[Closed X-Guild RP] Pathway to Stone - Sith'ari Path & EPOCH Only

"Change of plans, Agent Fel?" Vaelyndor said, his words direct and to the point but as polite as ever.

"Yes. We -" but her words were caught short by that of Darth'Ishad..

"Something is coming."

She had barely had the time to take in Darth'Ishads words before the mighty beast burst from the undergrowth. Slavering at the mouth it was full of ferocity and focus, and it was aimed straight at The Aurilla.

Silently cursing herself that she had been too wrapped up in other matters to not sense the impending arrival of the Acklay, Aleena sneered as the creature hurtled toward the ship at a terrifying pace.

Closing her eyes, the Dark Jedi reached out with her feelings, sensed the forest around her and all the life connected with it; the grubs as they burrowed in the earth, the micro-organisms that made up the fragile eco-system, the air as it whistled through the trees, her colleagues and of course, the Acklay.
Everything was connected, intertwined.

With a swipe of her hand the ground in front of the Acklay erupted as if suffering a seismic surge, the compacted earth headed upwards and reshaped, reforming into a makeshift wall which the beast slammed into at full force, letting out a loud cry of frustration.

It wouldn't hurt a creature as resiliant as an Acklay, but it would grant the group an important couple of seconds to conduct a defence. As the dirt and dust began to fall back down Aleena could arleady see the two huge front claws of the Acklay coming over the top of the barrier. They had precious little time.

Watching the creature from the boarding ramp and keeping her hand on her lightsaber hilt she shouted over her shoulder to the crew.

"We've got company!"

With her free hand she pressed her communicator.

"Keel? Keel, come in. Report back to The Aurilla immediately, hostiles inbound."

"Something is coming."

Vaelyndor spun around just in time to sense Aleena reach out with the Force and watch the Acklay slam into the newly constructed earthen barrier. Now that's not something you see everyday. the Executor thought as he began sprinting towards the creature. After a few steps the young warrior draws upon the Force and leaps high into the air, drawing and igniting his lightsaber with a flourish at the apex of his jump. The Acklay, now recovered from its initial disorientation, catches wind of the attack and brings up a massive claw to parry the blow, sparks flying as the crimson blade is deflected away from its body. Without hesitation Vaelyndor continues to viciously attack the creature, raining down blows with his weapon mercilessly upon it. Though the young warrior is highly skilled with the blade, his efforts are thwarted by the Acklay's heavily armored claws, which move with stunning speed and agility. Neither the human nor the Acklay are able to land a damaging blow, however it is only a matter of time before one of them begins to fatigue and makes a fatal mistake; and both of them know it will be the human who tires first.

Aleena's calm but hurried voice sounded in Eamonn's helmet. "Keel? Keel, come in. Report back to The Aurilla immediately, hostiles inbound." There was a muddied sound of commotion in the channel background.

“On my way” Quickly re-holstering his blaster rifle, Keel slipped from his crouched position on the tree branch and dropped the thirty foot to the forrest floor, slowing his decent by grabbing another branch on the way down. Landing on the moss and fallen leaves with dull thud he heard a shrill screech of some large animal off towards the ship's location.

Rather than heading straight for the clearing Keel sprinted in the opposite direction the short distance to the nearby rocky stream. Without breaking momentum he leaped head-first from the stream bank - looking like he was about to dive into the insanely shallow water. Instead his jetpack flared and the man rocketed in a tight curve along the stream's course before quickly pulling up through the narrow crack snaking through the dense forest canopy.

In moments Keel was above the ship and the fight below. He assessed the battle in an instant. The beast had it's back to him and was trying to advance on the ship and the people nearby. One of the Sith was engaging the beast, his light-sword flashing and whirring. He made his decision. Distraction.

Unclipping a modest-charge detonator from his belt Keel activated it and whipped it in a practised flick towards his target. He forewarned his allies over the comm “Incoming detonator – take cover” Keel freed his blaster rifle and began firing at the monster from his aerial position as the thermal detonator bounced and rolled to a stop a few yards short of the creature's rear.

"Incoming detonator - take cover."

