Ol'averde be Haar Mav [Popsicles]

[Llamendo dal Iesin]

===== 22:48 =====

SUB LEVEL 8

De'Ville scowled, and began running toward their position. Perhaps they could be reasoned with, as their rescue was at hand.

Sprawling out of a pod and directly into the path of Lilaena De'Ville's relentless sprint, another of the Empire's prisoners collapsed to his hands and knees. His whole body convulsed with a coughing fit as he gasped for breath, for light; as if he hadn't felt the sun in a thousand years. His robes were heavy and damp, like a cloak of mist and ice. A fire-fight flashed against the polished floor beneath him and painted fleeting, freeze-frame reflections of his surroundings, threatening to overload his senses. Trying to blink away the darkness, Llamendo reached for the Force and his lightsaber, but could grasp neither with a foggy mind and frozen fingertips.

“Master? Master!”

[Ondraeya]

===== 22:47 =====

SUB LEVEL 8

Chaos reigned around her as Ondraeya did her best to stretch her limbs, hands and ankles gingerly though the first instinct was to run from here. Wherever here was. Her last memories still fresh in her mind, the convicted dark jedi had no love for these Imperial troopers, nor did she care how many died so that she could escape this prison. Finally able to turn her head, she craned her neck around to see two more soldiers in white be cut down, distant explosions ripping through cryopods, duracrete and flesh alike, the brilliant flashes and concussive wave carrying through the immense room, showering her with bits of stone and metal.

Can't lay here forever.

Sighing, her stomach growling and her head swimming, Ondraeya scanned her immediate surroundings once more to see a lightsaber wielding female's aura cut through several more Imperials, though more intent on several Force users fighting one another than anything else. Perhaps this one was the leader of the rescuers? She would have to find out, though in this state she wasn't going to have much in the way of defending herself if things were totally opposite than she hoped. Pushing herself up she sat and felt the uncomfortable drain of blood from her head, making the world swim even more than it was already. Explosions of bright, pinpricks of light showered her vision as she closed her eyes, lowering her head and supporting it with her left hand. Taking a moment to regain her composure, the Hapan's anger and desperation motivated her to continue to her feet, grabbing the trooper's rifle that she had stripped from his dying grasp, then take stock of the layout of this large lab. So many little battles going on in here, though a concentration of armored figures seemed to be holding the distant turbolift, she noted. No doubt wanting to ensure that all their prisoners didn't escape alive, though as the tide of the battle seemed to be going against them, that prospect was starting to look bleak.

Violet eyes turned back to the female Force user, and she quickly debated whether or not to approach her, or just begin making her way to the turbolift.

[Y'roth Helghast]

===== 22:44 =====
SUB LEVEL 7

Supervisor Llawl slumped against the cryotube that held her husband inside. A pity these barbarians had not happened to accidentally release him to. She would have liked to have ensured he was executed in some offhanded fashion for her sole satisfaction.

She felt dizzy, sluggish. She was struggling to remain conscious she knew, having removed her glove, rubbing her organic fingers together. The nerve endings felt dead. Too many stun blasts, and her prosthetic was not responding correctly as well. Llawl knew that both warriors were still alive, unfortunately, and they would not let her rest as needed. She tried to reach for anything for her to emotionally latch onto but there seemed to be a wall, as cold as the pod behind her. Not long now...

===== 22:41 =====
SUB LEVEL 8

Captain Aveedes sighed, holding the trigger device in his hand. He made hand motions and the selected contingent, roughly twenty men altogether, began to silently fall back from their positions towards the turbolift entrance. Still almost another twenty men remained at their positions, firing at anything that moved at this point. Too many men had been lost and the one with the lightsaber had withdrawn in another direction fortunately. Unfortunately, that was away from the traps they had set, rigged grenades slaved to the trigger device that Aveedes now held. One click and hold for the left, two clicks and hold for the right, three for both.

He fell back with the contingent towards the turbolift slowly, getting a quick salute from his Sergeant that remained. Too many force adepts running amok; Aveedes wished he could give the Sergeant and his men a better chance but by now Aveedes had forfeited the idea that the comms array would be re-established. The purge counter was still dialing away but twenty four hours was just too long. No one had anticipated this much chaos, this kind of force, rather some kind of full on assault. Aveedes felt like someone more versed against a force adept should have anticipated this but then again, those same people likely figured this place would never have been discovered to begin with.

The captain tucked away the small whisper of a thought that the location might not have been discovered at all but rather given away and for what purpose, Aveedes made significant effort to repress the notion.

