The Informant's Gambit: Finale

The Informant's Gambit: Finale
Date of Scene:	27 January 2024
Location:
Synopsis:	The vault in the Temple of the Kyber is raided by thieves and criminals.
Cast of Characters:	195, Zeraph, Volken Mons, Navi, Annelia Belask, Imoen, Cayde Alexis

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Welona, 4th Primeday, Seventh Day of the Festival of Balance, 300BBY

Amarik (195) has posed:
After a week of exotic cuisine from distant planets, ancient artifacts displayed in the Temple of the Kyber, and daily religious demonstrations from various Force sects in the Square of Supplication, the Festival of Balance now draws to a close.

On this night, to celebrate the final day of the Festival, a midnight gala, open to any and all who would come, is being hosted in the courtyard of the Temple of Kyber. Consequently, it has been decorated accordingly, strung with glittering lights and colorful banners representing the different religions celebrated during the Festival of Balance. At the top of the courtyard steps, a famed symphony plays a lively tune, while the conductor leads the musicians with dramatic gestures using his many arms.

On the west side of the courtyard lies a fanciful buffet, adorned with an array of savory and sweet delicacies spread across numerous tables. Adding to the spectacle, an open grill features a robust Besalisk expertly roasting an assortment of meats selected from a diverse offering laid out on a wooden board nearby. The tantalizing aroma alone is enough to make one's mouth water, and when presented on a platter, the grilled meats gleam enticingly with flavorful oils and seasonings.

The party goers are also a sight unto themselves. Nearly all of them have donned formal attire, either traditional or ceremonial according to their religion. Subsequently, the crowd gathering in the courtyard in front of the Temple is a heterogenous mix of flowing color, silks, and jewelery.

But in the shadier corners of Jedha, the word on the street is this: Tonight, right before the fireworks display, the vault in the Temple of the Kyber would be open. The rumor is spreading, from average smuggler to petty crook to crime syndicate member - If one is looking to score big, tonight would be the night to make a move.

Zeraph has posed:
Zeraph, drawn by the allure of the Festival of Balance, finds himself amidst the lively atmosphere of the courtyard at the Temple of Kyber. The symphony's music fills the air with enchanting melodies, and the vibrant decorations add to the festive ambiance.

As he navigates through the crowd, Zeraph takes in the sights and sounds, appreciating the diversity of cultures and traditions represented in the gathering. He marvels at the ornate buffet, its offerings a testament to the culinary expertise of the galaxy's inhabitants.

However, he's well aware that a chance for trouble linger. The rumors of the vault in the Temple of Kyber being open tonight weigh heavily on Zeraph's mind. Despite the joyous atmosphere, he remains vigilant, knowing that where there is opportunity, there is also danger. He wants to be optimistic but he knows better.

Volken Mons has posed:
A certain colossus Mandalorian is no stranger to religion and belief systems both moderate and fanatic in nature. After it could be said that weapons are- his religion! However it is not ceremony or festival of holy rites that have brought Volken Mons to Jedha but more a quirk of timing, chance and circumstance. in the form of a colleague and an exchange of information and personal goods...and given that persons connection to less then savory affairs it is through him that word of the potential trouble on the horizon reached his ears. Common sense would suggest that a heads up on possible trouble going down would suggest one beat a hasty retreat off world but...those that have met the giant would know that the 'common sense' action is usually one of the last ones he takes. Or so it would seem.

So he makes his way through the lively crowds, eventually reaching the edges of the courtyard at which point he turns his attention in the direction of the buffet. The vast array of species and bright colors and flurry of activity may do much to mask his own unique properties and proportions when considered against such a diverse group but he makes no extra effort to conceal himself other then a rough and large patterned pancho like outerwear overtop his armor like some sort of tent or curtain.

Navi has posed:
"I got arrested /twice/ for murders I never committed... and all of the victims literally had holes blown through them. Not something a blunt-tipped staff can do," Navi explains as she walks with Imoen through the festive crowd in the courtyard of the Temple of the Kyber. The Sephi is dressed up for the festival finale, her robe replaced with a tabard-like ankle-length dress of undyed off-white synthfabric edged in gold, wider in the back to provide more coverage. Its edges are overlapped at her waist and midriff with a wide golden sash, creating open slits above and below, through which glimpses of her undergarment and long legs can be seen. The straps of her heeled sandals cris-cross up to her knees, and clusters of wooden bangle bracelets clatter softly at her wrists, while her usual twintails are tied off with leather cords tipped with clusters of gold plastoid beads. Her medical satchel and retractable staff are rather inelegant compared to her outfit, however.

"It wasn't /all/ horror and police suspicion, though. I met some nice people at the Temple, and four Chadra Fan siblings who were very helpful once we got to know one another. And a handsome and clever private investigator who was nice enough to clear me, even if it was by unpleasant and violent means. I hope I can introduce you to them all before we leave," she continues softly. "Pity we have this dread hanging over us... I was looking forward to tonight."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    It's not often Annelia's been seen at events like this. She never had much of a head for them, and when she was with her Master, she was too often off gallivanting around the galaxy on one investigation or another.

    To call her attire formal would perhaps be generous, but at least she wore a relatively nice, clean, and pressed set of standard beige-and-brown robes and her hair is tidied and not *quite* as fully tied back.

    She enters the festivities a little on the later side, having spent a little extra time convincing -someone- to brave the large crowd and get used to the feeling. She's largely reserved for the moment, though she does pause a moment to not so subtly look at a certain outsized mandalorian in a measure of disbelief, before shaking her head and moving on through the crowd.

    A keen eye close enough might even pick up on something edging on a wince subtly playing on her face as she moves through the lively and busy place in response to... no one specific thing, really.

Imoen has posed:
Though Imoen fancied herself garbed in something dazzling and flowy, with pretty jewels and careful cosmetics, she arrived in much more functional attire. She dresses in the uniform of a Jedi Padawan: a blue obi cinching the waist of a split brown tabard over a short bell-sleeved grey tunic, with black leggings and flexible brown shoes. At least the tunic is slightly flowy at the hem, and she brought with her a singular jewel to embellish her personage - a small blue teardrop pendant to match the color of her painted nails.

Brushing back the Padawan braid left out from her practical ponytail, blue eyes survey the surroundings of the evening Festival to end all Festivals. She tries her best to enjoy herself tonight, or at the very least convey that impression on others, though there's a certain quiet volume of wary melancholy emitting through everything she does. It can't keep her from snacking though, making a point of sampling every savory or sweet treat she can contain in her stomach lest she regret the opportunity once back at the Coruscant Temple. She stays shoulder to shoulder with her Sephi friend Navi throughout the entirety of the evening, barely leaving her presence for nary a moment.

Now, she listens intently and with great interest to Navi's recounting of her time on Jedha, snacking on a skewer of sticky pastry-based sweets. "That's such terrible luck. I wish I was there - although on second thought, I guess that would just mean I'd be double-arrested along with you. Still, I'm just so glad you got out of that safely." She follows Navi through the intermingling masses, shaking her head lightly. "Did they ever discover what kind of weapon would have caused those injuries? Some powerful laser rifle, maybe?" Hearing the remark about the shadow of dread, she winces, finishes off her treat, and then moves to take her friend's hand. "Come on. We can't let our fears ruin the night entirely. I suspect the dance floor closest to the courtyard steps will give us the best view of the Festival, in case anything happens..."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde is along with Annelia. It did take some...convincing for her to get him to agree to attending this, as he never really did well in crowds.

    But that was the point of this, wasn't it?

    He isn't really dressed casually or formally, as he's just wearing the usual black robe with and blue and gray tunic underneath.

    He doesn't seem interested in any of the food or activities, although at least thus far he's stuck pretty close to Ann's side, mostly staring at the ground and avoiding eye contact with anyone.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Zeraph, Annelia, and Cayde will immediately find themselves being approached by the Jedi member of the Convocation, Master Trassa Volk, a Jedi sentinel who for the most part, resided on Jedha as per his duties as a representative on the Convocation.

"Thank the Force you've arrived just in time," the Kel Dor Jedi says. "The private investigator hired by the Jedha police discovered that the vault's codes are circulating in Jedha's underbelly. We cannot be certain when they will strike, but likely it will be sometime tonight before the fireworks display ends. I was trying to reach the Council in time as well as send out a message to Gethun, the Temple's Vault keeper, but the transmissions have been patchy due to the storms. But I see my message has reached some, at least."

"We must keep the citizens of Jedha safe. The raid, if it happens tonight, will likely be contained within the Temple itself... but be vigilant. The thieves may already be among the partygoers..."

As Navi and Imoen make their way towards the marble dance floor set in the middle of the courtyard, a young Zeltron man wearing a worn leather jacket and diamond stud earrings approach the two of them. "Navi!" he calls out. She'll immediately recognize Vons - seems like he's the only who didn't dress up tonight. "I've been trying to reach you," he says worriedly. "The slicer down at the precinct cracked the data sticks. They had the codes to the vault, a map of the Temple of the Kyber, plus a highlighted route showing which way is the best way in, clandestinely." He pauses. "By the way," he says, "you look... amazing." He seems to be so starstruck by Navi that he'd not noticed Imoen, at all.

Meanwhile, by the buffet, Volken may notice a couple of individuals looking around furtively. Unlike everyone else, they don't seem to be enjoying the food, or the live music...

Zeraph has posed:
Zeraph nods respectfully as Master Trassa Volk approaches, acknowledging the urgency of the situation at hand. He listens attentively as Master Trassa briefs them on the discovery of the vault's codes circulating in the city's underbelly. The possibility of thieves already among the partygoers weighs heavily on Zeraph's mind, casting a shadow over what should have been a joyous celebration.

"I understand, Master," Zeraph says to Volk, his resolve firm. "We will keep a close watch and act swiftly if any suspicious activity arises. The safety of Jedha and its people is paramount." Zeraph replies, his voice calm yet tinged with concern. "We will remain vigilant and do everything in our power to ensure the safety of the citizens and the sanctity of the Temple."

He offers a polite smile to Cayde, as silent praise, who despite his preference for solitude, has ventured into the bustling crowd tonight. "Good to see you out. Considering the circumstances, we may want to work together or at least keep in contact," Zeraph mentions to him and to Annelia who he also addresses and likely knows from Jedi activities. "But I'm open to whatever you two would prefer."

Volken Mons has posed:
"Hmmmm......"

Volken's attention drifts towards and rests upon those two individuals, noting their lack of involvement in the festivities and anchoring his eyes upon them for a few moments.

He then begins taking heavy steps towards the buffet, moving with that sort of lumbering swagger that rolls through the crowd with the ease of a boulder making its way down a shallow river until he reaches the buffet itself.

His helmet comes off at that point, pulled from his head by a massive hand and then tucked under his arm, revealing his lightly bearded, long messy dark haired, and mildly smirking brutal visage as he sweeps his gaze over hhe array of food and then reaches down to grab a massive bone with a thick hunk of meat on it from the spread. This he nosily, perhaps messily, hauls up and savages into it with a neolihtic, rumbling, grunting brutish sound as a thic hunk of the flesh is ripped free into his mouth.

By that point, the behemoth has strayed nearer to those other two individuals though he's not looking directly upon them but his presence overshadows them like a freighter ship passing by a pair of small transports , perhaps uncomfortably close at that.

Navi has posed:
"Yes, let's go there. I really should dance more often. I did observe the Zealot using a spear-like wooden weapon carved similarly to the tips of my staff, but it had a sharp point on one end, and my staff doesn't have those," Navi says, glad to join Imoen on the dance floor, the better to see the Festival as a whole. Just in case.