Sounded within the Executor's commlink as Keel's form shot upwards and above the idle Aurilla. Catching sight of the thermal charge as it glinted in the bright sunlight, he quickly estimated its rolling trajectory. With the Acklay distracted from the Agents volley of blaster fire, Vaelyndor presses the creature as close to the charge as he can muster while mentally counting down how much time had elpased since its activation. Mere moments before detonation, the young warrior once again draws upon the Force to leap backwards and away from both the frenzied creature and the explosives.

"Something is coming."

He let his guard down just for a few seconds when entering the ship, only to find himself unprepared for any assault. Luckily, Aleena's quick reaction made a vital time gap to assess the situation. The Thumb turned on his stealth generator and tried to get closer to the creatures side. As he was running he saw the young sith warrior, attacking it with full rage.

Thumb knew how these warriors can be fiercome, and reckless. He didn't want to get anywhere near his lightsaber so he decided to stop at a safe distance from the Acklay. He wasn't feeling any urge to help the warrior, unless he would think it was a safe assault.

A moment later he noticed noise from a jetpack. "Incoming detonator - take cover."

"This is what I need, excellent move.", thought The Thumb. He made up a daring plan.

Ready to sprint out at his maximum speed he waited for the detonator to explode. When he counted there's only a little moment until the detonator blows up, he set off rapidly. Slightly closed eyes to protect him from any debris, running at full pace he tried to run under the disoriented Acklay, aiming to cut the creatures legs on both sides of it's torso with wrist blades in a single fluent move. It would be a sitting duck for blaster fire with cut sinew on four legs. At the last possible moment he yelled to the comm " Blast it Keel, keep it disturbed ! "

Not trying to take to much time, Darth'Ishad Studied the beast, watched for a weak spot. Feeling he waited long enough the Kaleesh jumped towards the raging Acklay, but out of no where the "thumb" came in underneath the beast and dug his blades in its torso. He had to change his plan of attack, quicky he jumped on its back and drove his blades in then tore them out. Knowing that wouldnt kill it he was relying on the others to help finish it off.

It was clear to Aleena that leaping into the fray against the beast was unnecessary, it would put her at pointless risk when her companions seemed more than capable of barraging the Acklay with close-combat mêlée. Her confidence in the situation was further bolstered with the sight of Keel appearing above, raining fire and destruction down on its mighty form.

Watching the scene she considered best how to intervene, considering releasing a wave of Force-fueled lightning upon the creature but the other combatants were too mobile, the risk of hitting them in the crossfire was too high.

Instead she opted for a different use of her abilities, a variation on a technique she often used on the weak-willed. She loved to toy with the minds of others, forcing them to do her bidding or turning on allies in the thick of battle, but there were faster, more subtle uses for what Deimos had called 'Force Corruption', she didn't have to manipulate the Acklay's mind so much as simply attack it.

Glaring at the beast her eyes glowed slightly as she employed the Force, an unusual side-effect of her exposure to the Dark Side which also negated her Hapan light sensitivity. The air around her began to chill as she sent wave after wave of psychic projection at the creature, bombarding its mind.

PAIN.....CONFUSION.....SUFFER!

The Acklay's assault was met by a huge burst from the ground, akin to a volcanic eruption. Her movement was thrown off and she fell into the barrier. Stubborn, she quickly gathered herself and struck at the earth. It was fragile and quickly fell to her large claws. She had only taken a few steady steps over the mound of earth, when a blast came from behind her, she could feel sharp pecks of heat pierce her left lower abdomen. Her hunger and stubborness overwhelmed the pain however, and she continued forth.

It was about then that the volley of fire from one seemingly airborne individual caught her face. The succession of blasts managed to put her off her given path and drew her further towards the left of the clearing. Then, another small morsel sprinted underneath her, cutting at her legs and torso, while only seconds after, yet another leapt on her back. The pain was becoming unbearable. She violently shook herself with the intention of getting whoever was on her, off. In the same breath, she kicked out her legs trying to swipe at the irritating snack underneath her, flailing her claws as she did so.

Then, something clicked. She became aggrivated, disorientated, distressed. More so than before. Instead of fighting it, she embraced her new mindset and wildly charged forth. No longer targetting the metal beast, now going for the many little bites about her feet. One claw made a mad rush towards the person previously underneath her who had attempted to attack her legs, while the other curved round to swipe up to the side, trying to catch a cloaked individual who had leapt away from her just before the blast. She would get her meal...