===== 22:39 =====
SUB LEVEL 8

Scothis lowered the scope of the rifle from his eye.

"Mandolorian. Maneuvering from an elevated position some distance away. Too far to engage currently. Maybe a bounty hunter or mercenary hired to assist in the infiltration."

He turned abruptly as another trooper emerged from the shadows. This one had no rifle and approached as if he was going to say something. His intent went unnoticed as Scothis stepped into the trooper, placing the barrel of his rifle against the trooper's neck, between his armored chest and his helmet and then fired. The body fell to the ground in a clattering heap.

Jerrard stood, sliding his recently acquired vibro blade from the torso of a now dead prisoner and pointed ahead of them, catching Helghast's attenton.

"I see it. Lightsaber. Heading this way."

Helghast turned back to it. His augmented vision had caught it at a distance, an approaching light source. It had been nearly non-detectable to the human spectrum at a distance and Helghast had been regarding it for some time with what his gut instinct knew it to be. Now that Jerrard had noticed it as well, he assumed it was nearing his position. Their arsenal of collected weapons meant little against a trained force adept. Only overwhelming firepower, advanced technology and augmentation, and massed effects by highly trained warriors had taken down force adepts so effectively in the past with Project Nightmare. Helghast only had Jerrard and Scothis at his disposal currently. A lightsaber here, amongst all of these prisoners likely meant that it was held by someone significantly responsible for all of this. Helghast doubted that anyone would have been imprisoned with such an implement.

"Split up, stay low, and back. Keep an eye on the Mandolorian. The adept will come for me."

A recently freed prisoner stumbled out of their pod a few steps ahead, disoriented, and mostly unaware. Helghast stepped forward in a rush of movement, taking the prisoner by the throat and slamming the Bothan, most likely another adept, against the ground. The hairy sentient screamed out as Helghast slid the vibro blade into the adept's gut. His red eye cast a light across the gruesome scene and reflected in the watery eyes of the prisoner. Y'roth intently thought of the lightsaber, his systemic disgust for adepts as he watched the pain overwhelm the weakened prisoner, images of the engineered slaughter of force adepts on a galactic scale exuding from him. The Inquisitor knew this kind of mantra-like thought would draw the oncoming adept like a moth to the flame. He twisted the handle of the vibro blade, the prisoner screaming out into the darkness around them.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

===== 22:39 =====

SUB LEVEL 6
The Mando'ade shouted directions in Basic to the former prisoners who were emerging from their shells. Get to cover. Work together if you want to survive. We are on your side. Granoi and Tiktik blasted open the doors to an armory, but it's not full. Still, a few extra blasters and blaster rifles are better than none, and for every stormtrooper they drop there is more gear for those who can handle it. Hel smiled inside her helmet, riding her war droid to the turbolift that her vod were holding against the attempts of the stormtroopers to retake it.

Jariler barked out a concussion blast, leveling another squad of troopers and buying the Mando'ade precious time to move from defense to offense. Hel rode the 'lift down to the next level, along with Ciryc and Teroch.

===== 22:37 ======

SUB LEVEL 7
As the doors to the turbolift opened, the basilisk droid blocked the entrance and took the brunt of the blaster fire from the gathered stormtroopers as Hel, Teroch, and Ciryc took cover behind it. Jariler boomed another concussion blast from it's muzzle, following up with the heavy blasters in it's shoulders, and then the three Mando'ade followed it out of the lift, but not before Hel directed the lift to return to sub level 6 so they could begin sending people up and out of the compound. "Obed! Choruk!" she called over the comms, taking a knee behind a pod with a dead occupant, and opening fire on another group of black armored stormtroopers. With the Mando'ade all in whitened armor, it was not unlikely that some of the long held prisoners might mistake them for clone troopers.

Choruk answered, "We are in the office area. Safe for now."

"Coming to get you," replied Hel, leaving Teroch and the droid to guard their exit point while she and Ciryc ran down a row of pods. "We are your rescuers," she yelled at one former prisoner who tried to get in their way. "Head to the turbolift!" She pointed back the way she'd come, and kept moving.

===== 22:38 =====

SUB LEVEL 8
De'Ville nearly tripped over a woman in long damp robes, but managed to stop in time as the person reached out with her hand and with the Force. “Master? Master!”Not a woman, a man.

