Private Dead of Night | Coruscant Temple

[Xeykard]

Thal Mantis Jonyna Si Brandyn Sal-Soren (and a surprise tool that will help us later Connel Vanagor )​

Xeykard had never been to Coruscant before. Nar Shaddaa, Bastion -- no other world seemed to compare to the scale of this place, nor its depravity. He'd crawled through a dozen hells before this and none even came close. The weak festered above and below. All carrot, no stick. Not an ounce of order to be found in the entire system.

But his was a different task. From this hell he would take one of the dead; a traveling Jedi Master, one of few in this era to pass of natural causes. Xeykard was to take the body from the Temple before it was rendered to ash.

He shuddered to think what the Dark Lord would do with it. But, from the way things were going, this was Xeykard's chance to truly prove himself.

Along with a small team of specialists, he'd infiltrated Coruscant's underworld near the Temple. Ancient Sith information spoke of secret entrances down here; while the Saaraishash agents handled the overhead, he was the wetwork. He stalked the halls of the Temple, manipulating the security measures and carefully avoiding the Jedi who were still up at this late hour. His presence was mute, indistinguishable from the natural flow of the Force; he moved soundlessly, smelled like nothing.

In time he reached the room where the body was being kept -- after one last check of the hall, he tapped the release on the door, and slipped inside.

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Guard duty in the lower levels of the temple was the lesser of two evils. The greater evil was the same role but in the archives. Perish the thought that he be considered a scholar and asked for the location of some ancient annal. At least here he could be alone with his thoughts, undisturbed in his pondering.

Having spent much time undercover, Brandyn had become a near master of masking his presence in the Force. It seemed like a reasonable thing to do given his task. In the near impossible event of an intruder, he would appear to them as if the last faint remnants of an echo through the Force. Given the degree of presence the temple had in the Force, he was scattered among the static in the Force.

Brandyn had found the hallways of the lower levels to be full of shadows that moved. But one such shadow moved differently. It was less than a figment of his imagination like all the others. And so, he followed, not really knowing if they were friend or foe. Foe seemed more likely, unless it was some unusual training method from one of the too-clever Masters in the upper levels of the temple.

As the shadow proceeded, it became more and more clear that it wished to avoid being seen by even security systems. The possibility of it being a ruse by a well-meaning Master faded quickly. This was infiltration. But what was the target?

He could see the shadow now, a rather imposing reptilian figure slipping through a door way. Back to the hallway wall, Brandyn slid down the hallway before pausing at the entrance. He tapped a wrist mounted comm’s device sending a silent alert, notifying other Jedi to his location and need. With possible back-up arranged, Brandyn tapped the door entrance, allowing it to slide open before he stepped through.

| Xeykard | Jonyna Si | Thal Mantis | Connel Vanagor |​

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

The dead of the night was an interesting time for a training session, most would think. Jonyna was never most people. Katas and simple routine was what kept her edge, and she found herself sparring in the training rooms more often than not when she was on Coruscant. She didn't really mind the city anymore, but she did prefer New Cov at this point...

Her datapad rung. It wasn't a normal sound, so it sent her jumping into the air in fright at first.

"What in Bucky Stardust...?"

She took a moment to click on her wrist pad on her armor, letting out a groan. Some sort of silent alarm. Time to make it downstairs to the underground. What could be going on? She just wanted to train...

Tag: Xeykard Brandyn Sal-Soren Thal Mantis Connel Vanagor

 

[Thal Mantis]

Thal Mantis, the Deathless, was fast asleep.

But something awoke him, stirring him awake, as if shaken by an invisible hand. Thal shot up in his bed, putting on his slippers- and a shirt.

As big and cut as he was, he did not take kindly to being indecent, even when investigating strange noises! For safety's sake, he grabbed his lightsaber, and a flashlight. One would think the former could act as both, but he found it to be rather luckluster in the lighting department.

He closed his eyes and reached out with the force- and a little, teeny tiny voice said.... go that way.