"Vons! Hello! I'm sorry I missed you. I think my comlink is malfunctioning. Maybe it's the storms close by," the Sephi observes regretfully as Vons rushes up to her. The news he delivers is troubling, if her expression is any indication. "I was afraid it was something like that. Do you know the clandestine way in? We may want to see if we can beat them to the punch."

Noting both the compliment and his not noticing her dear friend, she blushes. "Um, thank you. This is Padawan Imoen, one of my best friends. Imoen, this is Vons. He's the one who saved my freedom earlier this week."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Frowning slightly at the news out of the Master as she listens, Annelia nods and crosses her arms inside her sleeves, ponderously. The recently-minted Knight exhales slowly, looking around the room over what heads she can see over in a small, idle sweep.

    "Well, Master Volk, consider me at your service. I can keep my ear out for more muttered conversations around the party, or maybe it would be better to go to the vault and mind it directly? I had hoped to show the Padawan around the crowd as he works out a thing or two, but there will always be more chances." She gestures to Cayde at the mention of a Padawan, to specify, now that Zeraph is apparently also at her side- she offers the young Kage a nod of acknowledgement.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde looks up at Master Volk, bowing politely to him out of respect as is customary among the Order. A slight nod is given toward Zeraph as the other padawan addresses him.

    As soon as he hears what Trassa has to say about the potential break-in, he immediately starts reaching out with the Force into the crowd, attempting to the touch of the minds of those within range and see if any of them are planning anything sinister.

Imoen has posed:
"Oh. Oooh." Imoen snaps her fingers. "Of course. Not a laser rifle. A lightsaber, I bet. Or a lightsaber pike, anyhow? That'd cause the injuries, surely..." As she comes to this understanding, Imoen thought she may have seen some familiar faces in the shifting crowds, but her destination was ultimately the dance floor. It's only when a stranger stops Navi does she halt as well, glancing between the newcomer and the Sephi with a gradually increasing lift to her brows at each new revelation uttered by the starstruck Zeltron. Leaning over slightly, she murmurs in her friend's ear, "is this The private investigator?" She gives him a once-over, a narrow canine peeking through her mirthful grin.

"So. They have all they'd need to enter the vaults." She dips her head in a casual bow of greeting towards the Zeltron. "It's nice to finally meet you. Thank you for helping Navi earn her freedom. Not everyone might care to do so." She purses her lips thoughtfully, "would our entering of the vault be in itself considered trespassing?" A slight headshake, and her voice quiets as she mentions softly, "besides, that is not where my vision suggested tragedy would strike. I suspect whatever happens, will be likely to happen before they ever actually reach the Collection."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Thank you," Volk says, nodding towards Zeraph and the other two Jedi. "Yes, I believe it would be wise if you and Cayde went ahead down to the Vault, while Zeraph and I stay here to keep an eye on things. If you see anything suspicious...please let everyone else know. We must be on guard..." Then the Jedi Sentinel turns on his heel and towards the center of the courtyard.

The two individuals standing near the buffet glance briefly at Volken, frowning. His size alone is intimidating, but they try not to let it show. They watch as he tears into the hunk of roasted meat like a ravenous anooba, and after exchanging glances approach the buffet, and start taking a few pieces of meat and a couple of drinks for themselves.

"I..." Vons trails off. "I missed you, too," he says, his gaze suddenly turning affectionate. He barely glances at Imoen when Navi introduces her, and hardly seems to even register that she's talking to him. Instead, he offers Navi his hand. "Sure," he says, "but I think it could wait, at least a little while, and the Jedi are here. They'll probably be the ones to take care of most of the trouble cropping up - so don't you think we should at least enjoy the gala, a little? You look like you could use a drink..." If she lets him, he'll start walking her over to the buffet. But then, just at that moment, Navi will feel an old familiar tingle down her spine.

Zealot. He's here. And he's nearby. He's by the buffet, lingering near Volken and the two somewhat suspicious individuals, whom Cayde will immediately pick up on as having thoughts that do not seem very concerned about the lively music and delicious food. And yet, she won't see any masked persons over there...

But another distraction will crop up. Tomi, the Sorcerer of Tund they'd braved a dark side relic to find, is here. He's handing out small, handheld firesticks to the children in front of the fountain, as if nothing at all were destined to go wrong tonight...

Zeraph has posed:
Zeraph nods in agreement with Master Trassa's suggestion, understanding the importance of dividing their efforts to cover more ground. He turns to Cayde and Annelia, his expression serious yet reassuring.

"That's decided then. Cayde, Annelia, I wish you well. I will see you both again soon, I'm sure. Light and Life," Zeraph says, his voice steady."

He offers a brief nod of farewell to his companions, conveying a silent message of solidarity and trust. With a sense of purpose, Zeraph follows Master Trassa as they make their way towards the center of the courtyard, ready to fulfill their duty and protect the sanctity of the Temple. He keeps his golden eyes swiveling, to stay observant of the many possible dangers he now knows surrounds them, keeping close on the heels of the Sentinel Master.

Volken Mons has posed:
Another bestial rumble sounds from Volken as he takes another massive hunk of meat and then after a second or two of his antics continuing, he's forced to squint his eyes in consideration.

"Huh... This is actually pretty good.... Not bad, huh!" his deep voice mutters as he looks over the finished off bone.

He fully tucks his helmet under his arm to better free up both of his hands now while absently coiling his fingers about the now meat-free bone in his hands and twitching them to snap, cracnkle, pop and crunch the bone into large pieces. This which he drops absently into a nearby waste bin while turning towards the buffet again. He's seemingly a savage but not -that- much of a savage to just plainly drop it all onto the floor.

His attention does return to those he seems to have inspired to have approached the buffet and he's soon lumbering after them though it's a more of a casual rolling gait then any sort of deliberate pursuit. They've got the right idea to sample some of the food for themselves and he's got a second helping on the mind now in addition to simply wanting to stay close to them for his own sake of curiousity.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Nodding simply, the young Knight looks to Cayde and offers a moment's pause as she considers Cayde as he gets some semblance of that far-off look in his eyes again. Her own eyes narrow a little, scrutinizing for the line between this and those other occasions...

    But after a few moments makes a gesture towards the door to head deeper into the temple for the vault. "Point anything you noticed out to the Master and Zeraph, then we had best post ourselves as requested. I'll keep an ear out, you keep a mind out, and we should be able to be ready should anyone make their way to it."

Navi has posed:
Navi blinks, looking between Vons and Imoen. She lets Vons take her hand, though it's more out of surprise than full consent, instinctively catching Imoen's hand with her free hand. "I'd really rather have my head clear, thank you. And I'm hoping that we can head off whatever that tragedy is before it can happen..."

And then she feels that familiar and increasingly unwelcome presence. "He's here... Zealot..." she whispers, shuddering. "I think he's near the buffet tables, near that giant man and those two others there... but I don't see him. He wears a scary full mask most of the time..."

And then the crowd parts a little, and she glimpses another surprising sight. "Is that Master Tomi? He pops up in the strangest places. Maybe we'd better keep an eye on him, too, since he dodged that inquest."

Imoen has posed:
'Oh my.' Imoen mouths the words, but thankfully has the social graces not to say them out loud. If her brows could rise higher, they would. As it is, she's watching Vons and her friend exchange pleasantries with open amusement. She doesn't really mind the Zeltron largely ignoring her, though there's a brief shadow of disappointment at the invitation to leave the dance floor for the buffet. She easily lets her friend take her hand. But they had just got there! Halfway prepared to say goodbye to a memory of Festival dancing, her amusement vanishes upon sighting a highly recognizable Arkanian man. Under her breath, she mutters, "Tomi..." Her eyes widen, and one hand goes unconsciously up to the pendant at her chest, before slowly lowering back down. He's just standing there, brazenly dispersing firesticks to children. She squeezes Navi's hand. "He's here."

Registering that the Sephi spoke the same words - but about a different person entirely - she glances back to where her friend indicates. There's a chill of worry, and an anxious energy runs through her. "They're in two different places..." She sounds conflicted. A hint of sweat pulses on her forehead. Where to go first? They must -both- be stopped. Aloud, she says reluctantly, "find the Zealot? I'll try and distract Tomi?" At that, she's already beginning to move in that direction, the grip of her hand-hold diminishing.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde frowns, picking up on those two suspicious individuals, over there by the buffet where...Volken is. It's odd that he keeps running into the Mandalorian. But it must be the will of the Force for some reason, and he's certain it's no accident.

    Having been immersed in his search, he didn't even hear Master Trassa telling himself and Ann to head over to the Vault. As she's standing there scrutinizing that familiar, distant look on his face again, he suddenly frowns and slips away through the crowd, making his way toward the buffet in an attempt to get closer to the suspicious individuals and focus his efforts more onto them. As he draws nearer, he searches their minds more deeply. What were they planning? Who else were they with?

Amarik (195) has posed:
Volk frowns. "...I thought you two were headed for the vault in the Temple of the Kyber?" he asks, quirking a brow at Annelia. He watches inquisitively as Cayde wanders off. "What a curious padawan," he mutters, but then notices him heading straight towards the buffet. He pauses, and strokes his chin. "He must be following the guidance of the Force," he says sagely, and then without warning, takes off after Cayde, leaving Zeraph and Annelia to make what they will of the situation.

The two individuals move away from Volken as he once again approaches the buffet table. They set their food and drink aside on a small table nearby, and continue looking around furtively. They're members of the Namoi Syndicate, a famous crime ring here in the Holy City, and they're waiting for a signal from their superior letting them know it's time to converge on the vault inside the Temple of the Kyber. But they're noticing that there's a lot of other petty thieves and common criminals dressed up like partygoers and hanging around, presumably for the same reason they are and it's making them uncomfortable. They're also not yet aware that Cayde and Volk are making their way over to the two of them now...

"Something to eat, then," The Zeltron man says, snatching two small appetizers off of a tray carried by a passing droid and handing it to her. But when she mentions that Zealot is here, Vons frowns. "What? Where..."

But before Navi can answer Vons question, the young Sephi girl will catch a glimpse of... Zealot. Except he's not wearing what he usually wears. Instead, he's dressed up like one of the Temple guards. And he doesn't have a mask, not this time. But no one would have been any wiser - except for her. Because he doesn't look anything like what anyone might have imagined a criminal like himself to look like. The first thing to notice about him is that he's an extraordinarily beautiful Tholothian man, with nearly flawless skin and elegant features. And his eyes are a stunning, unforgettably intense indigo rimmed with a bright pale blue. They lock eyes for a moment, and his brows furrow upon seeing that she's here, and so close by.

Then he turns away, slipping into the crowd. He passes quickly in front of Volken just as he approaches the meat trays once more, narrowly avoiding knocking into the hulking Mandalorian's biceps.

Zeraph has posed:
Zeraph watches as Volk follows Cayde towards the buffet, his brow furrowing slightly at the unexpected turn of events. However, he quickly refocuses on the task at hand.

Turning to Annelia, Zeraph offers a reassuring smile. "It seems Cayde's path has taken a different turn," he says, gesturing towards Volk and Cayde. "But if the Force is guiding him, then we must trust in its wisdom." He then turns back to Annelia, his expression earnest. "Annelia, would you like to accompany me to the vault? A surprise teammate switch is nothing we can't handle," he asks, extending the invitation to his fellow Jedi.

Before departing, Zeraph addresses Volk in his wake with a respectful nod. "Light and Life, Master Volk," he says, acknowledging the Jedi Sentinel's role in the unfolding events. With that, Zeraph makes his way towards the vault, prepared to step into the role of safeguarding the vault itself.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    It's a moment before Ann responds to the younger jedi- she's a little preoccupied pinching the bridge of her nose as the mute padawan wanders off -again-. "Was I meant to expect this much herding, upon knighthood?" she asks of nobody in particular.