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The halls of the Jedi temple were very impressive. Lined with ancient statues that looked like they had been there for millenia - the new marble clearly standing out from the old as the Jedi must have made an effort to repair them. There were also a variety of bizzare items, some Skursir recognised as trophies and medals, others were ornate boxes that he remembered to be of some importance to the Jedi as holo-recordings.
The actual people of the Temple were very inquisitive to say the least. Most probably had not seen off-worlders before, let alone let them into their temple. Child Jedi ran along side, keeping their distance but looking at all three Agents of the E.P.O.C.H with wide eyes. It was not only the children that looked into the group with interest and caution. Most they passed give them long and painful looks.

As Skursir understood it, having a very brief conversation with the nearest escorting Jedi and using general perception, this was the Temple of the Guiding Light. Apparently, it was actually one of the smaller temples in relation to others around Tython. It was supposed to be a branch off of the largest temple somewhere over the planet. That was as much Skursir got out of the Jedi before they reached the door.
"We'll only have one inside." A guard at the passage said, obviously having heard of the group's arrival.
"I nominate mysself..." Skursir said duly, he thought of himself as best in diplomatic discussions, and even though he didn't want to upstage Creed, he decided that he would have more chance with the Jedi than the rough Special Agent. Both Charada and Creed seemed to agree, or at least not want to be left in a room with a Jedi Master, and so allowed him to step forth.

The room was a large circle with a high ceiling, with pillars that possessed carvings. Of what exactly Skursir had no idea. He knew one thing however, one of the most important rules of diplomacy had been broken - there were uneven sides. There were 8 Jedi all around the centre of the room, with two more in the centre standing side by side. This duo include a Kel Dor and a Human, both male. They were, unlike the others, dressed much more ornately, obviously the leaders of the Temple.

"Greetingss, I am Sskurssir, archeologisst for the Azure Sscientific Ressearch Agency..." Skursir began, giving a short bow, going along the mindset that being an intruder, a hand shake would perhaps not be the best physical greeting. It seemed to work though as the two Jedi responded naturally in turn.
"Ah, well I am Master Kurnos," The Kel Dor began, giving a very brief gesture akin to a wave, "And this here is my collegue, Master Darnas..." He then gestured toward the Human who gave a deep nod in reply. "We hear you have been searching for a transmission?"
"That iss correct," Skursir replied, keeping a neutral expression, "We believe it came from, or at leasst very closse to, thiss very position".
It was the Human's turn to speak, and he did so with a troubled frown. "We do not send off-world transmissions from the Temple of the Guiding Light. Jedi come here from other Temples as they find it a calming location. We would not want to spoil that with the bustle of Galactic affairs. Apart from the odd transmission to other Jedi Temples and a couple of Twi'Lek refugee ships, we're cut off from the outside Galaxy"
This was interesting to Skursir, a sub-sect of the Jedi, much like the Praxeum, although it was no time to delve into their own dealings, he would focus on the Transmission. "Ssurely you musst have intercepted an Open Transsmission of ssome kind... Not even sstatic?" The Trandoshan frowned.
Master Darnas folded his arms, "I'm afraid not, that Transmission that you recieved must have been on a closed channel sent directly to one recipient. Where did you recieve it?"
Skursir had to think on the spot here, mentioning Korriban, or even the Sith'ari Path would certainly result in a swift execution, even at the hands of the peaceful Jedi. "Alderaan, at an independant communications HUB..."
Master Darnas narrowed his eyes at the Trandoshan with Master Kurnos nodding slowly as well, although his eyes covered by mechanical plates made it impossible to tell what he was looking at. They didn't seem to believe him.

Keel saw an opening; the monster seemed to shakily coil up upon itself as if in great pain. Wasting no time, with one last thrust lining him up on the enemy he cut his jetpack engines and dropped heavily to the ground. Landing with a thud not two metres from the creature Keel quickly straightened from a crouching position and instead of pointing his blaster rifle at the cowering thing, he planted his feet solidly on the ground and thrust his left arm straight towards the screaming beast.

A blue-white jet of flaming gas ignited from above his cocked wrist and blazed upwards with a roar. The creature's head and fore-section were engulfed in the swirling yellow and orange conflaguration. Inside his helmet Keel's eyes were alight with cruelty and his mouth twisted into a malicious grin. C'mon you fracker!

