilt before swinging it up in a backhanded motion. The figure in black anticipated the move, hands delicately guiding his own blade into a block before pushing the lower half towards her legs. Pulling back she grabbed her blaster pistol in her free hand firing off three shots. He deflected all three with skill that matched her own. Whoever this man was he had certainly recieved training in some shape or form. Rushing him again she moved into a forward feint, before pulling into a left jab. As she performed the feint he sidestepped the attack entirely. Swearing under her breath she twisted into a rightblock as he threatened to cut into her body. As she strained against the blade, pushing back against him she spoke.

"So what's the test, steal some old artifact, kill a Jedi?" She spun back into a flip, firing of a couple of shots in quick succession while in midair. She didn't expect any of the shots to hit but they were doing their job of keeping her off balance. Laser fire passed over her head as the cannons from the cruiser soared over her head, acting as artillery to shoot at the shuttles. There was an explosion in the distance signalling that at least one of them had been destroyed. "Cause I have to tell you." She pushed out in the Force, and he stumbled back slightly, however he punched his blade into the blade to stop himself from being pushed too far away. Jumping in the air she brought her blade down on top of his. The blades locking as they snapped and hissed, sparks flying everywhere.

"You picked the wrong Jedi."

---

Mach shrugged off the comment. "I'm sure the General will send someone for us if it's of extreme importance." In the mean time the Captain stopped the Speeder at what may have once been a set of heavy doors. The blast marks obvious to anyone with even the smallest hint of training. Already icons and images could be seen littering the surrounding area, with several skeletal remains littering the area.

The Captain pointed through the doors. "At the end of that hallway is a room full of writing, that's where we found the chamber. It wasn't easy to get out, so I'd like for you to tell me if it was worth it."

[EliteCommander]

As might have been expected, Mevann's opponent was entirely unfazed by her threatening words. His blade pushed against hers, and after a moment, she would hear what seemed like a low, confident laugh from underneath his helmet. "Perhaps..." He said before unleashing a burst of the Force to, at minimum, push her back and put a bit of distance between them. Despite the obvious darkness surrounding him, just about everything about the form he used would be familiar. He took on a duelist's stance, identical to what would be taught to any Jedi. Despite his aggression fueling his power in the force, his style was still naturally defensive, even when he was initiating. Aside from the mortal stakes of this duel, it was like any sparring match she would have had with another Jedi.

"But, soon enough, there will not be many of you to choose from, so a...weakling like you will have to do." He goaded.

---

Kresst was no longer rushing to keep up with his much taller companions, which meant their pace through the hallway slowed considerably, though he did already seem to be examining each of the carvings they passed on the way to the chamber ahead. "Well, I suppose that will depend on what we can find. I can say that this is certainly a genuine Sith temple: a rare find in modern times. Or even in eras past, if I am being honest. The Sith tended to build in out-of-the-way places, especially those already strong in the dark side, so those places tend not to be found by accident. There are members of my order who disapprove of any detailed study into the relics of our ancient enemy, but I personally believe that there is no wisdom to be found in ignorance. I cannot give a precise age for this temple without in-depth study, but it certainly predates the Republic by a significant margin."

As they were about halfway through the hall, Kresst reached into his pouch under his robe to produce his camera, which, with minor concentration, he could levitate around himself as he worked. "I will be sure to record all of my observations, so you can have a copy for your records."

[Sep]

Mevenn chuckled slightly. "If you haven't noticed, the Jedi and the Republic are currently winning the war. You're on the loosing side. Surrender now and we'll go easy on you."

Blade down at an angle Mevenn was ready to strike, or defend if he decided to move after her retort or if the back and forth was going to continue.

---

The Captain just grunted as they continued down the hallway. At the end of the hallway there was a hole in the floor where the vault was removed. Before it there was an obelisk, tall black and imposing. On it were the words Chwit Jidai hâsk, Qabbrat Qâzoi Kyantuska Qotsisajak Saarai-kaar Tsis.

Kresst would no doubt recognise this to mean. "To throw Jedi into anguish, enter the meditation chamber and recite the Sith Code. Reaveling the Siths keeper of the Truth."

[EliteCommander]

The man's response at first was simply a laugh: one that was equal parts confident and sinister. He started to circle around her slowly, and at a distance outside of her most effective range. "I sometimes forget the ignorance of the Jedi. I suppose it will be a mercy for you that you shall be allowed to die believing that."

In an instant, the man let loose the full range of his fury, rushing forward to resume the fight. Although his fighting style itself had not significantly changed, his emotions were plainly on display. He anticipated this kill, longing for it more and more with every rapid beat of his heart.