    To the other padawan who is still next to her as Volk runs off after Cayde, she nods. "I might do it with a little less philosophizing, but the place still needs minding."

    With that she turns on her heel, and... oh she has a -brisk- walk, this one. And given she's on the tall side it might be a bit of an effort to match stride, but well. One of the Masters of the order made the request, best hop to.

Volken Mons has posed:
People nearly colliding with him is nothing unusual. It's sort of a trait and, perhaps, an artform unto itself in that he sometimes makes effort to deliberately cause such collisions to happen. This time, however, he's actually mildly surprised as he catches a glismp of the Tholothian man just as the near miss takes place and even he's taken aback slightly by the mans features and the intensity of his eyes. Volken is not one easily thrown off by the looks of another but...it can happen.

This distraction pulls him briefly away from studying the syndicate members though he glances up in enough time to see that they've set their plates down and then begun to move away.

He pauses to consider these circumstances, noisily vaccuming up another hunk of meat off of a thick bone he sticks into his mouth before pulling it away and then flicking the bone off somewhere into the distance. A little savage after all perhaps.

It is then that he sees Cayde and his eyes widen slightly though he has the sense to keep chewing as opposed to letting his mouth drop open. His features, expressive as they are, pretty much say it all as his expression contorts into a 'You gotta be kidding me' sort of expression followed by a hardening of his eyes into a full on glare at the approaching padawan. He shakes his now greased up hands a few times, flinging away bits of meat here and there before reaching up to begin to return his helmet towards his head..

Navi has posed:
"Be careful, Imoen... he might be dangerous," Navi calls softly after her friend, but otherwise she lets her go. Not without misgivings. But Imoen has some degree of rapport with the Sorcerer of Tund, and that may keep things from turning violent.

She turns her attention back to Vons just in time to decline the snack absently, her attention on the crowd. And then she sees him. He doesn't look a bit like himself, or even a criminal. He's dressed like a Temple Guard! He'd be dazzlingly handsome to some sentients, too. "Vons, I just saw him... the Tholothian man in Temple Guard livery that just almost bumped into that giant Mandalorian guy with the big drumstick. Well, big bone now. Come on!" Grabbing his hand, she hurries after Zealot. "I'll bet he's heading for the vault now!" Spying Cayde, she waves her free hand to get his attention. "We're looking for a criminal in disguise as a Temple Guard... he went this way!" she calls softly to him (and, due to his proximity, to Volken as well).

Imoen has posed:
"Master Tomi." Imoen moves to approach Tomi, a look of regret and sorrow on her tanned features. "You decided to attend the festival." Her lips curl down into a frown. In a quieter voice, she inquires, "what are you doing here? Is there not a tribunal missing your attendance? You misrepresent yourself as a member of the Sorcerers by neglecting your obligations, do you not?" She elicits a wince, "please tell me there is an explanation for your absence, and your miracle at the noodle shop was not merely the first in a series of questionable decisions?" She shakes her head, fingers curling into fists at her sides. "Please tell me you continue to listen to the light and wisdom of the Force?"

At first, she hoped to maintain her temperance when it came to the Arkanian, taking to heart her friend's advice. However, the more she spoke, the more emotional and incensed she felt. Certainly, no Jedi would act the way Tomi did, in disappearing before the tribunal. Still, she tries to save the conversation, or whatever it is, by finally concluding with, "come with me, so we can make this right? If you speak truthfully and sincerely, I will help you disentangle yourself from all this mess..."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As Cayde had suspected, the two men are criminals planning to rob the Temple. And he learns from them, that there are many others here planning to do the same thing. However they don't like it, so it seems they are not all in concert with each other. Which could prove an advantage.

    But just who was this superior? Were they after anything specific in the vault, other than just riches? He comes even closer, making his way toward them and searching even deeper through their thoughts and memories as they set their food aside.

    Volken...well, he doesn't notice Volken, as large as he is.

    But then Navi's voice draws his attention as she calls out to him, once he has felt her familiar presence as well. A Temple Guard, huh? He searches again, this time focused on the guards, to see if any of them are planning anything sinister.

Amarik (195) has posed:
As Zeraph and Annelia head towards the Temple of Kyber, the young red headed Knight might feel a slight disturbance in the Force. Those who would seek to raid the vault in the Temple... they're nearby, just hiding, waiting for the right time to strike.

As the two individuals move away from the table where they'd set their food and drink, Volken might notice the Tholothian man also seems to be heading straight for it, but before the hulking Mandalorian can see exactly where he's going, the crowd converges around him and he'll be completely obscured from view.

However, Navi will catch sight of him, heading away from the table where the two individuals Volken had first run into had placed their food and drink, but he's moving quickly and through a throng of people. Vons will try to keep up with Navi, but the crowd of people will buffet them apart. Yet, Vons probably doesn't have the clarity in the Force that Navi has. Against all odds, Navi will be able to feel it. Their bond in the Force is much stronger than before...

Volk hurries after Cayde, nearing the buffet, but won't catch up to the young padawan right away. Cayde will be in the middle of investigating who their superior is when suddenly their thoughts become very clouded with a singular sensation -- pain. The young telepath will be able to sense that they're heading straight for the refreshers, an overwhelming sense of nausea, dizziness, and a pounding ache in their heads overtaking the two of them. One presence in the Force stands out to him as different from the rest. It's difficult to read, staticky, and convoluted. Someone who has a contact here in the Temple, who'd been allowed into the gala as someone else through this contact...

Tomi gives Imoen a disarming smile. "Imoen," he says, "I'm glad to see you made it to the midnight gala. I'm sorry for my absence," he offers. "But what else was I do to? They are against me," he says to Imoen, his tone softening and becoming mournful. "Even in light of evidence that proved me innocent, Volk would not have listened. You know this. And of course I listen to the light and wisdom of the Force. I seek only to understand that which we do not understand. Surely, that makes sense to you. I do not use abuse the dark arts. I study them, and if there is a purpose for which it can be utilized that benefits someone else... well, why not? You do not think, Imoen, that I am the kind to become an apostate, do you?"

Zeraph has posed:
As they make their way towards the vault, Zeraph picks up on Annelia's comment about the complexities of guiding younger Jedi. He offers a small, understanding smile.

"I know what you mean," he replies, falling into step beside her. "Sometimes it probably feels like herding tookas on Lothal. But the effort is worth it, I promise. Sometimes it might seem like we don't listen and run off to do our own things, but we are aware and we appreciate it... eventually." He chuckles softly, recalling past experiences.

"And I understand your sentiment about the philosophizing," he continues, his tone becoming more serious. "I admit, I can come off as pretentious at times, especially when it comes to discussing the role of a Jedi. But it's a constant reminder to myself of the lessons drilled into me as a padawan." He says more soberly. "It is something I require to keep myself on track. I do apologize if it gets to be a little much sometimes." He conitnues on, still looking left and right as he goes to identify not only the threats, but the assets. He recognizes others that he knows, others that he's worked with and is confident that there will be people who would be willing to help do the right thing.

Volken Mons has posed:
He's seen that distracted look on Cayde's face before. Enough times to know that, from his perspective at least, the padawan is probably poking around where he doesn't belong: In others peoples heads with that damn jedi sorcery of his. The fact that the padawan didn't even acknowledge him simply reinforces that as given their past encounters he'd have expected him to have approached.

The look is fleeting however as Volken espies the other two he'd been not so subtly flanking and observing, going running off and this causes the giant Mandalorian to consider matters a touch further. He did not recognize them as members of a specific group but it was fairly clear that they must be part of something about to go down.

He pauses on placing his helmet atop his head and reaches down to absently grab for another hunk of meat and then starts ambling in a lethargic gait in the direction the two rushed off to. As he moves through the crowd his footfalls gradually pick up in speed. Not a full on bantha sized charge of course but he's no longer just lazily meandering as before...

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Aroud the end of Zeraph's response, Annelia stops dead and raises a hand to stop the younger man as well, head snapping to one side.

    "You can talk as much as you like most of the time, but at a time like this you need to -listen-," she asserts in a low whisper, nodding down a side hallway.

    She shifts the outer coat of her robe back, exposing the saber and other equipment at her hip as she gestures silently to lead him down the path to what she heard and felt- and hopefully cut off at least some of this apparent plot before it gets fully underway.

Navi has posed:
Navi hurries after Zealot, offering hasty apologies when she must push through clusters of revelers, or dodge around solo or paired celebrants. Her tabard-dress is disheveled, her sash threatens to come undone, and she has to keep pulling her medical satchel back behind her hip to avoid it striking anyone, but she manages to keep the criminal in sight more often than not.

Their bond seems to pulse along with the blood roaring in her ears, to the point that she can almost physically hear it. Somehow she stays just behind him, even when she can no longer see him, following wherever he may lead, and mentally preparing herself to act...

Imoen has posed:
Stubbornly, Imoen frowns at the Sorcerer, "how else will you clear your name but with communication and candor? Otherwise, you will forever have to face their challenge, and collaboration cannot succeed. Isn't that what the Convocation is about? There are other ways than isolating yourself from the more difficult questions." She frowns further, stepping closer at the same time. "If Jedi Sentinel Volk did not believe the evidence, that no longer falls to you to change. But you never gave any evidence. You just ran." There's frustration in her voice as she says this. "You must realize how that looks. Not just to him, but to me?"

She's visibly taken aback by the bold declaration of Tomi's studies into 'dark arts.' There's a sadness in her eyes, and she glances away uncertainly at the question. "The dark side is an eternal undertow beneath the waves of the Force, pulling one towards itself without rest. You must be always at alert, even more so if you...study it." She swallows nervously at the prospect. "I have seen some terrible visions, Master Tomi. Death and chaos and the spreading of the dark side. You may not have anything to do with it, but the visions suggest you somehow might end up entangled in it."

Chewing momentarily at her lower lip, she shyly suggests, "will you come with me, away from the festival? Away from whatever this terrible foreboding has in store for us?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Well, it seems the two thieves had eaten something bad. And he'd rather not bear witness to whatever is coming next. However, it's just as well, since he has a new target now. It must be whomever is in charge of this attack.

    He turns from the buffet table and immediately starts moving toward this presence, walking with a brisk stride. Once he gets nearer, he should be able to discern more about it...

    Unlike Navi, he does not apologize or do the 'polite' thing while passing through the crowd toward his target. If some refuse to get out of the way in time, they may find themselves getting Force pushed...a little bit.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Annelia will be able to see some shadowy figures running at the other end of the hallway, between the columns that flanked either side of this area of the Temple of the Kyber. There. The thieves were already up, about, and heading for the vault. She and Zeraph will have to move quickly in order to stop them before they get to the vault... Just then, Volk radios Zeraph on his commlink. "I felt a disturbance in the Force... have you seen anything? How are the two of you faring..?"

The two individuals don't even make it to the refreshers. They collapse right outside the courtyard, blood, foamy saliva, vomit leaking from both their noses and mouths. By the time Volken reaches them... they're dead. It's clear that they must have been poisoned ... by someone.

All the music, the revelry, the smell of the wide variety of food -- all of that will fade into the background as Navi chases after Zealot. As she gets nearer to him, the blood roaring her ears will be accompanied by the thudding of a heartbeat. Though whether it's hers, or his, is much too difficult to discern, especially when they're this close to one another. As the young Sephi girl runs, she'll eventually find herself drawing nearer and nearer to him. She's closing in, she's -- And then suddenly, she'll feel someone reach out and tug on her upper arm, bidding her to fold herself into a marble alcove just outside the courtyard walls. It's him. Zealot. His presence is overwhelmingly near, and now that he's touching her, separating her conscious from his will prove to be.. a task. Then he speaks to her. Not out loud but, she'll hear them inside her mind anyway. <You want something from me. What is it> This time, his presence in the Force feels... different. He didn't want to help Tomi, and doesn't even like him. He's being forced to, somehow. But Navi will be able to sense softness and malleability from him. If she made her case, and said her piece, he could be persuaded...