Even while he revelled in the pain he caused, Keel was calm and coldly aware of his potentially dangerous proximity to the animal. Cutting off the stream of fire, while the beast was still distracted by the agony inflicted upon it, he quickly backed up and resumed his barrage of blaster fire from a more prudent distance.

Taking notice that the beast wasnt to happy about him being on her back, let alone having his blades jamed in it, Darth'Ishad took out his blades and jumped off. He saw the human with the jetpack in the air firing down on the raging Acklay, he tried to stay out of the way of his blaster fire as much as he could. So the Kaleesh went for its legs running up to it he sliced at the back of its joints to try and reduce its movement, but as he came around to go for another one, the Acklay slashed at him with its leg knocking him back against a tree.

((This is the first post after our lengthy break. Even though there was a break, I ask that you please post normally. At least once per week.))

The Acklay was met by a torrent of fire, lashing out more so in front of her, but she couldn't find the individual. Halted by the flamethrower, her legs where suddenly assaulted once more. Unable to respond efficiently, she felt herself become crippled. She toppled over just as a volley of blaster fire from above laid the killing blow. Slowly, she faded out, her wounds overcoming the sense of anger and hunger that drove her.

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Master Kurnos broke the silence. “Co-incidentally, we have stumbled upon an interesting point of our own”. Master Darnas looked quizzically at his peer and took a step towards him before the Kel Dor batted the air beside him, keeping Darnas in his place. “I expect you to know of some of the powers that we possess?” He continued.
“Asside from wielding exotic weaponss and control of the air and lightning, I don’t know much”. Skursir admitted. He wondered how Creed and Charada were holding up, no doubt bemused at the silence and the fact that they were surrounded by Jedi.
With the Kel Dor’s tone indecipherable and his face concealed to show no emotion, he replied. “We also hold abilities to scour the earth for anomalies in the Force. Some see into the future too – if channelled right.” Darnas seemed silently accepting what Master Kurnos was saying, perhaps at discomfort at revealing too much. The eight Jedi surrounding them remained faceless however. “And as it would so happen, we have found an anomaly.”
“Of what kind?” Skursir interjected.
“It is a dark, malicious presence in the force, to the North of this Temple. Something strange, something hungry, something... Unnatural...”

“That’s enough Master Kurnos,” Darnas stopped the Kel Dor from saying any more by placing his hand on the other’s chest as if to hold him back, obviously having had enough. “We’ve said too much for this petty Bounty Hunter.” He drew his lightsabre and ignited it, sending a beam of emerald green towards the Trandoshan, stopping at his throat. “He is obviously not an archaeologist. Did you see the weapons that he brought in? He is a professional mercenary, most probably hired by the Emperor!” The green light added shade to the Human’s face making him more intimidating that he was. “And look! A communicator!” His free hand pointed to a previously concealed metallic strip around Skursir’s neck with its own green light. “His lackeys have been listening into this conversation this entire time!”.
Around the room, blades flashed upwards to the ceiling making a collage of colours. Yellow, blue, green, purple and orange. Had this not been a threatening environment, Skursir would have found it spectacular. Yet, the robed figures inched their way to tightly surrounding the Trandoshan, and a heavy metallic clang signalled that the door was locked. “You’ve got it wrong, Master Darnass! We are tracing a transsmission! We have no wish to interfere with you Jedi!”
“You’ve lied once, how many more will there be? And even if you are not here for us, you have discovered Tython. How long will it be until the entire Galaxy knows that the Jedi retreated to this planet? How long before the Empire makes their presence felt here?” Skursir could not read human faces, but through his words, he could definitely feel fear. Kurnos seemed to have escaped in the meanwhile. Obviously wanting no part in the conflict. Now would be a good time to bring in the hostage.
“Be warned, Jedi. We have a Twi’lek hosstage. One of your Padawanss who sstruck out at uss prematurely. He iss ssafe, but ssurely you would not risk hiss life through our death?” The words seemed to hit home with several of the Jedi, including Darnas. One Jedi fearfully spoke out.
“Master! That must be Klahn! He went into the woods in the morning and hasn’t come back!”

Darnas seemed fazed and Skursir used the opportunity to call over reinforcements. “Aurillia, pleasse resspond. We require the ship on our possition for evacuation. And bring the Padawan".

As Aleina stood inside the ship waiting for further instructions, she looked around at her companions. Some seemed out for blood whereas others looked contemplative. From the way all of them had their hands close to their respective armaments however, it was clear they were all ready to use force if necessary.