---

Despite the general rush they were in, Kresst was disciplined and cautious as he examined the carvings on the obelisk. He was careful not to touch it, both out of safety, and to avoid any risk of accidentally altering the temple in an unintended manner. He hovered the camera close to record each of the words as he translated them aloud, first completely literally, then he translated the intended meaning of the phrase.

"Hmm, well if nothing else, I can at least appreciate that the Sith were straightforward. I will not lie; I would have been upset if we had to solve a riddle, or some such nonsense. Now, to give some context, I am sure you are aware that the Jedi have a code that we follow. The Sith, in ancient times, were like a dark mirror to our order, and they too developed their own code. Indeed, they may have created their code as a direct mockery to our own. In any case, it seems their code is a key, though I suppose the inscription is not too specific on what lock it opens. I am not certain if the code is meant to simply unlock the vault directly if taken to the meditation chamber, or if it will give me the knowledge needed to unlock it. I suppose we can just try it now, and if it does not work, we can bring the vault back here later and try again." Kresst explained as he already began to search around to find and identify the mediation chamber mentioned on the obelisk.

[Sep]

Mevenn scowled at the man, a gesture wasted from within her helmet. He really thought the Separatists were going to make a comeback? Just because they got a couple of people with Lightsabers on their side too. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. She moved into defensive blocks as he continued his onslaught, his anger gave him strength that was for sure. She continued to block, while his blows were powerful they were also sloppy. She caught one with her blade, thumbing the activation switch the blade disappeared for a split second before reappearing as a light cyan blue even longer. She took the moment of surprise to her advantage, as the blade pierced the mans chest.

As he fell to the ground she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and smiled as Ace, Trio, Hotshot and Patcher all stood behind her. She wasn't even mad that they had disobeyed orders, after all the droids were all shut down for whatever reason. She spun her lightsaber around in her hand and gave a mock bow. "Sorry fellas', you were too slow on this one. Trio, go with Ace and search their shuttles. Hotshot put a round in these droids to keep them down, Patcher you help me with this guy. See if we can find out who he is."

She turned to move towards the fallen darksider, when she heard rifles cock. "Guys?"

Blaster fire rung out through the woods.

---

Silently the captain led them to a meditation chamber, before pointing to it "There." He grunted, more than he said it really. Mach just stood at the back of the room weapon ready for any sign of trouble. When Kresst focused on the meditation he would begin to feel the fear, pain and confusion ringing out from the galaxy. It's focus point? The Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

[EliteCommander]

Kresst wasted no time taking his place in the mediation chamber. The instructions in the carvings had been straightforward, so it was hardly a few seconds after he had sat down before he started reciting the code. Although, not only did he speak the words, but he allowed his emotions to flow with them, at least to an extent. The very stones of the Sith temple were imbued with the dark side, and it was possible that the words themselves would not be enough without the weight of power and emotion that normally accompanied them among the Sith. It was something that the Jedi Order would certainly disapprove of, but fortunately, neither the captain nor Mach would have any way of feeling it. He even spoke it in the ancient Sith tongue he had been reading from the carvings, just to make sure the temple would recognize his words.

"Nwûl tash.
Dzwol shâsotkun.
Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk.
Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan.
Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha.
Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak.
Wonoksh Qyâsik nun."

Kresst's words would mean little to his observers, but for the temple, they were the key to unlock the secrets it held. However, as Kresst's meditation deepened, he felt something more. Or rather, he sensed more strongly something he had been feeling all along. Darkness, death pain, betrayal...all more intense than anything he could ever have imagined. He had felt the darkness since shortly after they set foot on the planet, but he had assumed that its source was the dark side presence on the planet itself. However, now that he had opened his mind in meditation and was concentrating his thoughts, he could feel beyond the temple, beyond the planet. Normally, to sense something across the galaxy would be a feat of masters, but for the overwhelming magnitude of the pain and death bearing down upon them, even a youngling could feel this darkness. It racked his very being to focus on it, but he pushed through the pain to feel its source, only to find that the pain was spread across the galaxy. The light of thousands upon thousands of souls being snuffed out, one after another, though there was one focus point that was stronger than the rest: his home.

After a few moments, Kresst collapsed to the ground, panting. "Something is wrong. The darkness, it's...not from the planet. It's from...everywhere. All the death, betrayal, I could feel it piercing my heart. I...could sense it, the Jedi are dying. Everywhere, Jedi are dying. Even in our own temple."