Cayde will be able to discern that whoever Navi is following actually isn't in charge of the raid. In fact, the young padawan will glean this: No one is. Most of the low lives and vagabonds here had no idea anyone else was going to show up. Could that work in their favor? Perhaps...

"You are right," Tomi says softly, though his expression remains sad. "But you are also wrong. I could be frank, and tell the truth. But sometimes, Imoen, it doesn't matter. In the end, everyone will always simply believe what they want to believe, even if they think they are being unbiased. The same is true of the Convocation."

. "Of course," Tomi says calmly. "We must be careful if we study it, and I am well aware of the risks. Listen, I will tell you the truth."

He motions for Imoen to follow him, away from the courtyard, and the celebration. "My only intention was to put a droid inside the Bogan Collection inside the vault. To study the artifacts, remotely. You would agree, this is a safe way to study dark relics, right? But of course, Volk would never agree to it. I even presented the idea to him once, and he refused to even give it any thought." He shrugs. "Now... naturally, you must keep this from him, and I must do what I must tonight. You may help if you like, or... you may stay here and enjoy the festivities." Then he turns on his heel to leave.

Zeraph has posed:
Zeraph nods silently in response to Annelia's directive, immediately understanding the gravity of the situation. He follows her lead down the side hallway, his senses alert and attuned to any signs of danger or disturbance.

As they move swiftly, Zeraph keeps his gaze sharp, scanning their surroundings for any signs of movement or unusual activity. His hand instinctively moves to the hilt of his lightsaber, drawing it as he follows the knight.

When Volk's voice crackles over the commlink, Zeraph responds in a hushed tone, "I didn't see it, Master Volk, but Master Annelia did. We're investigating now."

Turning to Annelia, Zeraph nods once more to acknowledge her awareness of Volk's inquiry. He continues down the hallway, his focus keen and senses heightened, ready to confront whatever threats they chase.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    It's not hard to tell Ann picked up on the conversation- for whatever reason, her brow furrows in a slight frown when she's referred to as 'Master'.

    Still, when the figures start to run, she breaks abruptly into a dead sprint. She's... not the most trained runner, clearly, but athletic and apparently on an absolute mission about this. Maybe something about the Kyber crystal temple seems a little extra sacred and worth worrying about to a force-weak jedi that throws everything into her lightsaber. Go figure.

Volken Mons has posed:
Indeed this wasn't simply a case of having eaten something bad though - even if it was ...that's potentially just as terrible as it might mean something was wrong with the food everyone had been devouring - including Volken himself.

So when Volken comes across the bodies just oustide of the courtyard, he freezes in place to consider the potential scale of the meaning of the gruesome sight before him and then scans his eyes over the courtyard before rapidly turning to enter the party. This time he dons his helmet, a full on indication that the time to play around has ended. From his perspective, there's only a few potential outcomes here - the least of which being the sight of these two bodies spurring action from everyone with their designs on the vault as certainly it is highly possible that the syndicate isn't going to let two of their agents simply slump to the ground with no attempt to take action against the culprits.

He attempts to pre-empt that by attempting to grab the attention of one of the temple guards as he enters the courtyard again and he gestures back for the entrance while rumbling, "Hey. You got a problem on your hands with either the food or someone that don't like the folk eating the food. Maybe you wanna do something about it..."

With that, assuming they don't try and stop him, he begins moving further into the party once more - this time marching in the direction of the vault and very much away from the buffet table.

Navi has posed:
Navi squeals softly as she's pulled into the alcove in mid-stride, finding herself staring at Zealot... and at herself! With a start, she realizes she's seeing through his eyes one moment and her own the next! She blushes faintly as she realizes just how disordered her clothes are, and that more than hints of her leotard-like underwear can be seen, and one hand moves to rather ineffectually remedy her bruised modesty...

The words almost roar inside her head, as powerful as the feeling of her soft skin under his hands, which half the time are /her/ hands... it's becoming increasingly difficult to separate her own sensations from his, and she has to fight down a trace of panic.

"I know you've come here about the vault... and that you don't want to," she says softly, experiencing a curious duality of her voice, as heard through her own ears, and as heard through his. "Is my voice really that high? I never knew I was so hard on the ears... sorry. We're too close for my mind to separate us. Sorry. You need to leave. Whatever you're here for doesn't matter. Something tragic is going to happen. My Jedi friend has seen it. I trust her, and you should, too. You and Master Tomi are the key to it. If you stay here, you'll most likely die. So you need to leave this place, and quickly! I know you think we're supposed to be opposed to one another, but I don't see it that way! I never will...and I don't want to hurt you, or see you hurt. The bond makes it so. Please, for your sake and mine, leave this place and never come back!" she pleads softly.

Imoen has posed:
"Then let them." There's a hint of desperation in Imoen's voice as she spreads her hands out before the Sorcerer. "They can believe what they want to believe after the evidence has been put forth. But Master Tomi, what I've been trying to tell you is that you still haven't given any evidence to the contrary. All you do is imply they're preconceived notions are correct by acting in the way they expect. Give them a chance. Give me a chance. Don't just run away from it. Face it. Just like when dealing with loss or strong emotions, it's the only way to maintain yourself from the dark side's pull. Face it, understand it, and let it go. All you're doing is allowing your frustrations to consume you, and everyone's perception of you."

The suggestion that Tomi will finally speak the truth to her has Imoen leaning in with hopeful curiosity. She follows him away from the courtyard, relieved he seems to be leaving the festival as she asked. When his explanation turns out as more of a confession though, her face pales in horror. "Do what you must? Master Tomi. What are you saying? My visions speak of tragedy. Not fairness or...or happiness." When the man turns to leave, she steps forward and reaches out a hand towards him. Her features grow dark, dejected, and miserable. "This is not the way. Forcing your ideals on others is not the way of the light or wisdom. Please. Change your mind. It's not too late." Short of agreeing with her, she stubbornly refuses to leave his presence, denying him the option of walking away from her. She might follow him, but she won't let him out of her sight. Not tonight.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    So there was no organizer...someone had simply leaked intel to the underworld, it seemed. Was that it? There were just a bunch of thieves here, ready to make themselves rich? No...no there had to be more to this. And that...presence, whomever it was, must have something to do with it.

    The young Jedi quickly closes the distance between himself and it, just in time to see the Tholothian grab Navi and hear her squeal in distress.

    ...that sends him into action, perhaps a bit too quickly. He reaches out a hand and Force-slams the Zealot away from Navi, attempting to then pin him against the wall of the alcove.

Amarik (195) has posed:
They're directly down the hall from the vault now, and both Zeraph and Annelia will be able to see the two criminals running towards it... only to discover that it's already open! They seem flabbergasted, and come to a full stop mid-stride. "What the--! Dank farrik! How in the hell--!" But this pause will give Zeraph and Annelia the opportunity they need to jump the two thieves.

"We'll be on our way shortly," Volk reassures them, "I'll gather Cayde--" The Kel Dor immediately looks around and starts searching for the wayward padawan, but the thronging crowds make it hard for him navigate the area properly. Consequently, he Force leaps from his location to directly in front of Volken, and calls out. "Cayde! The vault in the Temple of the Kyber--! The raid has begun. We must assist Annelia and Zeraph..."

The Temple guards are startled when Volken casually grabs them, but upon hearing Volk's warning, suddenly have a lot more to worry about than what just sounds like a bad case of indigestion. They frown at the massive Mandalorian, but immediately start heading towards the Temple of the Kyber, towards the vault.

Zealot blinks, the pale blue of his irises reflecting the moonlight. He too, seems rather disoriented by their proximity. <Tomi> he mutters. <I..I knew it> His brows furrow gently, and he reaches forward to touch her cheek, his expression softening. She'll be able to see some of his recent memories, ones that involved Tomi threatening to expose him, and oddly enough, Je'uun too. But what did they have to do with all of this? At the same time, she'll be able to sense that he can see some of hers, too. <Navi...> He says her name somewhat incorrectly, and she might suddenly notice he has an accent that becomes quite pronounced when he says her name. <I'm going to stop him>

But then Cayde ruins the moment, by slamming Zealot against the wall of the alcove. Unfortunately, the mortar in the back of the alcove is old, as that area of the courtyard had been slated for renovations after the Festival of Balance was over, and when Cayde knocks him against the wall, it caves completely and the two of them will bear witness to Zealot falling into a darkened abyss.

"I'll end up in jail and off the Convocation," Tomi says, his tone suddenly harsh. "They'll find a way to put me there, Imoen. They've been trying to for the past year--"

Suddenly his brows furrow. "Tragedy.." Then he notices the guards rushing towards Temple of the Kyber. "D-Dammit! I should have seen this coming..." He starts to follow them. "Imoen... quickly. The vault is being raided... we must protect the relics!"

Volken Mons has posed:
Maybe he should have led with 'These guys are dead.' since them just laying on the ground bleeding out and in their own vomit right outisde the courtyard wasn't enough to stir them into action.

But it's understandable that they are slow to focus there considering everything else that starts happening almost immediately afterwards forcing the gigantic Mandalorian to snap his attention towards Volk who lands right infront of him and then away from the arriving Jedi towards the sound of the alcove wall being slammed into and crumbling away violently.

As the guards begin their rush towards the vault, Volken holds himself back, returning his gait to a more languid but still alert and careful tread forward once it seems clear they aren't planning on impeding him. He begins to pass by Volk as he does so, rumbling down at the man, "Two dead guys outside. Probably thugs. Rival groupsi involved here most likely. You all better get the party goers out of here if you don't want folk caught up in the crossfire..."

Zeraph has posed:
As the thieves come to a stop, their expressions of surprise and confusion evident, Zeraph seizes the moment to intervene. Zeraph continues forward, never breaking stride, with a quick and fluid movement, his hand gripping the hilt of his lightsaber.

Without hesitation, Zeraph strikes one of the thieves on the head with the hilt of his lightsaber, aiming to incapacitate rather than inflict serious harm. The blow is firm but controlled, a warning shot of sorts before resorting to more drastic measures.

After delivering the strike, Zeraph ignites the blade of his lightsaber, its golden glow matching the intensity of his eyes. Holding the illuminated weapon at the ready, he addresses the thieves with a firm tone.

"Surrender now," Zeraph commands, his voice carrying an air of authority and determination. "We don't want a fight, but if you insist on resisting, you'll lose badly. I don't want to have to kill you, but I will defend this temple and its treasures at all costs. The choice is yours."

Zeraph's stance is resolute yet composed, ready to defend the temple and its sacred artifacts while also hoping to resolve the situation peacefully if possible.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    It's a similar story from Ann, the slightly older jedi betraying the muscular figure she cuts under all the flowing robes with a series of quick blows intended to incapactate and stop a person more than anything else... with a wholly unignited lightsaber. Don't want to be killing anyone in a temple, after all.

    As Zeraph turns to stand before the thieves, Ann doesn't break stride- instead carrying forth to look into the vault for any others thatm ay have beaten this lot to the punch.

Navi has posed:
Navi has no warning before Cayde's wave of Force energy strikes Zealot, knocking him through the crumbling wall and into a vast, dark abyss. Only it feels like it hit /her/ as much as him, and she falls to the ground with a shriek of fright, nearly falling into the abyss herself before she comes to rest.

She finds that she can't stop screaming, feeling the air hurtling past his falling body as much as he does. She screams until her voice quiets, and then forces herself to stop as the gap between them grows. Even so, it's still a very long moment or two afterwards, lying there on the floor shivering as the shock slowly bleeds out of her system.