"I am not your master," she said, pausing to help the man to his feet. "I have -" An explosion from the other side of the great room drowned out whatever it was she was saying. I have come to set you free. "Get to safety!" she yelled over the din, stepping between the confused adept and a stormtrooper, deflecting a bolt and sending it sizzling back into the trooper's armor. Stunned, the enemy went down, but he was not out. De'Ville leapt forward, yanked the blaster rifle from the stormtrooper's hands, and thrust it into the blond adept's arms.

A great cry of pain in the Force caused her head to whip around, and she bounded off without another word. No doubt other adepts could feel it as well. Whoever this was, they were asking for a lot of trouble.

Her purple lightsaber ready, Lilaena crept around the last few rows of cryopods as she reached her destination. A human male was bent over the body of a still screaming Bothan, it's blood staining his hands as he twisted the knife while two others watched. She readied herself, wondering if she could talk them down. They were probably confused. Differences could be set aside until all were free from the hell the Empire had kept them in.

Then he looked up, and the light reflected off of his one red eye. Rage boiled up inside of her. Was this... how could... an Inquisitor, here?! His clothing indicated he had been one of those frozen as well. All questions of why flew out of her head as she flung herself at Y'roth Helgast with a righteous fury.

[Layla Cimmerian]

===== 22:41 =====


Sub Level 8


The sound of combat grew more faint, the attention drawn elsewhere as the bulk of the forces on either end maneuvered through the rows of cryo chambers, rescuing or slaughtering those freed from containment. Layla moved with caution, bare feet silently gliding across the grated floor. She stopped over top of one of the Storm Troopers she had killed, the difference in the visage of his helmet from what she recalled noticeable. In the moment she wasn’t sure whether to make much of it, and so chose not to.


Layla stepped lightly over the two corpses, coming to the end of the row. To her right she saw movement, an indiscernible figure that caught sight of her, and immediately took off down another row. She gave it no further thought, following the wall down until she came to a placard. The layout of her current level was mapped out in non descript lines, dividing rooms from rows. No clear emergency exits were noted, save for the one turbo lift. She remembered it, being taken through and brought to her pod, the last thing her waking eyes had seen being the two visages of her former comrades.


Her hands involuntarily tightened into fists, her heart rate accelerating as she fought to quell her rage. Neferis has always been cold, calculating, and she would not let her rage get the better of her now. In the distance, rising above the faint sounds of blaster bolts, she heard an anguished cry. She reached out with her senses, the origin of that cry acting as a vacuum that seemed to draw all those with the Force inwards. Something was culminating, and she contemplated how much she should let herself get involved.


She started to move, rather than linger and ponder her fate for all eternity. Once more she moved as silently as she could until she came upon a fallen body, turned over on it’s stomach with it’s limbs stretched out in all directions. She turned him over, the figure clad in garments she would have attributed to a Jedi. Dead center in his chest was a smoking crate, the fringes of that crater having burnt the edges of his brown robes. Layla slipped one sleeve off his arm, then the other. She followed up by stripping his boots off, too large for her feet but better than nothing. His form was rolled over and off the top of the cloak before she slipped her arms in and drew it over her shoulders.


An explosion in the distance caused the lights overhead to flicker and buzz as the current was disrupted, drawing her focus back to her escape. Her steps were not quite so quiet as she moved onwards, allowing that vacuum to draw her in. She knew at least one side would be present that she would seek to ally herself with, but she needed to be there if she wished to secure her way out.


The heavier steps of her new boots drew attention, which she also heard before she saw. She slipped between a pair of cryo pods, leaning back against the wall as a pair of Storm Troopers emerged into her current row of pods. They looked down her direction, but with a gentle gesture of her hand and a subtle manipulation of the Force she encouraged them to look away. One of the two stepped forward a few paces, and Layla emerged with a hand poised before her.


The plastoid boot heels of the rear Storm Trooper scrapped the decking as he was dragged towards Layla, his weapon dropped. With a sideward sweep of her arm, he was thrust into the pod just before her, and the hydraulic door snapped downward shut to begin the freezing process. The other had spun around and leveled his rifle off by the time the trooper was halfway towards her, but had no clear shot with his comrade in the path. Just when he felt he had the shot, the column of his throat tightened and he found it difficult to breathe, to focus. Panic set in as he clutched one hand then the other at his neck. He went to his knees, before toppling off to the side, squirming in fear and panic.


Layla kept walking, holding that vicelike grip around his throat. A leftward turn and she released, the far end of the row showing a purple lightsaber, reminiscent in color of her own weapon to which she wondered at the fate of. She could not see past Lilaena, but she could discern the woman was no Stormtrooper, which made her an ally for the time being.

