And Comes A Terrible Darkness (Invite Required)

[Audren Sykes]

"Not for long."

Ominous words, but not directed at him. Not a second after they were uttered, the Force swelled and the trees around them started creaking. Then the creaking intensified and they started writhing. Branches whipped around despite the lack of wind, even the trunks moved. The movement was more than he would have expected given the general elasticity of wood, could Thurion have affected that as well? At this point it didn't much matter though, as assassins started falling from the trees.

"I was actually hoping to have some targets painted on the lawn. Much more fun to send them flying."

Deadpan joking aside, the Sephi now saw that several who had fallen now carried lit lightsabers. Even as he wondered why they hadn't been used before, he realized that they weren't exactly stealth weapons. In the dark, they glowed quite brightly, and their hums were far more audible than unpowered weapons. As they approached, blaster fire erupted from two of them. Except the shots weren't aimed at either Jedi, but at the fellow assassins. Three were instantly cut down before the others recovered enough to start making a fight of it. And it wasn't a ploy either, he felt the pain of the injuries, felt the near-instant death of one of the targeted. Unusual, but when facing off against this many enemies he wouldn't complain.

"There has to be a leader, it is unclear which one it is .. look for any sign to give away the head."

Coci's voice. Except he hadn't actually heard it. He'd heard of people being able to send short messages to those they were close with, but this was a level of detail he'd never heard of, let alone experienced. Then again, he was weak on the mentalism side of things. He had a mental wall - obviously it had at least one gaping hole - but his defense relied more on being able to sharpen his awareness and pierce through incoming attacks. And attack on a physical side to make those psychic attacks not so possible.

Still, the Sephi kept the words in mind as his fair share approached. One opened up with a blaster, the bolts of which were blocked by a suddenly-blazing lightsaber. Two attackers were wounded by that, one possibly mortally. A dozen bolts blocked and two that he'd managed to return...he really had to work on that one too. Upon seeing the orange lightsaber, those carrying conventional weapons stopped short while the three carrying lightsabers of their own advanced to form a semicircle before him. There were five seconds of absolute stillness, then all four moved, so closely together they might have moved at once. The Jedi was no fool, facing down three bladed and Forceful opponents was not good odds. So he evened them a bit.

The assassin who raised his blade for an overhead strike found the hilt pulling back over his head, threatening to drop him on his back. The one lunging forward to impale Audren found his blade entangling the third's rising strike, courtesy of a sidestep and slight redirecting block on the Master's part. Of course, then he couldn't find himself much more than that: he'd overextended, dropped his defenses, and the elfin Jedi's return stroke - a slash held in a reverse grip - took off his head. The momentum of that slash turned the blond Master, and he completed the spin to bring himself back around to face the remaining opponents with blade held in a one-handed guard position. Quick, smooth, and graceful.

Yes, he was actually a threat to them.

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"] | [member="Coci Heavenshield"] | [member="Connor Harrison"] | [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] | [member=Ryn'Dhal]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

The arrival of Coci set his heart at ease in spite of the forces they faced; together they had fought far worse and come out the victors. She had the speed and agility while he possessed the strength and fortitude, making for the perfect duo. Of course this time they were joined by [member="Audren Sykes"] and several other Jedi defending their home from Sith invaders. He only hoped their efforts would not increase in the form of a full-fledged invasion, but something told him this was but an attempt at getting [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] back. They would not have her, ever again.

The three assassins currently keeping him busy proved to be excellent fencers, deflecting and parrying near-flawlessly. Still, the Grandmaster was not without his own bag of tricks. As all three lunged at him simultaniously, Thurion ducked down underneath their sabers, making their blades strike one another. As he kneeled under the blades, his fist struck the earth at his feet and caused a vast burst of telekinesis, tossing the surrounding assailants aside like they were nothing, their bodies flung into trees and bushes. Finally, a moment of peace!

Taking note of Coci's mindtrick and the resulting in-fighting between some of the assassins, he quickly found his wife and even had time for a heat-of-the-moment kiss. "These are Kaine's men, but I do not detect his presence. They must follow another." He nodded towards the temple behind them. "Connor's inside with Sera. He'll have taken to the infirmary by now."

[member="Coci Heavenshield"] | [member="Connor Harrison"] | [member="Ryn'Dhal"]​

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Younglings. Stolen children of countless worlds raised to be emotionless voids fit for war that these relentless Jedi wage. They may as well be droids they are so devoid of individualism and unique thought. Implanted by codes and morals and high ground ethics. To help by not helping. Frivolous circular logic.

Sera let the thought pass as she ambled into the med-bay with Connor where some whelp of a Felacatian sauntered about, stumbling with his words like a frightened child that had just been caught sneaking about after curfew. Pathetic. Perhaps this one is still a student of age, unfit for life outside of the temple. A rejected warrior. Regardless he posed an inconvenience to her plans, even if he were easily dispatched. Still, for the interim she needed to maintain appearances as a tortured victim.

The Twi'lek observed as the Knight went scurrying about to collect what he felt were necessary supplies. Oh, if only he knew the trauma...Such things were far beyond his grasp. The depths of depravity that she'd been exposed to. The truest breadth of torture in their most heinous forms. For now the woman obliged Connor's request, lying down on the bunk to await whatever medical scans he wished to run whilst she continued to gauge this new interruption in her plan and decide how best to handle the two of them.

[member="Connor Harrison"] | [member="Ryn'Dhal"] | [member="Coci Heavenshield"] | [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] | [member="Audren Sykes"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a small smile, Connor let Sera lie back, nodding to her.

Turning away, he indicated for [member="Ryn'Dhal"] to come through for his inspection and analysis.

”Ryn, when you’re ready.”

Walking across the room, he stopped beside the ground-mounted control panel and walked backwards a few steps. He looked at the Twi’lek. He looked back at Ryn. He looked to the control panel that his fingers teased.

Flipping a switch down, then pushing small black green button, Connor quickly moved to activate the isolation cell’s shield that would drop down in a small hum and flash of pale blue light, effectively it would seal Sera inside the cell he too had been imprisoned in years ago.

There was something awfully wrong with his old friend, and she certainly wasn’t the same Sera he had last seen.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] | [member="Coci Heavenshield"] | [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] | [member="Audren Sykes"]