"C-Cayde..?" she calls softly, slowly beginning to become aware of the mute Padawan's presence. Just where had he come from?

Imoen has posed:
Imoen steps back at the harshness in Tomi's tone, only to force herself forward. "You say this but then don't defend yourself. You speak in non-answers and misdirection, and then disappear before a determination can be made. You're not alone. The Sorcerers are here, I'm here, and I'm sure there are others that might understand your side. But you haven't given one, so you allow Jedi Sentinel Volk to come to his own conclusions based on only his personal biases, and your behavior implies deceit."

Tragedy. That one word apparently meant something to Tomi. When the Arkanian changes direction, she blinks up at him in bemusement. This time, he manages to put a short distance between them, before she throws up her hands and hurries to catch up. "Master Tomi. Tomi. Akashaya!" She runs a hand in frustration through her hair. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. Your presence here is going to cause a tragedy!"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde stares in shock as the wall gives way and Navi screams.

    No....no he hadn't meant to actually hurt them...why--why was she screaming like that? Thanks to her screaming, he didn't hear Master Trassa calling out to him.

    He hurries over to her, trying to determine if she's all right. [Navi...are you hurt] he signs, looking anxious.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The thieves who have managed to already scurry into the vault, are few. But when they hear Zeraph's warning and see Annelia standing in the doorway of the vault, not all of them take heed. A few drop what they're holding and flee, but a couple of them scurry deeper into the vault, hoping to hide from the two Jedi and then escape with their stolen items. As for the two that Annelia and Zeraph had come upon before discovering the vault is open, they conk over, knocked unconscious by the hilts of their lightsabers.

Volk doesn't seem terribly surprised when Volken materializes next to him, but he does seem curious as who Volken is and why he seems to have concerned himself with such matters. "The guards must not have seen the bodies," the Kel Dor Jedi says. "But thank you. I will tell them to start evacuation, and dispatch several to locate and move the bodies..." Then he quickly makes his way over to Cayde, and tugs on his arm. "Cayde, we're needed in the Vault," he says. "The Temple Guards will tend to Navi... let's go."

"No," Tomi says, "I am going to prevent the tragedy," he says to Imoen. "The tragedy is the raid on the Temple..." He sighs. "I'll explain it all later. I... I trust you. But I don't trust the Convocation to do the right thing." He then hurries inside the Temple of the Kyber, down to the Vault where Annelia and Zeraph are fending off the thieves trying to steal the Force artifacts.

Zeraph has posed:
Feeling the surge of adrenaline coursing through him, Zeraph swiftly moves to intercept the fleeing thieves. With a focused determination, he aims his lightsaber at their legs, executing precise strikes to hamper their ability to run. The golden blade slices through the air with two swift and precise motions, effectively hamstringing the thieves and preventing their escape.

As the buzz of battle fills his senses, Zeraph remains composed and vigilant. With one hand holding the incapacitated thieves at bay, he draws a second lightsaber from his belt, igniting the purple blade with a sharp hiss. The vibrant hue casts an eerie glow in the dimly lit corridor, a stark contrast to the serene surroundings of the temple.

Ensuring that the thieves in the hallway are securely detained, Zeraph then redirects his focus to the open vault.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Barely more than a grunt from Ann before she makes her way into the vault herself- those who are fleeing she largely leaves unscathed as they run.

    Instead, she begins walking deeper inside- at times looking around, and at others fully closing her eyes- they may try to hide, but most people she's met in the galaxy need to -breathe-... Well, perhaps not droids, but they have their own small sounds.

Volken Mons has posed:
Concerned may be too strong of a word, especially as it seems now that they all weren't poisoned and that whatever danger is present has moved itself more fully towards the vault and away from the party goers - including himself...

Curious and interested, especially upon seeing at least one individual he recognized from prior encounters? Well there's no helping that.,..and being a mercenary by trade, the potential for securing more work and more 'favors owed' is a strong one and a strong pull.

So Volken waits a moment. He lets Volk move ahead of him by a few paces and then begins to follow behind him as he approaches Cayde while also subtly charging up the weaponry within his vambraces as he does so.

Imoen has posed:
"Oh dank farrik, Tomi..." Imoen mutters the expletive under her breath, but she can't completely stop him as he once again races off. Gritting her teeth, she hurries to follow after. Whatever the resolution to this incident, she's not about to lose touch with the Arkanian again. So, she dashes to keep up, running into the Temple of the Kyber right after the stubborn Sorcerer of Tund.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    It seems Navi is all right...if just a bit shaken. Cayde turns around when Master Volk touches his arm. But he just stares at the Kel Dor man, looking lost and confused somehow, as if he doesn't understand or can't hear him.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The thieves howl in pain as Zeraph's saber strikes their legs, and they collapse to the ground, moaning.

Once Zeraph and Annelia enter the vault, Annelia will hear the sound of the thieves scampering deeper within. The noise is coming from a row of shelves carrying many ancient relics, likely the fourth one from her right. However, at least one of them may want to stand guard until reinforcements arrive -- more thieves and vagabonds are rushing down the hallway, eager to capitalize on the opportunity of a lifetime to seize precious artifacts from the vault.

Volk does not try to further explain the situation, instead, he takes Cayde by the hand and starts leading him away, down to the vault where the rest of the Jedi are fending off the thieves.

Once Imoen, Tomi, Volk, and Cayde (and Volken, if he is still a few steps behind) reach the hallway to the vault, they'll find themselves in a middle of melee between the thieves raiding the Temple and the guards. It's.. a mess, and bodies are falling left and right. If anyone of them want to reach the vault, they'll have to fight their way there...

Zeraph has posed:
As Annelia proceeds deeper into the vault and listens for the whereabouts of the thieves, Zeraph freezes at the entrance, making no sound, even controlling his breath. Despite the rush of battle still coursing through his veins, he makes a conscious effort to suppress his predator instincts, focusing instead on maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.

Struggling to control the primal urges urging him to press his advantage, Zeraph takes a deep breath and centers himself. With disciplined resolve, he pushes down the surge of aggression, reminding himself of the Jedi teachings of peace and restraint, moving from calm into meditation. He sets his feet in a sturdy battle stance, his lightsabers crossing in front of him with a frenetic crackle as he enters a meditative trance, his focus unwavering as he waits for any signs of movement.

His hope rests on the chance that the thieves within will come to their senses and choose to surrender to the authority of the Jedi Knight and the thieves not yet entered will see the bright purple and gold X shining in the entrance to the vault and take it as their cue to abandon their folly. Yet, should any attempt to pass the threshold in either direction, Zeraph is prepared to defend the sanctity of the vault with all the considerable skill and determination at his command. He prays silently that it will not come to that, and that reason will prevail over greed in the hearts of those who seek to plunder the treasures within.

Volken Mons has posed:
The massive mandalorian lets out a loud rough laugh at the sight of this chaos, for he indeed followed Volk itowards the vault.

"Well, well! Looks like the party's actually in here! What was I doing just waiting around outside?!"

The contentious Mandalorian-Jedi relations seems to be thrown out of hte window by the behemoth in the face of thugs and thieves and the potential of seeing for himself what secrets may lie within these vaults.. He continues forward tread towards the fight, shaking and loosening up his huge arms and crackling his energized knuckle dusters to life.

The gigantic assault repeater cannons strapped to his sides sway ominously as he draws closer but he seems to have enough common sense to not start spraying a double dosage of repeater cannon fire into a mixed crowd of combatants or a double gout of flames from his flame throwers or who knows what else could ge equipped in those things.. Instead, Volken raises up one of his colossal pillar sized arms and clenches a fist. The assorted array of arsenal embedded within charges up and an instant later a repulsor blast of force erupts out towards one of the thieves, attempting to bowl him violently into another that the guards may be struggling with, whilst he himself continues his inexorable approach.

Navi has posed:
As Cayde is drawn away from the hole in the wall, Navi slowly gets to her feet, touching her cheeks and finding them wet. Dazed from the last few minutes, she peers into the hole, and the abyss beyond, fearful of what she may - or may not - find there.

"Alive... heading for the vault..?" she murmurs in surprise, but quickly shakes her head and rushes in the direction of the vault. "I just hope I can get there in time..." A very good question, really. It's been an emotionally draining evening for her, and it's barely started.

Imoen has posed:
While Imoen may follow Tomi into the vault, she takes no initiative to participate in the chaos between the guards and the thieves. She stares at them in astonishment. "This seems more organized than I thought. Do they even know what they do in stealing into this place, or are they simply paid by some as yet unknown patron to collect the Collection?" She continues to keep apace with Tomi, only halting if someone forcefully interposes themselves between her and the Arkanian - at which point she'd be sure to call out to the Sorcerer and face off against her purposeful foe. Otherwise, she'd keep hurrying at his side, concern knit in her brow.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann is silent, for the moment- pausing in the main aisle of the vault to listen intently for a moment.

    Then, in a sudden motion, she darts into the fourth line of shelving to the right.

She still has no saber ignited- wouldn't want to risk damaging anything. Rather, she holds the unlit weapon in her hand as she looks to spring upon and subdue the thieves.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde suddenly finds his hand being grabbed and himself being dragged somewhere. He frowns...he doesn't need to be dragged around like a child. As such he tries to pull himself away from Master Trassa, although even if he does get free, he still follows the Kel Dor man over toward the Vault.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Some of the thieves do seem to be aborting, however, others seem determined to at least try to get into the vault. A trio of them rush Zeraph, two of them with guns and one with a vibroblade. They attempt to push past Zeraph's self assigned post stationed in front of the entrance of the vault, their greed feeding their aggression and desire to eliminate anything between them and what's inside the vault.

Volken's repulsor blast knocks the thief he'd been aiming at clean off his feet, and straight into another thief who had been tangling with a Temple Guard with a loud yowl. However, the thief who had been engaged with a Temple Guard isn't quite taken out. He stumbles backwards, but then turns to face Volken. He's a towering Devaronian with tusks thick as Volken's neck. His brows furrow and he charges the massive Mandalorian, drawing twin machetes simultaneously.

Despite being injured, Navi will be able to sense that Zealot is moving quickly towards the vault, a strange, ill sort of purpose on his mind. What it is, she can't be certain of at this distance, but she'll get the feeling she'd affected him more than she had imagined she might have...

"I don't think these fools even know that the Collection exists," Tomi says, fending off several thieves with a swath of holy flame. "I should have seen this coming," he says, shaking his head. "But you must realize, Imoen, that this is so much bigger than asking someone to align with my beliefs and ideals. There are -things-," he says, "in the galaxy, that we cannot afford to be so defenselessly ignorant about. You weren't alive during the Battle of Jedha, but I was. My older brother, like so many, did not deserve to die so grotesquely..." Imoen might recall during one of the history classes at the Temple, she'd been taught about the Battle of Jedha. Many had mysteriously died, in a terrible fashion, the professor had said, but any and all questions about why and the nature of the these deaths had been quickly shut down.

But Imoen won't have much time for idle wondering. Tomi has rushed on ahead, and made his way into the vault, now.

What Ann happens upon will not be a welcome, or pleasant sight. The thief she'd been chasing is hulking Colicoid, with a satchel of goods strapped to his back. His mandibles click unpleasantly as he laughs at her. "Look at you," he says, "pathetic fleshbag." And then his stinger emerges, glistening in the dim light of the vault. If she gets caught on that... she's dead. Then with a hiss, he takes out a nasty looking electroblade, and rushes the young Jedi Knight.

When Cayde and Volk arrive at the hallway in front of the vault, they'll immediately be assaulted by a disorganized criminals trying to escape the Temple of the Kyber with the few relics they'd managed to pocket.