Suddenly Aleina's communicator crackled into life and the hissing voice of Skursir could be heard:

“Aurillia, pleasse resspond. We require the ship on our possition for evacuation. And bring the Padawan."

She didn't reply immediately, considering the options. Skursir has mentioned the Aurilla directly and obviously in the presence of another, so he didn't require a stealth attack. Still, he could be contacting them at the tip of a lightsaber blade. The response would have to be quick, but need not weaken their position.

"Roger that, Aurilla inbound." She replied into the communicator before abruptly breaking contact.

Turning to the remainder of the Scout group and the Sith'ari aboard the ship, she gathered them together before dispensing instructions.

"O.K. We've got the call and it sounds like Agent Skursir needs us to come in clean; no need for a stealth attack."

Eyeing up the Twi'lek for a second she threw a nod his direction.

"...and bring the brat. Looks like things may have gone south and we'll need the tail-head for a safe dust-off."

As the group began to ready their weapons and the engines began their ignition sequence, she spoke again.

"However..." She started, catching everyone's attention again. "There is no indication that Skursir has given away our exact numbers, and whomever is with him has only heard my voice thus far. We need to make this look like we're at least a moderately large party, but I still want some people in reserve in case things get.....messy."

"..Thumb, Ishad... I'd like you to exit the Aurilla into the treeline on approach. Your skills at stealth could prove invaluable if we need to get out of there in a hurry."

Picking up her hooded cloak from one of the benches she wrapped it around her shoulders and clasped it shut at the front.

"The rest of you will accompany me into the compound to help to keep the jedi's attention off of our two stealthed companions."

She momentarily turned around and placed her hand on the shoulder of the crew-captain.

"Bring us in low and steady... lets not give their defenses something hostile to shoot at."

In conclusion she turned back to the group who seemed fully ready for the task and eager to press on. Turning her attentions specifically to the members of the Path momentarily, she bowed a respectful nod to them.

"Diplomacy is more the domain of you gentlemen, so once inside the compound I'll defer to your judgment unless talks break down. We handle it your way."

Turning back around and looking out the main viewport as the ship slowly ascended off the ground, she called over her shoulder:

"Look alive, people! We're coming in hot..."

As Aleina finished outlining their plan of action, Vaelyndor bid Darth'Ishad a brief farewell before the Guardian disembarked from the ship once again. Though he was wary to have a member of his team seperated from the main party as well as the ship, he recognized the advantage the two taking an alternate, undetected, route in.

While Agent Fel directed the ship's captain in his course, the Executor glanced over at Sharasvar. The elder Sith met his gaze and nodded in confirmation; Vaelyndor would lead the diplomacy, however Sharasvar would be an invaluable aid and would offer his voice when needed. Returning the nod, the Executor returns his attention forward and up towards the main viewport. Folding his arms within his robes, thoughts and images began to form in his mind. What resistance will Darth'Ishad face, and will he and the single Agent accompanying him be able to over-come it? How was it that Sharasvar always seemed to know what question he was about to ask before he asked it, and how did he know the depth of response a simple nod brought?

Vaelyndor cleared his mind, focusing his attention inward once more. Those thoughts could wait, there were more pressing matters at hand. As the ship slowly crossed the lush terrain towards the pristine Jedi Temple, he knew their identities as Sith would be evident and undeniable. Drawing on the training of his youth, the Executor buried his emotions and calmed his feelings. He had only boarded the ship and heard the last bit of Agent Skursir's dialogue with the Jedi Masters before he called the Aurillia in and knew the situation was tense. Whatever these Jedi may be expecting, he was confident they had not anticipated the Sith'ari.

As Acklay hit the ground in a last living breath, The Thumb was still pumped up and had to calm his killer instincts down. He wiped the blood from wrist blades into the creatures skin and sheated them in the metal wrist guards. With ferocius craving eating his brain away he inspected the giant head of the fallen beast. A big tooth in the back of Acklay's oral cavity caught his attention. He grabbed a little knife, he used, when extracting trophies and violently stabbed in a crown of the tooth, which went loose, followed by a loud cracking noise. A stream of blood began to pour down from the creatures mouth. As a part of his ritual to calm his mind he drank a little of it and made his way to the ship. " Splendid " , he said when looking at the tooth.