He did so, heading to where a certain rapscallion reptilian was up to no good, tunneling in the tomb tenaciously for his fallen former fiendish friend. And so, Thal Mantis, in his sweatpants, a T-shirt that said "I <3 COMMENOR" (he had recently been and taken several nice photos), and his slippers, descended downwards in order to face an unknown threat.

Part of Thal believed he was actually just hungry.

 

[Xeykard]

Brandyn Sal-Soren Jonyna Si Thal Mantis
​

The little morgue room was, thankfully, empty; as he closed the door the lights turned on, giving the room a solemn glow. There, lying on a table on the left side of the room, was the body, covered by a sheet embroidered with the symbol of the Jedi Order. He approached, and reached for the sheet-

Somebody tapped the door release outside. Xeykard was standing in the open -- and even quick as he was, there was hardly anywhere to hide. Instead his hands dropped to his belt.

The door opened and the Jedi stepped in. The man looked ready for anything; Xeykard had clearly been found out. The fact that he couldn't sense the Jedi, even so close, was alarming to him. His own stealth was as flawless as his opponent's, to have been sensed... that meant he was facing a master, maybe a shadow.

Xeykard hid his saber club in his right hand, not yet ignited. His left was occupied throwing three things -- the first, a cylindrical metal object that was tossed to his left, arcing gently into the centre of the room. The second and third were nail-sized darts coated in poison. The first sliced through the air aimed at the Jedi's centre, the second went to the panel to cut the lights in the room.

The Inquisitor followed rapidly, rushing forward to swing a massive fist at the Jedi. The more important action, however, was when he tapped a button on his belt, activating the aural dampeners in the commlink in his ears. As he got within striking distance of the Jedi, the flash grenade burst in a barrage of sound and light.

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

He was after a corpse?

Brandyn did not have time for the standard quip, nor banter, as the intruder quickly acted on attack. The Jedi, in response, already had his emerald-green blade extending with the normal snap-hiss. The dart that headed towards him was dealt to with a swipe of his hand, sending the dart clattering to the floor to his right. The other dart, he was not so quick too and the lights flicked off, only the back lighting from the hallway behind him bringing any illumination.

“Stand down…”

He wasn’t…the charging made that fairly clear.

The metal cylinder came to a stop, just as Brandyn realised his second error. Detonation came moments before the impending impact of the intruder’s fist. Knowing this would not end well for him, Brandyn lent into the danger pushing his saber straight ahead towards the centre mass of the intruder’s chest.

The light and sound erupting from the grenade saw him stagger backwards. His closed eyes and turned head were not enough to prevent temporary blindness. But it was the sound, it took him to his knees. Hands shaking, he still held tip of his saber blade straight towards the oncoming intruder.

| Xeykard | Jonyna Si | Thal Mantis |​

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

Her journey down into the tunnels of the temple was slow at first, as her sense of urgency wasn't very high...

Until a bang rang through the halls. Then she ran, gripping her sword hilt in one hand, her saber in the other. 3 in the gods damn morning...

AS she turned the corner, she saw the glow of a green saber through a doorway.

"HEY!" She called out, drawing her sword Liz.

Tag: Xeykard Brandyn Sal-Soren Thal Mantis

 

[Xeykard]

Brandyn Sal-Soren Jonyna Si Thal Mantis ​

Xeykard, neither blinded nor deafened by his own grenade, was able to react in time to the Jedi's raised saber, but it was only through the Jedi's strength that the Inquisitor could not maneuver to land a blow.

Instead, he used his momentum to throw himself over the now-kneeling Jedi, where he rolled onto his feet behind his stunned opponent. No longer immediately in danger, his senses picked up another rounding the corner. Already the walls were closing in. He was the only problem to be dealt with; the more time he spent here, the more Jedi would be on his tail. Unless...

In a split second decision he raised his hand to his ear and growled, just loud enough for the second Jedi to hear, "Wrong room, you imbecile! Where is it?"