Zeraph has posed:
As the trio of thieves rushes toward him, their intent clear in their eyes, Zeraph's training and instincts kick in. As one of the thieves raises his blaster and fires, Zeraph reacts swiftly, deflecting the blaster bolt back towards its origin with a fluid motion of his lightsaber. The bolt strikes the shooter in the face with deadly accuracy, ending his threat instantly.

Turning his attention to the thief wielding the vibroblade, Zeraph moves with calculated speed, his lightsaber a blur of gold as he delivers a series of precise strikes aimed at incapacitating rather than killing. His blade dances with purpose, scoring multiple strikes on the thief's limbs, rendering him unable to continue his attack. Whether he lives or not, Zeraph doesn't actually know.

With the two assailants incapacitated, Zeraph turns his gaze to the remaining thief, the one clutching the blaster. His expression is stern, his voice calm but firm as he addresses the would-be intruder. "You can try to enter the vault," he says evenly, gesturing towards the entrance, "but you'll have to come back out through me. Do you really want to take that chance?"

His gaze pierces into the thief's eyes, conveying both resolve and warning. Zeraph motions down to the two fallen figures, one of them now lifeless, a stark reminder of the consequences of their actions. He leaves the decision in the thief's hands, offering him a chance to reconsider his course of action before it's too late.

Volken Mons has posed:
Those are some thick tusks as Volken's neck is basically like a kegger with a head sitting ontop of it. He's impressed!

Less so by the attempt on him. He's barely finished bringing his pillar sized arms down but the towering Devaronian has closed the distance with him and Volken turns to meet the attack, bringing up his armored forearm to block the strike with a spray of sparks as the blade rings against his beskar. He bats the assault away and turns his torso against the other swipe, allowing the weapon to skid across the beskar there and then to thud against the toughened hide of his physique where the armor is lacking. His physique manages to repel what's left of the force of the blow and he leans in towards th Devaronian.

"Oh yeaaaaah!" he roars, deep voice magnified and rumbling through his helmet as electrical energy crackls about his knuckle dusters. His fists clench, knuckles audibly cracking as his tendons strain and his sinew bulges...and he swings. It's a huge uppercut, starting low and arcing up for the other brute's face and then this is in turn followed by a colossal body blow as the behemoth of a mando leans into the strike to try and flatten the other brute to the ground.

Navi has posed:
Navi picks up her pace a little at the sound of fighting. She's already at a sprint, so she can't manage more than slightly faster than she's already going. Rounding a corner, she's just in time to see several thieves confronting Master Volk and Cayde. Snatching her retractable staff from under her satchel flap, she charges one of the thieves, snapping the staff open, barely hearing the locks click into place before the blunt tip of the staff catches the would-be burglar in the belly, driving him back into the nearest wall. He slides down the wall, the artifact sack he was carrying landing in his lap as he hits the floor, dazed.

Snapping her staff into a guard position, she braces herself for a battle she's sure is coming. "Who's next?!!"

Imoen has posed:
"So someone must be pulling their strings?" Imoen pulls back a little as fire erupts against some of the thieves, then continues forward to follow. "Do you have suspicions as to whom?" She frowns faintly, "I only saw hints of this through a vision. There's no reason I can see as to why you should have expected this. There's no need to be so hard on yourself for something you could not change." She makes a face, confused and concerned, to hear something terrible had happened to the Sorcerer's brother during the Battle of Jedha. In a quieter voice, probably not above the sounds of battle, she murmurs, "things?" However, the Arkanian is already returned to the task of reaching the vault, and so she swiftly moves to follow.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    When the stinger shows itself, oh my does that lightsaber ignite fast. The colicoid and surrounding shelves are illuminated in that telltale bright blue- but still Ann is hesitant- slow to move, slow to react, ensuring she doesn't damage any of the shelves or artifacts in this place.

    As such, the comparatively careless thief gets the advantage, and manages to bite with his vibrosword into her arm as she works on avoiding catching a touch from that tail stinger- a strike she stumbles back from some before righting her feet, and... maintaining space. Opening it up furhter, if anything, looking to draw the thief into more open space.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    When the thieves rush at them, Cayde tries to enter their minds and "convince" them to help instead, by attempting to cause them to hallucinate and see the Jedi as fellow syndicate members. However, it was too rushed, and he ends up just bombarding them with random incoherent thoughts and memories from various sources.

    Furthermore, he ends up trapped in that mindscape--a prison of his own creation. He stands there rooted to the spot, almost like a statue.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The remaining thief stands there for a moment, fear in his eyes. But the moment doesn't last long. Suddenly, a beastly howl emanates from behind the thief, and abruptly, he's grabbed by the top of his skull and thrown aside like a rag doll by none other than a Mantellian Savrip. The monstrous alien towers over Zeraph, licking his lips as he advances on Zeraph, pulling out a spiked mace and advancing on the Kage boy.

The Devaronian assaults Volken relentlessly, but his beskar armor prevents the thief from doing any real damage to him. And then Volken uppercuts him, and the Chagrian brute stumbles backwards several steps. The attack is then followed up with a body slam that knocks him into a supporting column, which cracks underneath the duress of his immense body. He moans softly and spits out a tooth, but after a moment regains his composure. He reaches over and with a mighty groan, breaks a piece of the column loose and hurls it at Volken.

Immediately, Navi will find herself face to face with a couple more thieves racing down the hallway, trying to get away with their stolen goods. They try to rush past her without engaging...

Navi might be about to halt the thieves trying to run by her, when she feels that sudden tingling in her spine again. Zealot is near. And if she looks up, she'll see him, hurrying down the hallway with a group of Temple Guards. They make eye contact for a brief moment, and then he turns away, following the other guards into the vault.

"Those marauders must have sold the vault codes to ... many," Tomi says. "I was too blinded by my own agenda to think about what else they could use them for..." His expression grows sad.

But then the two of them are inside the vault, and he's heading deeper into the vault, stopping any thieves that might get in his way, but otherwise making a beeline for a small but ominous looking door on the back wall of the vault. He then stops, frowning. He seems to be looking for someone, but whoever that person is, they aren't here. He then turns to Imoen. "Imoen... what I am about to ask you to do..." he sighs. "Know that I am doing this to protect my own. And you, and all the Jedi, and all the other lightsiders here on Jedha. We cannot afford to not know about these... monsters."

"You have precognition, a skill that I am ill versed in. And in order to open the Bogan Collection, you must be able to predict the future, a few seconds in advance."

The Colicoid laughs. It is a wholly unpleasant sound. Slowly, he advances again, brandishing the electroblade carried by one of his clawed hands. Ann might be about to strike again, when a streak of of blue light bisects the air right next to her air, sailing straight towards the Colicoid...

When Cayde tries to mind trick the thieves all at once, they become incredibly confused. Suddenly, they aren't just fighting the Jedi and their allies anymore, they're fighting one another and even inanimate objects... It's utter chaos.

Volk turns around, and reaches out telepathically to the young padawan. <Cayde!! Stop this madness!!>

Zeraph has posed:
As the Mantellian Savrip lunges forward, its massive frame looming over Zeraph like a dark omen, the young Jedi's focus narrows, his senses honed on the imminent threat. Hhe might normally be horrified by what just happened, but in the flow of his battle trance it is just another surprise circumstance to be countered. With lightning speed and unwavering determination, Zeraph springs into action, his dual lightsabers gleaming with a golden and purple hue.

In a flurry of motion, Zeraph executes a series of rapid passes, each strike calculated and precise. Zeraph's golden lightsaber slashes through the air in an intricate arc, weaving a pattern of light that intersects with the darkness of the Savrip's mace. His purple lightsaber follows in swift succession, tracing a path of energy that mirrors the movements of its counterpart. The blade dances with elegance and purpose. With a swift twist of his wrists, Zeraph's lightsabers cascade downward like shooting stars, their radiant glow illuminating the darkness of the vault. Each strike finds its mark easily on such a large canvas of flesh, carving through the air with the force of a celestial tempest.

The Kage padawan moves past the Savrip as his draws his lightsaber blades through other side of the huge being. Zeraph and looks around at the chaos of the vault and hallway, noticing allies and enemies engaged as fully as he.

He never imagined things would be this messy on what was supposed to be such an enjoyable trip.

Volken Mons has posed:
"Hey, hey! You're holding me up here! Run away already!" demands Volken as the other bruiser begins to recover from his attack and seems to lack any sort of inclination to make a break for it.

"C'mon! I got places to be!"

He shakes his massive arms and continues to advance on the massive horned thief and as the column is broken and the piece of rubble is liifted he is forced to emit a low appreciative whistle.

"Not bad..!"

The debris is thrown and it collides into the immense Mandalorian, shattering against his torso and ringing against beskar and physique both. Volken---- keeps moving forward. He weathers the blow, pushing through it like some sort of trundling juggernaut, continuing to bear down on the other man as the pieces of debris rain down around him.

"Huh!!" he declares cheerfully as he closes in.

He then reaches out, lunging a huge hand for the Devaronian's head and attempts to slam it violently against the side of the broken pillar and if successful with that, attempts to pull the other giant back towards him and to try and wrap a colossal arm about the horned bruisers upper borso and crush him against his own immense body. His arm curls up, bicep bulking up like a set of B.B. unites under his ruddied and tattoed flesh , attempting to swamp over as much of the Devaronian's body as he can manage. Both are pretty huge but..well..Volken's uniquely immense. and as he brings his crushing strength to bear hopefully it'll be enough to finish this fight.

"Got places to be, chum!" he declares, still cheerful despite the chaos around them both.

"Hey kid! Move it!" he shouts, almost absently, towards Cayde.

Navi has posed:
"Look out!" Navi cries as two thieves try to rush by her with their ill-gotten gains. Her training kicks in, and she tries for a whirling double leg sweep with her staff...

And then two things happen at once. Zealot's approach with the Temple Guards is the first, and Cayde's attempted psychic persuasion is the second. Her head swims and her thoughts drift out of focus, even the no-mind of what should have been a textbook, routine kata...

And the initial sweep of her staff misses its mark. The second catches a thief's ankle from the front, causing him to fall on his face. There is a soft but firm crunch as his nose hits the ground, and thereafter he lies there, groaning and bleeding from his broken nose.

Realizing her error, she continues into another spin, extending her staff further out, braced solely by her one hand on the haft and the upper tip secured under her shoulder. There is an audible cracking sound as the outstretched tip of the staff connects with the back and side of the robber's knee, and his feet fly out from under him, dumping him on his back in the corridor, clutching his knee and shrieking in pain.

Praying none of the artifacts were damaged in their falls, Navi looks to Cayde and Master Volk. "How can I help?" she asks.

Imoen has posed:
Imoen looks sad too. She slows down slightly, though it doesn't ultimately make much of a difference, as the Arkanian spends time stopping yet more thieves. "So you gave the vault codes to the marauders?" She shakes her head, "this is what comes from allowing your emotions to cloud your judgement, Master Tomi. The vault and the codes are kept secure for a reason. It would seem you aren't completely lacking in blame for this after all..."

Running a thumb over the blue jewel at her chest, her brow furrows in confusion - a hint of wariness flashes across her similarly blue gaze. "What possible reason would there be to open the Bogan Collection, right here and now? If precognition is necessary to open the Collection, then that's reassurance against further misdeeds. We will remain here and keep the thieves at bay from entering the vault, and no tragedy will befall you or me or the Collection today."