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"..Thumb, Ishad... I'd like you to exit the Aurilla into the treeline on approach. Your skills at stealth could prove invaluable if we need to get out of there in a hurry."

" Understood, we will provide you with a safe escape route if things go ugly, which I hope they don‘t .", Thumb replied and quickly ran to his cabin to grab some thermal detonators and sticky bombs. " These may come in handy. " he thought, drank some water to quench his thirst and went back to the cargo hold.

" Hope you won’t need an escape route ", he turned to Aleina when exiting the ship. " But if you do, I have a plan that will transform your chasers into docile herd. Count on us. "

"..Thumb, Ishad... I'd like you to exit the Aurilla into the treeline on approach. Your skills at stealth could prove invaluable if we need to get out of there in a hurry."

When Darth'Ishad heard he was going to hold back and wait, it agitated him a little. It has been a while since he had seen real combat and was looking forward to it. Orders are orders,
"As you wish" he replied with a low hiss.
The corrutpiton inside him was pulsing knowing it was not going to be unleashed hiding in the shadows, Darth'Ishad could feel this, and knew it wasnt a good sign.

Keel stood silent and watched impassively as the one calling himself 'The Thumb' hacked at the dead Acklay's face. Mild curiosity turned to disgust when the Duros sucked at the sputum dripping from whatever it was he had removed from the creature's foul and ulcerated mouth. What the frack kind of 'Agency' dealt with wizards and brain-sick dregs like this freak? In the Bounty Hunter's professional opinion this whole mission had been ill-conceived and mismanaged (or purposely misdirected – Keel still had his suspicions) from the word go. He'd never seen such a shambles and his gut told him things would only go from bad to worse from here on in.

Time to activate plan B...

Dropping back unnoticed as the rest of the 'team' boarded the shuttle, Keel activated his belt's discreet in-built stealth field generator. Turning his back on the whole mess he slowly and carefully slipped away from the clearing into the forest.
Switching the open comms channel to monitor and not broadcast as the Aurillia's engines flared to life, he shook his head incredulously at Aleena's instructions to lead their Sith-accompanied party right into the Jedi compound and her Agency smack bang into the middle of the wizard war. He felt easily justified in his decision to void the contract Aleena had offered him; there was no way in hell he would risk life and limb against frack knew how many Jedi Knights with that feckless rag-tag operation his only support. You bring down the mark, you finish the job – you get paid. Well they could keep their credits this time round. As far as Keel was concerned he was, rightly or wrongly, under no obligation to persevere. Not after considering the crucial information withheld from him at the outset and the enormous sea-change in the parameters of the mission he was lead to believe he'd be undertaking.

He heard the noise from the shuttle Aurillia fade into the distance and tapped at his wrist mounted armour suit interface. He received acknowledgement from his own starship Cosecha Para Dios which had tracked the Aurillia to this godforsaken planet and remained hidden in orbit. A grim sense of satisfaction spread through him at the thought of what likely lay in store for those bound for the Jedi Temple. They deserved everything that was coming to them.

Knowing the Para Dios would home in on his encrypted locator signal, Keel checked his fuel and engaged his jetpack, slowly rising above the tree line. Without any sign of the Agency's shuttle anywhere on the horizon, he engaged full thrust and rocketed far above the forest looking for a suitably large enough clearing in which to await the immanent arrival of his ship. The sooner he was away from these moonstruck devils and sorcerers, the better.

((Eamonn Keel exits the RP))

"I'll stay on recon with Darth'Ishad." Asserted Void. None of us should be left in small numbers out here. Void could feel the anguish of his ally next to him. Void approached Darth'Ishad and stared at him faintly. "Are you ok Darth'Ishad? You seem to be on edge."

The ship shook as it took off, and Aleena shouted her commands down to the assembled crew, "O.K. We've got the call and it sounds like Agent Skursir needs us to come in clean; no need for a stealth attack and bring the brat. Looks like things may have gone south and we'll need the tail-head for a safe dust-off."
“I love happy endings” he muttered looking at the wreck before him, “Looks like your going home” he said to the still unconscious Padawan, Jylan wondered if he should place him on a stretcher, letting him be man handled by the Path or Aleena might kill him, it might also make them look slightly more approachable and less likely to end end the stand-off in a fire fight if they showed some compassion for a change.
“Hmm, it might also piss of our lovely hostess that she can't show how domineering she is and throw you around in front of them.....that settles it then”, he dragged the Padawan up and set him on the stretcher attaching a few medical instruments to him to regulate his bio-signs.
Jylan stood up grabbing his rifle, it was about time something happened anyway, he jogged up to the cockpit passing the Path who look surprisingly relaxed considering the situation had regressed so rapidly.