[Sep]

Something clicked outside of the temple, stone grinding against stone as something within the vault opened. The Captain didn't skip a beat as Kresst faltered as he sensed the disturbances way off into the galaxy. As the Jedi concentrated on the feelings within the Galaxy he didn't notice as the Captain pushed a hand out towards Mach sending him flying into a nearby wall. His helmet was knocked off and he slid to the ground unconcious. The Captain then reached for Kresst with one of his gargantuan hands, while another thumbed the ignition switch of the ancient lightsaber. It sparked and hissed into action, it was visibly unstable as he strode towards the Jedi, one arm raeching to grab him while another swung for a headstrike.

---

Blaster shots rang out in the clearing, the humming of a lightsaber as it swung around in arcs deflecting blasterbolts. Sweat dripped down Mevenns head, she couldn't remain on the defensive for long. The Clones were skilled combatants, not only that they knew her every move. Mevenn moved her saber around in various arm movements, switching between hands, forehand and backhand. She couldn't keep it up forever, but at the same time she felt conflicted. She couldn't kill these men that she had fought so long and so hard beside. She would have to come up with an idea and fast.

[EliteCommander]

The weight of darkness bearing down upon Kresst's mind had, without a doubt, made him momentarily vulnerable. With his mind opened up to the rest of the galaxy, it was filled with pain, death, and betrayal. However, his senses only remained in the stars for a brief moment. While the captain was knocking out Mach, Kresst's mind pulled back to their planet. Upon Mevann, he felt the same darkness that was echoing throughout the galaxy, and then, he felt the danger in his very room.

Just as the captain's blade was about to be upon Kresst he unleashed the power of the Force that had swelled up within him. Though it lacked elegance, Kresst's telekinetic push hit the captain with a force that would certainly surprise him, in addition to knocking him back into the nearest stone wall. As Kresst slowly stood up to his feet, his eyes were locked upon the captain and filled with a burning rage entirely uncharacteristic for the average Jedi. While not normally so quick to anger, Kresst was more open to his emotions than other Jedi, and his heart had been wrought with the pain of every single Jedi that his senses had just touched. "Did you think...to betray me? To kill me over just some ancient carved stones? Did you think your size would just intimidate or...overpower me? No, you are the one who should be afraid."

Reaching out his hand towards the captain, Kresst gripped at his throat with the force and began to constrict his airway while lifting him up into the air. Right now, the captain was becoming the unfortunate recipient of all of the rage that Kresst's meditation had forced upon him.

[Sep]

The Captain screames as he raised his hands, a bolt of lightning shot out towards the diminuative Jedi. Momentarily free from the restrictions of the Force around his throat the captain moved in with a swift kick to try while he moved his blade to slice the Jedi in half if he jumped to avoid the kick. The moves were sloppy, untrained. He was obviously not used to the concept of using a lightsaber, or the Foce. He worked on raw strength and power, rather than skill.

---

Mevenn pulled the weapons of the clones towards her, disarming them in quick fashion. She hoped that the fight would end there, that they would have been able to talk. Open dialogue, and then she could resolve whatever it was that they thought she did to deserve such abuse. Then she saw Trio pull out a grenade. Wincing she grabbed it witht he Force and held it just out of his grasp, ducking behind a nearby tree as an explosion rocked the area. She briefly felt Kresst reach out to her with the Force, she tried to send him a long distance nod over the connection however it was severed just as quickly as it had started so she wasn't sure if he had gotten it or not.

[EliteCommander]

Kresst was momentarily stunned by the lighting, though it was not powerful enough to be particularly dangerous, even to one of his size. Regardless, it came as a surprise to Kresst. He had not felt the force before within the captain, likely due to how much stronger the dark side presence of the environment was compared to him. Indeed, he seemed to be a fledgling dark side user; one that was either new to the practice, or lacked any real training. Even with that explanation for the betrayal in his mind, Kresst was currently having a much more difficult time suppressing the more intense extremes of his emotions than usual. He was usually not one who liked to delve too far into the light or dark.

Though not a warrior by trade, Kresst still had his full Jedi training for his reactions to draw from, and even without the force, the captain's movements were quite telegraphed. His size granted him strength, but not agility. With a force-assisted jump, Kresst leaped almost directly forwards, rather than up or backwards, to send him through the captain's legs and end up behind him faster than his lumbering body could react.