She looks up into the Arkanian's eyes, "make right the mistake, Master Tomi. Don't let your selfishness and frustrations pull you deeper into the dark side. You must have been trained against such compulsions. Remember why you came here, before all this mess. Before Jedi Sentinel Volk barred your path. You know I too have a love for the mysteries and ancient relics. There are ways besides forcing others to your desires to get what you want. Ways in accordance with light and wisdom. Listen to the Force. I had an amazing time on Jedha, and you helped contribute to that. Don't let this event damage everything the Convocation seeks to achieve."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    The insanity goes on for several minutes, but Master Volk finally manages to reach through it all and pull Cayde out of his own mental prison. He blinks and stares at the chaos around him, appearing quite disoriented. What was happening? Why was he here? There were familiar presences around...but for what reason he isn't sure. Again he reaches out into the Force, attempting to discern what exactly is going on by searching others' minds. But for the most part he finds only chaos...

    The padawan doesn't respond to Volken's shouting, as loud as he no doubt is. He has that distant look on his face again, like he needs to be slapped to snap out of it.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Drawing the battle into a more open space where she can fight more earnestly, Ann can't help but smile slightly to herself as the Colicoid thief lunges at her again. This time she wards the approach with her lightsaber even as she whirls herself to the side, limiting the colicoid's angles to return to the less open space.

    She goes on the offensive again then, forcing evasion after evasion as she spends considerable time seeming for all the world like she's attempting to disarm the vibroblade as her first step- before she abruptly re-angles one of her swings and strikes to injure that dangerous stinger instead in an effort to slow it down and render her opponent easier to handle.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The Savrip is driven back by the onslaught of Zeraph's attacks. He swings his mace wildly at Zeraph, but it's cleaved in half by the Kage boy's light saber. For the Savrip, the next few moments are a blur of light and the searing sensation of his limbs being carved off his body like slabs of roasted meat off a meat spit. He bellows in pain, but it's over quickly, at least. He faceplants onto the ground in front of him, eyes rolling back as he becomes one with the Force. Zeraph will feel it, feel the light of his life fading into nothingness...

Halfway through Volken's assault on the Devaronian the massive Mandalorian might notice he starts to get a strange far away look in his eyes, and isn't even fighting back, even as he batters him against the broken pillar. And then all of a sudden, he'll break free from Volken's grasp and start running towards Cayde, still wearing that weird, blank expression. He doesn't even seem to notice that Cayde is directly in his path, and he'll run the young padawan over if no one intervenes...

"Get to Cayde!" Master Volk cries, as he is preoccupied with a couple of other thieves trying to escape the premises. "He's... he's become lost inside the minds of others...!"

"No," Tomi says softly, "I was hoping they would give them to me. But they wouldn't, so I took matters into my own hands. I didn't know they'd planned to have the vault open tonight."

"The same reason there is to even have a Bogan Collection, at all, Imoen. Why have it, if you will not study what the relics in there are capable of? You know your history. The Battle of Jedha... those things are out there, and we have no idea how to stop them. It's only a matter of time before they're weaponized against the Jedi. Against all of us. This isn't about what I want, it's about protecting innocents. It's about making sure what happened at the Battle of Jedha, never happens again." He shakes his head, disappointed. "I thought you would understand, Imoen. But if you won't help me, I suppose I'll just have to try on my own." He turns on his heel and starts towards the small door in the back.

The blue bolt fired at the Colicoid misses, but it at least distracts the chitinous alien long enough for Annelia to get the opening she needs. She manages to slice off the tip of the stinger, and the Colicoid hisses in anger as it renews its assault on her. Behind her, the shadowy figure who'd fired the shot that gave Annelia the opening she needed passes quickly behind the Colicoid while the young Jedi Knight continues fighting, heading towards the back to where the vault is.

Zeraph has posed:
As the Mantellian Savrip falls before him, Zeraph's heart weighs heavy with the realization of the life extinguished. With a deep breath, he pushes aside the turmoil within and turns his focus towards aiding Annelia.

Hurrying into the vault, Zeraph's senses are immediately assailed by the sight of Annelia locked in combat with the formidable Colicoid. Without hesitation, he joins the fray, his lightsabers humming to life once more, casting their radiant glow against the darkness of the vault.

He takes up an immediate flanking position and calls out to Annelia. "Mind if I help shorten the fight, Master? Trying to get a measure of the situation before rushing in. He doesn't want to interrupt whatever the knight might be working on, but he was on hand to help if she needed it or follow other instructions as necessary.

Volken Mons has posed:
"Hey!"

Volken had failed to get a good hold on the other bruiser and just like that he's a run away Bantha bearing down on Cayde. The giant mando grimaces. and he reacts on instinct, lunging one of his arms forward and clenching his fist as his vast body braces against the ground.
A whipcord fires out, lunging out away from him for the torso of the charging Devaronian, and lasoing around him to try and snare the other brute and make him subjec tto Volken's vast strength, tested against the thiefs own of course.

"Get out of the way!" he thundres again, roaring his deep voice across the chaotic battlefield towards Cayde.

Move, move, move!"

His attitude has shifted from joy in the violence and chaos to one of aggravation and boiling fury now though he can't be for certain who he's angriest at.\

Navi has posed:
"Right, Master!" Navi cries, rushing to Cayde's defense. She's just in time to confront another thief mindlessly rushing at the petrified Padawan. One look at the goon's eyes and she knows words will be useless.

So she resorts to her staff again, barely registering the roar from Volken as she trips the oncoming thief, sending him to the floor mere feet from Cayde.

She has no time to rejoice, because an instant later a hulking thug is falling toward herself and Cayde (mostly the latter), with that same crazed, blank look in his eyes. She brings her staff up in a rising stop-thrust that won't stop the falling Devaronian, but will redirect his massive bulk to one side, causing him to crash to the floor well off to her left instead of on top of Cayde. Her arms, shoulders, knees, and wrists all feel the shock of the impact, and she's sure her body will resent her mightily tomorrow, but that's tomorrow... tonight, her friends and the Temple need her!

Imoen has posed:
Imoen makes a pained face. "By working with thieves and marauders? Master Tomi, people have already died because of your plans." She takes a step or two closer. "The Bogan Collection isn't yours, and you don't know what kinds of relics are lying in wait there. You don't have the infrastructure or precautions in place against relics that could not only kill you, but cause untold devastation." She breathes out an irritated sigh, "you're attempting to open a vault and let free the powers of the dark side onto the galaxy. It is pure hubris to expect you can handle those artifacts on your own."

A trace of sharpness enters her voice, "you're more likely to cause another Battle of Jedha than find ways to stop it like this. Tomi, listen. I do understand. But this is a dangerous and backwards method of achieving your ends." She continues marching to follow the Arkanian, and reaches out a hand to his shoulder. "Don't do it like this. We can find another way, but lugging away relics of the dark side in your arms isn't how we save ourselves from the next threat." Vehemently, she calls out to him, "please."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Stop calling me Master," is Annelia's only response, returning her singular saber to a guard position for just a moment as she sizes up the more heavily injured Colicoid...

    She ducks a swing from the vibroblade even as she sidesteps a reflexive lashing of that damaged stinger- still probably best not to get cut by a ragged edge, there. She weaves around another strike or two before grazing the inner portion of one of the colicoid's arms with her saber as she works on picking through the creature's defenses.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The bruised Devaronian hardly seems to notice anything going on around him, he'll continue plowing forward until Volken's grappling cord whips out and entangles him. Then, not even a second later, he's toppling, toppling, about to land on top of Cayde. However, thankfully, at the last second, Navi is able to push the bulky alien aside and keep Cayde from getting crushed. Volk, having finished taking care of the thieves he'd been engaging with previously, grabs Cayde by the arm and shakes him. "Cayde... Cayde! Stop this madness! You've caused enough chaos.."

"Imoen, please," Tomi says, his patience clearly thinning. "The Bogan Collection will remain closed for the most part. I know how to study dark relics without being corrupted. Look at me," he says, "do I look and act like an apostate? I would never just -take- relics out of the Bogan Collection and store them carelessly wherever I like. I plan to place a droid in there, to study them remotely. For the most part."

"You haven't seen what they can do, Imoen. You haven't asked. Your Council, your master, they'd rather keep it all quiet for fear of making a fuss about something they don't know much about." He extends a hand in front of him, and suddenly, there's long swath of flame barring Imoen from Tomi. "Enough," he says, "I don't have time for this." He steps towards the door to the Bogan Collection, closing his eyes and sitting crossed legged on the ground in front of the small door. Slowly, he rises a few inches off the floor, now deep in a meditative trance. If Imoen tries to disturb him now... it might actually harm him.

However, unbeknownst to Imoen, a shadowy figure lurks in darkness behind a shelf nearby. Silently, an assassin's rifle is drawn, and aimed point blank at the Arkanian Sorcerer, who is oblivious to his surroundings.

The Colicoid hisses, and ducks and weaves, yet still unable to avoid getting seared by Annelia's blade. "Foolish girl!" he snarls, and lounges at her again, electroblade extended once more. But now that Zeraph is here, he also pulls out a blaster and opens fire on the Kage boy!

Zeraph has posed:
As the Colicoid continues to resist, Zeraph maintains his vigilance, ready to defend against attacks. With a swift and precise movement, Zeraph intercepts the blaster bolt of the Colicoid, redirecting it with the grace of a seasoned Jedi. The bolt arcs downward, striking the Colicoid's leg and eliciting a pained hiss from the creature.

As to Annelia's comment, he doesn't seem to be helping when he speaks so he resolves to remain quiet and allow things to take their course, acting according to best judgment. It wouldn't do to distract with annoying conversation so he stoicly remains on the Colicoid's flank and remains a threat, keeping it from focusing on Annelia.

Volken Mons has posed:
"What the hell are you sorcerers teaching Cayde up in that temple of yours? Everytime I've seen this boy he's in the middle of something or sticking his sorcerous mind powers where they don't belong!"

So it seems that the immense mandalorian knows this troublesome padawan.

And others present as well but for now Volken focuses on keeping a tight grip on the massive Devaronian. It's ironic, though, that arguably the most violent and wildly destructive person here has the smallest body count. He could have unloaded with his heavy artillery, flame throwers and whtever else madness the mando's have cooked up but a simple fist fight had occupied him until now. With the Devaronian down on the ground, however, that may change.....

He keeps a tight grip on the whipcord though, keeping the other large being in check as he draws nearer and then he attempts to plant a knee right into the tied up brutes back and plummets his own huge fist straight down for his skull going for a knock out blow that would surely crush the head of a lesser species but should be just enough to knock the bruiser out for the count. Hopefully.

Navi has posed:
Seeing Master Volk trying to attend to Cayde, Navi moves deeper into the chaos that is the Battle of the Kyber Temple Vaults, looking for any thieves that have been missed. Or Zealot. She's sure she saw him go in here earlier, and since he was disguised as a Temple Guard, he could go anywhere inside the Temple!

But it's not Zealot that catches her attention, but a blaze of flame with nothing to fuel it. She looks toward the fire, spotting Imoen and... someone who appears to be Master Tomi, in free-floating levitating meditation. She starts to call to Imoen...

And then that curious sense of closeness and foreboding finds her again, and she looks for the source, spotting the shadow of a blast rifle aimed at Master Tomi almost too late. She breaks into a run almost instantly, desperately grabbing for the weapon to prevent him from firing, looking up at him with respect and fear. "Zealot, /don't/! Don't shoot her! Or him!" she cries breathlessly.

Imoen has posed:
Starting to feel a bit incensed by the conversation herself, Imoen spreads her hands, "a droid? I see no droid here. All I see is a stubborn and desperate person trying to get what they want, no matter the consequences. The instant that vault door opens, you unleash the dark powers emanating from those relics onto the galaxy. You say you won't be careless, and that you're not an apostate, but look at what you're doing! I know you value your connection to the Convocation, and the Sorcerers of Tund. Don't ruin that by this foolhardy undertaking."