“What's the plan Aleena?” he said addressing the chief operative “You will let us know if your planning double cross them will you, I don't want to get stuck in a clusterfrack and not know what the hell is going on ...again ”

Things had changed dramatically in the Temple. Word had gotten out that the Padawan was in potential danger and the mood of the whole temple feel deep into gloom, anyone could see it. Worried tutors and handmaidens had quickly recalled all children from the surrounding meadows, in the thought that more of them could be stolen, and probably seeing if Klahn really was missing. Skursir watched as they performed desperate headcounts before filing into a maze of hallways, presumably where they dormatries and classrooms were. Apart from the silent muttering of names from these teachers, the only other sound was weeping coming from one of the Jedi, and Skursir wagered thay she was the mother, carring a similar pink complexion. Skursir shrugged off the weeping easily. It was an unusual sound to him, but sadness and mourning was not.

The other Jedi stayed silent, most staring angrily at Skursir and the group, some with hands on the hilts of their lightsabres. Under the circumstances, the Jedi gave the bounty hunter their space in the main hall. As it happened, Creed and Charada were unexpectantly surrounded and a stand off occured which saw two Jedi wounded and Creed with a burned cheek. Nevertheless, Creed was defiantly pacing up and down, lost in thought. Charada hung back although was clutching his blaster. Skursir on the other hand, attempted to communicate more with the Jedi.

Quietly, but not so much as to come on shadily, Skursir spoke, "What'ss North then, of thiss Temple?" He approached a human Jedi, not one who had been in the near-circular room. Dispite the intensity of the event, his body language spoke that he could definately be more bothered. Crossing the gaping chasm of empty space between the two parties attracted attention, but no one stopped Skursir and he was still far enough away from the main bulk of the Jedi.

"Hm?" The Jedi looked at him with a tiredness in his eyes. He seemed to study Skursir's face for a long moment and Skursir was about to pose the question again before he made his reply. "Think there's some old ruins, and more of that damned forest".
That caught Skursir's attention, although he could inquire no more for a sound of engines which drowned out all sound, even that of the Twi'lek woman. Creed power-walked to the doorway but a robed arm snapped out infront of him and a contingent of the Jedi proceeded forth, with Master Darnas at the head, who let out a leer towards the bounty hunters.

As the ship approached the temple, the Executor was impressed by what he saw. The jedi temple and the forest surrounding it possessed both a sense of simplicity and majesty that appealed to the young man. This would indeed be a place to inspire peace and meditation. I doubt we will have time for such things. A pity, but perhaps we can at least spare the serenity of this place by avoiding further conflict.

Nearing the landing platform, Vaelyndor rose and situated himself. Not wanting to appear overly aggressive, he stowed away some of his armorments, retaining only his lightsaber and heavy blaster. Still garbed in his forest green heavy armor and black cloak, he patiently waited for Agent Fel to give the order to move out. Recalling as much as he could about the Order from his early youth, the Executor mentally prepared to meet the Jedi.

Grinning at Jylan's comment, the Chief Operative knew he was only half joking, he had a talent for keeping himself alive through some of the most ridiculous of circumstances and his cynicism played a major part that.

"I assure you I don't intend to double-cross anyone, and if I did I'd share the information with you first, Agent."

Looking down at the unconcious Twi'lek she frowned slightly, partly at the inconvenience of carrying the thing, but also its abhorrent weakness.

"See what you can do about tidying that.....creature up, Jylan. Lets not give the impression we're hostile unless its proves necessary."

Turning to the assembled members of the Sith'ari, she addressed them as a whole.

"Gentlemen we're at your disposal. We leave the negociations in your hands but our primary objective of your protection and escort to the signal remains the top priority of our Agents. We will follow your lead."

"I'll stay on recon with Darth'Ishad." Asserted Void.

Darth'Ishad looks to his friend and nods.

"Are you ok Darth'Ishad? You seem to be on edge." Asks Void.