"Oh, I understand now." Kresst remarked as he turned back towards the captain. "You are not merely a selfish warlord...you are seeking the darkness, and I doubt you are doing so responsibly. Well, if you want to feel the dark side so strongly, then here...take it." Extending forth his hand once more, Kresst poured his anger into a stream of lightning towards the captain, with no intention of holding back.

[Sep]

TIMESKIP

[Sep]

Mevenn limped her way back to the cruiser. Wounded. Droid ships continued to break through the atmosphere coming down to the planet. She could only hope that Kresst hadn't been killed in whatever altercation he had been dealing with within the temple. She had sensed the disturbance in the Force, the rush of the Darkside coming from where the temple was. The loss still stung her to her core, her brothers in arms. Friends, allies. People she trusted more than anyone else had turned on her. In the past she would have turned to her master, but she couldn't even sense the connection to the old Ithorian anymore. The bond between Master and Apprentice was usually one of the strongest bonds a Jedi could form, allowing an almost sixth sense to exist between them.

Instead she felt isolated, there was no caring warmth for her when she tried to seek out her Master in the Force. Only a void filled with pain and fear. Mevenn hoped that was her own insecurities altering her judgement, that the connection was just there but her perceptions were being clouded by the darkness that existed on this world.

All she could do was hope.

Breaking through the treeline she saw the ship and sped up towards it. Her danger sense kicked in as she heard people shouting, Mevenn rolled to the left, right hand pulling her lightsaber off it's clip at her hip and igniting it sending a stray bolt of blasterfire back to its source as various shots began to ring out in her direction. Mevenn turned to face the turret, set up in the ruined tower, blocking blasters with her lightsaber. Unable to redirect them back at the target due to the sheer volume of blasts that came towards her. Focusing on the blaster energy pack, she poured energy into it through the Force. The pack exploding collapsing the tower. The screams of those that had been within the tower pierced the air, and she could feel the wave of heat approaching her.

Running towards the ship she felt a familiar presence in the Force, looking up from the opposite direction her heart skipped a beat as she saw Mach and Master Kresst rushing towards her.

[EliteCommander]

Kresst, as he was rushing towards the ship, was drastically different from his normal, relaxed state. Where as he was usually slow to the point of being frustrating, he was now springing forward with each force-assisted leap. Even then, it was clear that he was holding back so that Mach would even be able to keep up at all. More than Kresst, the clone's armor hinted at the ordeal they had been through, being covered in dust with a cracked helmet held under his arm.

For Kresst, the explosions and blaster fire he heard and felt on his approach plainly showed that the conflict had not been restricted to the Sith temple, which made it even more imperative that they get off of the planet quickly. As much as he wanted to obtain the Sith artifact, he did not feel it worthwhile enough to risk throwing his life away over it.

"We've been betrayed!" Kresst shouted as he neared Mevenn. "We need to get off of this planet right now! Are your men already aboard?"

[Sep]

Most of the camp by this point was deserted. Either due to fleeing the Separatists that were at this point no doubt advancing, or the Jedi running at them from either direction. Especially after Mevenn had just singlehandadly destroyed one of their towers without actually using a physical weapon. As Kresst approached with Mach she grabbed the Clone with the Force, tripping him and sending him to his knees. "The Clones are the ones that betrayed us!"

Mach grunted as he had the wind knocked out of him. Grunting through bared teeth. "Commander? What's going on?"

Mevenn pointed the end of her lightsaber at the Clone. "The rest of the squad attacked me, something about following orders."

"Sir, that can't be-"

"That is right!" She sighed. Swallowing her emotions, getting angry at this point wouldn't help their position. Still applying pressure ont he Clone with the Force, she turned to Kresst. Though her face was concealed beneath her helmet, the resignation still carried through in her voice and her aura within the Force. Mevenn was scared. "What should we do Master?"

[EliteCommander]

Though Mevenn was undoubtedly turning to Kresst for wisdom, he was equally as surprised as Mach. At the very least, unlike Mach, he did have a few moments to think and collect his thoughts without Mevenn holding him down with the Force. "What? No, it wasn't your clone that betrayed me, it was that Captain. I assumed you were fighting the locals up here. This is..." His voice trailed off as he shifted to focus on Mach.

Despite Kresst's surprise, he was at least in more of a position to think clearly than Mevenn. He focused on the clone's mind, but did not find what he was expecting to sense. Kresst believed Mevenn when she said the clones had turned on her, yet all that Kresst could sense within Mach was a mix of fear and confusion. It was possible that he was skilled at masking his emotions, but Kresst's instincts were telling him otherwise. And regardless of the truth, they still needed to move quickly.