Then he turned, seemingly noticing the second Jedi for the first time just then. Xeykard snarled at the newcomer -- then turned and ran down the hallway he'd come down. His mental map of the Temple, while incomplete, told him that there would be sufficient opportunities for distraction ahead.

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

The assault on his senses saw Brandyn lose his footing, and the second hand on his saber dropped to the floor to support him. He waited. Waited for a killing blow that never came. His mind drifted beyond his senses trying to reach beyond the deafening screech ringing in his ears. But he could not.

He resigned to his fate. But death did not take him.

Why had the intruder not struck him down? Had someone or something distracted him? Was his intent purely non-lethal? The darts that had been thrown spoke to lethal intent.

His saber was turned off, as he pushed up to his feet. The room swirled about him, as if the floor had become the deck of an ocean-bound vessel.

Focus.

Beyond the distracting cacophony of light and sound that stained his eyes and ears, Brandyn felt another presence in the light.

Back up.

You saved my life.

As the world seemed to swirl about him, Brandyn focused on the centre - the line between the chaos and the much needed order. There was a path ahead, through the din.

He walked forward, but it felt more like falling, and caught himself at the door, and then on the other side of the hallway. He would improve…but he needed to be in a position to help when he did. He had…to move.

| Xeykard | Thal Mantis | Jonyna Si |​

 

[Thal Mantis]

Danger.

Fighting.

Hatred. Malice.

He knew them well. They were just beyond the doors. Something lay in the belly of the temple, something foul. Someone was in trouble. Someone was fighting. Not with anger. A Jedi- calculated, cold, shut off.

He rolled his hands upwards, pulling the lightsaber hilt into his hands. A large explosion- a grenade, no doubt. Or something similar. But not a bomb. No, something smaller. But enough to ring through the halls.

Static filled the air as Thal approached the door- and turned on his lightsaber!

SNAP HISS!

He stood firm against the intruder, a large, lizard-like thing. He narrowed his eyes, and the Deathless stared the threat at the end of the hallway.

"Yield or suffer."

Thal didn't say it with malice, just a matter-of-factly way. He held his lightsaber, blue light humming against the darkness, down low and behind him slightly. Like one would hold a sword, not so much a lightsaber.

Brandyn Sal-Soren l Jonyna Si l Xeykard

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

"Wrong room, you imbecile! Where is it?"

Then he turned, seemingly noticing the second Jedi for the first time just then. Xeykard snarled at the newcomer -- then turned and ran down the hallway he'd come down. His mental map of the Temple, while incomplete, told him that there would be sufficient opportunities for distraction ahead.

Wh-

Jonyna drew her sword as soon as she saw him, pointing it at the sith. "Surrender or face us."

Another jedi, one she hadn't met before, stood on the other side. Now he was trapped in the hallway, at least in theory. She knew Kahlil would kick her ass if she let a sith into the temple, but...she also knew his teaching. Do not strike unless striken first. She disagreed with it, but she would follow it.

Tag: Xeykard Thal Mantis Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Xeykard]

Brandyn Sal-Soren Thal Mantis Jonyna Si
​

Xeykard allowed his presence to leak ever so slightly. So close to the Sacred Spire, the darkness was easy to cover; instead of a deadly Sith or an empty void, he felt like something between. He was a predator hidden in the bushes, still concealing his bloodlust, as any experienced hunter could. Now that the Jedi could see him, he needed to throw off their read of him.

He was boxed in now as the third Jedi opened the doors down the hall he'd been headed down. It seemed the two new arrivals were focused on him. "So much for the compassion of the Jedi," he snarled. If he'd known they'd be smart enough not to help their comrade, he would've just killed the first Jedi off the bat.

The one in front of him seemed, at a glance, far weaker... no, there was a surprise waiting for him. Xeykard opted to keep his saber concealed, and once more pulled from his belt. Without breaking his stride he threw three marble-sized pellets at the padawan, seemingly with killing intent -- only, on impact with saber or skin they'd explode into a cloud of smoke and dust, allowing him another uninterrupted leap past the Jedi.