Looking to Void again he cracks his neck and nods once more.

When the engines died down, it could easily be noted that the Temple was completely silent. Master Darnas exited through the main entrance of the Temple, descending the marble steps that stretched out before the archway. The craft had landed just off the shining stone platform that the Temple sat upon. They had no landing pad as they didn't bother to add one during the reconstruction, after all, they didn't usually have any visitors. The transport vessel had been heralded by two of the Sentinels in their towers only minutes after the Trandoshan gave the order, so they must not have been far.

As the group of nine approached the vessel, Master Darnas suddenly sensed it. A presence of darkness emanating from the ship. Those aboard were strong with the dark side of the force. As he looked around, the 8 alongside him, 3 Guardians, 3 Consulars and 2 Sentinels, sensed it too. Guardian Jol put his hand on the shoulder of his old teacher, "If we strike fast, the Sith scum will not be able to react. We could rescue Klahn in a heartbeat".
"Patience". Master Darnas replied, "We will learn if the Empire knows that they are here, retrieve Klahn and then wipe them from our world".
"Master Kurnos would have us work out a peaceful resolution" interjected Consular Selial, "The bounty hunters said that they were not with the Empire".
"Kurnos is too optimistic for his own good." Darnas replied, eyes concentrated on the ship's ramp that fell to the grass only three meters away. "There is no respite with the dark side."

"Thank you Agent Fel. Your continued support and those of the other Agents are, as always, appreciated." Bowing to Aleina, he nods to Sharasvar and Argyyn, then leads the small band of Sith'ari and Agents down the exit ramp of their transport craft.

The grandeur of the temple was much more magnificent in person than it was from afar, though the Executor had little time to appreciate it. His attention, instead, was directed towards the nine Jedi that composed the welcoming committee. All armed, even a novice could sense the anxiety and aggression that emanated from the group, telltale signs of impending violence. Probing a bit deeper, he could sense one of their number filled with doubt and conflict. It would seem there was some dissention within the ranks of the Jedi, potentially a rift the Sith'ari could use to their advantage.

Advancing far enough from the ship to allow his allies to be clear of the ramp, he stops roughly six meters from the nearest Jedi and addresses them as a group. "Greetings, Jedi Masters, allow me to introduce myself; I am Vaelyndor Althoren, Executor of the Sith'ari Path." Offering a modest bow as a show of respect, the young warrior continues. "I believe you have already met some of our allies with the EPOCH agency and can only assume you have at least a basic understanding of why we have come to this world. It is also of relevance to mention that we came under attack by a junior member of your order." Vaelyndor motions for the padawans' stretcher to be brought forward, but not released from their custody. "Aside from a few scrapes and bruises he received during his subdual, he has been unharmed and is in stable condition. I wish to stress the point that the Sith'ari have not come here under violent motivations, though if pressed, we will defend ourselves against aggression."

Confident that the Jedi would at least parlay until they could assure the safe return of their learner and equally confident of the fear and anger resonating from several of their number, the Executor watched and waited in a relaxed pose. Either they could negotiate enough time for a brief investigation of the area or they could fight a pack of enraged Jedi before making a hasty withdraw from the area. Luckily, if the situation deteriorated to it, the Sith'ari held the advantage of experience in focusing rage during combat.

Jylan finally finished applying the bandages to the Paladin, he wasn't sure if he looked better or worse now, he stood back like contemplating the sight of the Twe'lik like a fancy piece of art just like he did to the ones on the Hyperion's wall. Do the bandages mask the horror of the wounds or merely allow the imagination of the Jedi to come to even worse conclusions about his state?, irrelevant anyway he thought popping out of his thought, Aleina gets what Aleina demands.

Jylan didn't really believe what Aleina had said to him but he wasn't going to question her, he could get away with the slight remark but directly questioning her orders or truthfulness would be a bad idea for your non sadomasochistic boss never mind this ray of sunshine.
How she was going to relay her orders on the fly without the Jedi knowing would be interesting to know, she was at the mercy of the Paths choices as well so Jylan would in fact be the third in line to know what the plan was if things got hairy.

Jylan lost his train of thought as he dragged the the stretcher over to the exit in preparation of the landing he watched the Sith move into position and ready themselves while he slung his rifle over his shoulder and wondered if the rumours were true that Twe'lik's really were completely hairless...