"What we should do is get on the ship and get into deep space as soon as physically possible. We can try to figure this out once we're not in the middle of this warzone. Our pilot isn't a clone; she's directly employed by the Jedi Order. Hopefully she won't betray us too." Kresst recommended before giving a calm, but firm gaze towards the clone. "Mach, we will figure this out, but please give your weapons to Mevenn. It is for the best."

[Sep]

Mevenn thumbed the activation stud on her lightsaber, the green blade receding intot he hilt as she let go off the Clone. Instead using the Force to lift over his weapons, clipping the blaster to her utility belt and sliding the pistol into the holster. She nodded her head to the Clone, indicating that he should go first. "I'm ready for anything now Master. Nobody else is going to jump me in the same way that they just did. No-one." She walked up the ramp behind the Clone Trooper, the little astromech droid belonging to their droid whizzing up to greet them. Obviously worried about the fact that the war was rapidly approaching the ship, and all of its occupants.

Mevenn hung back, shaken to her core belief. What kind of order could cause the Clones to betray them? They had worked together for years, some of them since the beginning of the war.

"What's going on Master? Why do I sense such fear, and suffering? Why can't I sense my Masters presence?"

[EliteCommander]

Kresst finally slowed down once the loading ramp was closed behind them. He was keeping an eye on Mach, but still did not sense any sort of threat from him. "I'm afraid I don't have those answers yet. Once we are somewhere safe, hopefully we will be able to figure all of this out." He replied, just before their pilot came rushing to them from across the ship. She was a Mon Calamari woman in a red flight uniform, almost the same shade as her skin. Kresst had guessed early on that she was a member of the Jedi Service Corps, due to her force-sensitivity. While not quite panicked, she was certainly alarmed, confused, and looking for answers.

"Okay, what is going on here...master?" She asked between breaths, only barely remembering to use some formality. "This planet has turned into a warzone, and I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone. Too much longer, and I'd have had to have taken off."

"I'm not sure I understand all of this myself, but we need to get off-world right away." Kresst answered.

The pilot looked visibly relieved. "Good. I'll have us back to Coruscant as fast as possible."

Kresst held up a hand just as the pilot was about to turn back towards the cockpit. "Wait. I'm not sure that is a good idea. Something...horrible is happening, and I'm not sure Coruscant is safe anymore. Just...take us away from the planet, into space. Far from anything. In the short-term, that is probably the safest place we can be."

"I...okay, Master Jedi, I'll do as you say. What about the rest of the soldiers? The clones, I mean; should we wait on them?" She questioned, to which Kresst slowly shook his head. Understanding his meaning, the pilot rushed back up to the cockpit with her astromech to get them off of the planet. She already had the engines primed and ready, so there was no further delay for them to take off.

Kresst understood the probable trauma that was fresh on Mevenn's mind, so he managed to overcome his own questions and worries enough to keep a calm exterior. He gently encouraged Mevenn to sit down in the ship's common room to calm her mind and collect herself, while keeping Mach close to himself. Given what Mevenn had claimed happened between herself and her squad, Kresst did not think it wise to leave them together alone.

Since their fates were in the hands of their pilot at this point, Kresst simply took the time to meditate and gather his thoughts while they were leaving the planet. In the Sith temple, he had sensed betrayal, but now it seemed that it was far worse than he could have imagined. He had first felt the darkness encroaching on his senses back when they were approaching the Sith temple, but now, out of the planet's atmosphere, it was hardly any weaker. It was a wave of darkness permeating the whole of the galaxy, for those with the senses to feel it.

Eventually, the atmosphere in the ship settled into an uneasy calm, shortly before the pilot joined them once more in the common room. She stepped into see Mevenn and Mach on opposite sides of the table from one another, with Kresst meditating at a seat in the middle. She was finally the one to break the silence. "I think we're out of any immediate danger, at least. C2 has us on a course towards...nothing, and it doesn't seem like we're being followed. So..." She began, letting out a long, deep breath. "...what the hell is going on?"

Kresst slowly opened his eyes and straightened up in his seat. "Yes, I think we all need to catch each other up on what we've missed. I went down into the Sith temple with that local commander, and Mach. Eventually, after I dug up whatever answers the commander was looking for, he turned on us. He knocked Mach out, and attempted to kill me. He was an acolyte of the Dark Side. Perhaps self-taught, given his meager skills, but I had no choice but to kill him. I managed to wake Mach up, we headed back up to the surface, then back to you as fast as possible, Mevenn. I felt the betrayal from within the temple, but had thought it was the locals."