She shakes her head sternly at the supposition her Master would just act complacent, but when she moves to approach the Arkanian closer, a wall of fire materializes between them. On instinct, secondary membranes pull over her eyes to defend them from the heat, slightly clouding her vision. "Tomi. Tomi. Akashaya Tomi! Don't do this!" She snarls, teeth grinding, "damn it." Drawing in a breath, she calls to him, "Akashaya Tomi! In my capacity as a representative of the Jedi and the Republic, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit grand larceny. Do you hear me? You are under arrest!"

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann is indeed silent for the moment- focused on weaving around the vibroblade- in fairness to the colicoid, he's acquitting himself well despite being flanked now.

    She takes the opportunity afforded by the deflected blaster shot, taking the chance to catch another graze along the colicoid's other arm as he flinches from the shot to the leg.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    When Trassa finally grabs him and shakes him, Cayde blinks and stares at the older Kel Dor. Again, he just looks...confused. He focuses himself more, attempting again to reach out into the Force and discern from the minds of others, just what is going on. This time though, he tries to focus on the familiar ones.

    He focuses himself more, attempting again to reach out into the Force and discern from the minds of others, just what is going on. Were his friends in trouble? This time though, he tries to focus more on the familiar ones--Navi, Imoen, Annelia, Zeraph...even Volken...

    Imoen seems to be angry, her boiling emotions spouting up like a hot volcano in the Force.

    Suddenly, he opens his eyes and hurries deeper into the Temple, heading toward where he thinks Imoen is...

Amarik (195) has posed:
Finally, the Colicoid seems to relent. Especially after the chitinous alien's blaster's bolt is deflected straight back into his leg, and then he's once again lanced by Ann's saber. Grumbling, he drops his satchel and starts to make a run for the egress to the vault, his ego singed.

Volk doesn't look insulted, surprisingly. "We are Jedi, not sorcerers," he says calmly, "there are, however, sorcerers, and those would be the Sorcerers of Tund. Their techniques and philosophies are distinctly unique from ours." He shrugs. "He came with Annelia," Then he raps the armor covering Volken's chest. "Hmm. This is beskar. You don't happen to be a Mandalorian, aiding Jedi, now would you?" he seems amused.

"..." Zealot stares at her. Those unforgettably intense indigo eyes seem to say everything and nothing at the same time. "...you wanted this," he says slowly, his gaze flicking briefly to Tomi.

Tomi can't hear her. His eyes are still closed, and he's deep in a trance that seemingly no one can disrupt. But perhaps he can hear her, to some degree. A single tear rolls down his cheek, but he says nothing to Imoen...

And then Cayde is racing off again, into the vault. Volk abandons Volken's side and hurries after Cayde, switching his sabers off and holstering them.

Zeraph has posed:
Acknowledging Annelia with a silent nod, Zeraph turns his attention back to the task at hand. With purposeful strides, he retraces his steps toward the hallway leading out of the vault. His senses sharpen as he prepares to confront any remaining threats that may lurk within the temple's depths and begin to gather dropped artifacts to return them to the vault proper. Gold and purple lights lead the way as he stalks into the hallways to finish securing the sacred property.

Volken Mons has posed:
The giant doesn't appreciate Volk's correction of him on the matter of the desgination of sorcerers and he likewise doesn't seem to appreciater the rapping on the Beskar, When Cayde just gets to running off again, once more out of control, he has half a mind to pick the Devaronian up and hurtle the body at the other two right then and there but he simply recovers his whip cord and stands up again.

"Ba'gedet'ye.." Volken growls out surly and aggravated now.

He looks around to take stock of the rest of the fight and then begins to slowly walk after the others, intending on seeing how this all comes to an end. As he moves, he unhooks one of his repeator cannons from its holster at his side and begins whirring it to life, starting to charge the energy bolts up but not unleashing any sort of hellfire just yet.

Navi has posed:
Navi shakes her head vehemently, looking up at the assassin with pleading eyes. "/No/, Zealot... I wanted you to stop him, not kill him! You've come so far toward redeeming your misdeeds. Don't throw it away /now/!" she pleads desperately. "Besides, if you kill him now, his powers may go out of control... and that might be catastrophic!"

Imoen has posed:
When Tomi doesn't seem to respond to her cries, Imoen growls and slams a palm against the wall. It hurts, but it helps to numb her fury a bit. She can't see any easy or safe way around the wall of fire, so she takes the Arkanian's advice instead. "You want me to meditate? I'll show you meditation..." With a huff, she collects her thoughts, her emotions, and tries to snuff out the bloom of outrage standing in the way of her serenity. Climbing to the floor, she crosses her legs and closes her eyes, reaching out with the Force. She's never been the most competent and talented when it came to things like this, but she decides she has to try. All she needs do is delay and slow him down enough that others might arrive to help. So, she sends her mind towards him, attempting to interpose herself between the Sorcerer of Tund and whatever enigmatic connection would allow for him to access the vault.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As Cayde approaches Imoen's location, his connection to her emotions strengthens, and he realizes why she is angry...

    Someone is trying to open the forbidden Bogan Collection.

    The reason he cannot fathom neither can he find the answer in her mind either, but it doesn't matter. No one should do such a thing, not without the Council's permission! There was no purpose one could have, other than a nefarious one.

    Imoen's rage has found its way into his mind, as well...except he is a bit more impulsive than she. Various weapons and other loose objects dropped by the thieves previously levitate into the air and suddenly hurl themselves straight at the meditating Sorcerer of Tund.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Annelia, by contrast- delves deeper into the vault. She's not yet forgotten that more mysterious bolt from the blue- perhaps blue bolt?

    Incidental suiting of turns of phrase aside, she deactivates her saber again, proceeding quietly through the vault with an ear out for... whomever gave her an assist and passed her by.

Amarik (195) has posed:
For a moment, Zealot says nothing. Yet his frustration is palpable in the Force. She'd wanted his help, and he staunchly believed Tomi deserved to die, so of course, this was just the logical course of action. But when she says that his powers might get out of control, he sighs, and she'll feel his resolve intentionally fold. He puts away the rifle, then stands up, and if she allows him, he'll also tug her to her feet. That duality will return briefly, and she'll feel their bond in Force solidify even more. <I'm going now. And if you care for me or have any honor, you'll let me. I hope we never cross paths again. For your sake> And then, just like that, he's gone. Disappeared into the shadows of the vault, and then out the egress, for better, or for worse. But as he goes, that fading feeling of determination to avoid her at all costs from now on will leave her with a feeling that's a bit like half her soul had just walked out the door and slammed it in her face before she could protest, or even properly say goodbye.

Tomi's expression flickers slightly when Imoen tries to affect him, but he remains in his trance. And he doesn't even move, or try to avoid the objects being flung at him by Cayde, who probably doesn't realize until its too late that a lot of the relics within the satchels dropped by the thieves are actually... weapons, or sharped edged objects. Before anyone can stop the catastrophe from happening, a small relic with a dazzling kyber pearl embedded into the hilt has lodged itself into the right side of Tomi's chest.

A scarlet stain blossoms there, and the Sorcerer suddenly collapses, eyes still closed.

Cayde will be able to sense that he isn't dead, but is now instead trapped so deep in his own trance that not even he can reach him.

But there isn't much time for Cayde, or anyone to process what had just happened, as the Temple Guards now rush onto the scene, and finding Tomi unconscious, load him onto a berth and take him away to the infirmary.

As for Annelia, she'll notice Zealot leaving the vault in a bit of a hurry, but she'll likely have no idea that he'd been the one to help her earlier. She won't have much time to dwell on his rushed exit, though, as she'll hear Volk calling her name from the back of the vault a few moments later.

Volken Mons has posed:
The chaotic scene is hard for the gargantuan man to process. Indeed the particulars of the relationships of thos who have been involved in this are lost on him but...he knows brutality and violence and murder all to well and he freezes in place upon seeing the catastrophic events unfold before him...and then simply lowers his weapon all together. He of course, lacking in any capacity for these matters whatsoever, has no idea who the culprit of such a violence use of this 'sorcery' is, but he slowly looks to each of the Jedi in turn before finally speaking to himself. .

"Like a davaab... An execution.." he rumbles out. He re holsters his cannon and pulls back to stay near the opening of the vault, distracted by the wildness of the scene from taking a close look at any loose things that may yet be around.

The Temple Guards arrive fairly soon anyway so thoughts of attempting a liittle 'borrowing' of his own arrive a little too late for him to be able to act on. Instead he simply shakes his head.

Imoen has posed:
Imoen doesn't seem to register the telekinetically controlled objects until they affect the Arkanian Sorcerer. "No." A sound of defeat enters her voice, shoulders slumping. "No, Cayde, no..." She can sense pain, and then Tomi falls away from her reach within the Force, swallowed up by his own obsession. Her eyes shoot open and she stares across the way, the fire wall ostensibly dissipated. "Tomi!" She's very nearly ran over by the Temple Guards as they charge into the room, hurrying to get out of their way. Her expression contorts with worry and fear as she watches the guards carry the would-be thief out. With sympathy and regret, rather than stay behind, she rises to her feet and hurries to follow the guards, intent on waiting nervously in the background as they send him to the infirmary. Will he be ok? She glances at her friends and allies as she passes them, blue eyes rimmed red with the belated arrival of wretched tears.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann pauses a moment, frowning at the exit of the other figure, and exhales and stows her saber for now. She looks around the vault for a longish moment, nodding at Volken as he arrives at the doorway.

    As she hears her name called by the familiar, rebreather-modulated voice of the Master, she turns and moves briskly to meet with Volk quickly.

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Belask!" Volk rumbles, looking displeased. "Where have you -been-? Padawan Alexis just stabbed Representative Tomi with the Blade of Hiberation."

"It is a relic intended to help Force users enter an extended, Force induced hiberation, using proper procedures, of course. But since he sustained a wound from it while in a trance, the likelihood of him ever waking up is..." his brows furrow. "Slim to none." He sighs, exasperated. "We were going to put him on trial.."

He then brushes past her, heading towards the infirmary, shaking his head.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    It takes Cayde a moment to realize what just happened...but there is a dreadful sinking feeling in his stomach when he sees the blood and the Arkanian man collapse to the floor, then hears Imoen's tearful cries. He reaches out into the other padawan's mind as she leaves.

    No...

    <I'm sorry Imoen...>

    It's a bit of a relief that the man isn't dead, but...perhaps he may as well be. He glances over when Annelia arrives, glad to see she's all right.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Stopping a colicoid fighter from making off with an entire backpack full of -other- relics," Ann answers simply, head shaking a little as she tugs at the portion of her robe- now stained somewhat red- where she did sustain a bit of a hit from the other warrior.

    She purses her lips a moment, considering the scene a moment before following after. "There was entirely too much here to account for every variable, so I did as asked- not exactly what I expected when I offered to help not-my-padawan get more used to dealing with crowds with his particularities."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"..." Volk seems genuinely confused when Annelia says Cayde isn't her padawan. "My apologies," he says, "You two came together, and that was my natural assumption. There was no time for proper introductions," he says, bowing his head slightly. "The good news is that thanks to you and Zeraph we were able to secure the vault with minimal losses. So thank you."

"But I will have a word with the Council. The boy cannot be unsupervised. Wherever his Master goes, he must also go. Yet I have troubled you enough today. I will take care of this matter."

"Cayde," he says sternly to the young padawan. "Come with me. You can stay at the Temple of the Kyber tonight. We will speak... later."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods when Master Trassa tells him that he's going to...get a lecture, probably. Deep inside, he's tearing himself up, although he doesn't really show it outwardly.

    [Yes master] he signs simply.