This was why Cassie was a Jedi Knight and Mathieu was just a Padawan. In awe, he stood behind a few crates and watched how the Knight used telekinesis to make both tools and people follow his bidding. There were multiple challenges which the Kiffar was overcoming at once. He was working from a long range. He showed meticulous control over small objects. Even sentient beings fell under his sway. And the precision he had allowed him to achieve the results that he was hoping for. Mathieu threw an eye on his friend up in the tree - it was an impressive display which brought a smirk to his lips. It was becoming rather obvious that he still had much to learn.
He heard the whisper loud and clear - for he stood close to the Knight after he had come closer to the entrance. It was a flattering question because it meant that his practice of the skill was good enough to make him rather hard to sense through the force. Moving fast, the Padawan closed the distance between them before hopping in front of his friend, way too close for him to avoid colliding. It was a silly prank, for while Mathieu was indeed clad in heavy armour and his form granting him a considerable bulk, it was still enough to rub his concentration, and once more making him visible.
"I'm here" he whispered with a mischievous grin.
Taking off the outer robes was not hard. In fact, Mathieu had designed his armour for that exact task to be easy. With a shrug, the robes fell off but before they hit the ground, he caught them and held them up to the Knight.
"Take it on" he said. The robes would probably be a bit too long and Mathieu himself was way more noticeable when his armour plates were front and centre instead of the dull robe, but it had a purpose. The adegan weave which the robes possessed made it easier to concentrate on stealth force powers which would put their capacities to stay hidden at a more equal level, an essential component if they were going to work as a team. But there was more to it.
The Dark side was strong in the temple. Mathieu could feel its oppressive presence and he was sure that Cassie could too. The Padawan was secure in the light. He had not struggled much with the pull of the dark side, even though he had been in situations where it might have started to pull on others. For he had seen its terrible effects, and he wanted nothing to do with it. The adegan weave helped the wearer centre themselves and find peace and knowing his friend and the struggles he saw on Manaan, Mathieu wanted him to borrow it. Even if Cassie signalled 'no', Mathieu would lean in and whisper
"Take it"
With that, he reentered his force stealth - although this time, it would be easier for their foes to spot him - still, if he stuck to the shadows or stood very still, it would remain challenging for them to find him. Together, the two moved into the temple, seeing the numerous Imperial guardsmen in there was daunting. They were mostly idling, playing pazaak and laughing loudly at each other's jokes. But the risk that one of them would spot the two Jedi was still significant.
Fortunately, they made it past the room and soon found themselves in the cellar with numerous holding cells. On the left, they seemed more simple and primitive while the ones on the right were slightly more sophisticated - both being better secured and sound isolating. The closest one to the right stood empty and so did the one after that. Mathieu's eyes were wandering to the third one when Cassie found two kids. Looking at them and reaching out through the force, he could guess that they were force sensitive. He sent his friend a look whilst thinking that they had to belong to the Colonist they had met earlier, but he stayed silent, words were probably not needed.
While he left the Knight to deal with the kids, Mathieu continued moving forward until he reached the fourth cell on the right. Inside, he saw an armoured guard inside, beating up a
Chadra-Fan prisoner with a shock baton. The Padawan let out a gasp upon seeing it - the helpless little alien seemed to scream in pain as it was hit. He wanted to rush in immediately - but he knew that if he opened the door, the victim's pained wails would bring the attention of their nearby foes. Still, something had to be done, and so, Mathieu dropped his stealth, only maintaining his minimized force signature. It didn't matter, for he stood behind the guard. With more focus, he then applied the force on the Chadra-Fan to knock him out.
The truce was now over. With the push of a button, Mathieu opened the cell doors and quickly took a step in. The surprised guard looked up at the surprise guest but did not hesitate. He was used to the violence and jammed his shock baton right into the large Morellian's abdomen. Mathieu did not flinch. His heavy armour and powerful build ensured that he could dismiss the attack without any issues. After trying again with the same results, he quickly reached for his comms unit. But Mathieu was quick and managed to snatch the guard's wrist. With a hard squeeze, he forced the Imperial to let go of the comms unit. And with that, he forcefully took off the man's helmet and punched him in the head, immediately knocking him out.
He wore a stern expression as he looked down on the lumped body of the guard whom laid by his feet. But the expression soon softened as he took a step forth and crouched down by the unconscious alien.
"We'll get you out, buddy, don't you worry." he said whilst putting a hand on the victim's forehead to better get a sense of his health.
"Stable" he whispered. With that, he started to attach a few straps to the little alien and connected them to the ones that sat at his back, allowing him to carry the unconscious prisoner with both arms free.
Cadere
Mathieu Brion