[Ryssa Kilvaari]

The dream within

The day was beautiful, on Ossus. The comforting heat from the sun and the cool breeze gently flowing by, keeping the balance within and without. All around her, the younglings played, laughing and joking, while the older Jedi, such as herself, kept watch. Nowadays, there was little to destroy this beautiful peace, nothing to threaten the younglings from their play. There was no Sith, no Republic, no Empire to war with, or against...

Because all of this was little more than a dream...one long and magnificent dream of her own creation... Because the truth was, the Jedi Padawan named, Ryssa Kilvaari was in suspended animation and all that she once knew was long dead. The Ossus she knew and loved were gone, destroyed by Sith Magic that had created a supernova so terrible that much of what she fought for was destroyed and many of the Jedi, young and old, were killed instantly. Ryssa herself barely managed to escape its fury, having stayed behind to ensure some survivors had managed to take shelter deep underground. She had just made it to safety when the supernova scorched the once beautiful world. Burning the atmosphere until it grew toxic. It was this toxic air that burned Ryssa's lungs as the doors deep within the temple sealed them inside. Of the Jedi that survived, none of them had the medical know-how to heal her. Rather than have her die, those she rescued sealed her within a cryogenic stasis unit, freezing her until someone was able to save her from dying. What they had unwittingly done was sign her a one way ticket to the future. Ryssa was aware of being awoken once in her time in stasis, when some kind soul finally took the time to treat her for her injuries. She knew not where she was and didn't stay awake long enough to find out. For once she was treated, that 'kind soul' had returned her to stasis, where she remained ever since, dreaming in this wonderful paradise. While dreaming, she sometimes became aware of being moved from place to place and would reach out in the Force to figure out what was going on. For a long time now...it had been quiet in the outside world...too quiet. Occasionally, she would sense someone near her pod and investigate, but now...now she sensed something terrible was happening.

"Ryssa..." A voice echoed with intent. In this paradise stood someone she hadn't seen for so long...her old Master, Jael Kara's. Just seeing her after so long filled Ryssa with joy and despair at once.

"Master Jael! Ryssa said, almost excitedly. She gave her old master a hug. "I've missed you so...so long."

Jael allowed her former student to embrace her, but only briefly, for there was little time. "Ryssa...my Padawan. Full glad am I that you remember me after so long.."

Ryssa frowned as she looked at her old Master. "How could I forget you? You were like a mother to me..." Ryssa's dark eyes looked around her utopia, fully aware of her situation. "Even in this...this place, I've never forgotten you."

Jael smiled at her Padawan. "I've been trying to contact you for a long time, yet your heart has been closed to me." she said sadly. "You've carried your pain for so long now. Its time you let go."

Ryssa bowed her head sadly. "I've closed off all this time. Lost...alone...broken. Maybe I'm beginning to accept my lot...resigned to be stuck in limbo forever and had the desire for company."

"Whatever your reasons, Padawan, I'm glad we are able to finally speak before your awakening." Jael said, a small smile pulling on her face. "There will not be much time afterward. Especially as what is coming would tax you somewhat."

"Why?" Ryssa asked as the world changed around her, Jael taking control of Ryssa's dreams to show her what was outside her frozen prison. The Padawan noticed the change and frowned in confusion. "What's going on?"

"You are on Hoth now, not Ossus." Jael explained. "Four millennia have passed since you were frozen and outside a battle rages on. All the pods, including your own are being deactivated. You will awaken soon into the firing line...yet, even in the midst of all of this, you will find people that can help you find your way."

Ryssa watched as a stranger wielding a lightsaber deactivated all the chambers. In an instant, Ryssa felt strange. Her wandering soul being pulled back into her body as the thawing process began...

The last words she heard from her old Master were, "May the Force be with you, my Padawan. I will see you when you've awakened..."

::Present day. 22:56 Section 8::

Cold air rushed out to meet the warmth as the doors opened in her cryostasis pod for the first time in an age. The sound of battle echoed in the distance, yet as close as it was, Ryssa could barely hear it. As soon as she opened her eyes, temporarily blinded from lack of use after so long on ice, the Padawan collapsed to the ground as other unused limbs failed to cooperate with her brain's commands to move. She knew not the distance she fell to the floor, but it was enough for her to take in a gasp of air and violently cough to life. Her lungs burned with fury as she tried to breathe for the first time in so long. Once she got the hang of breathing again, Ryssa pulled her fingers to make a fist on her right hand and then her left before laying both flat on the ground so she could push herself up into a sitting position. Her head thumped as her eyes took in light for the first time. Yet, even as her bodily functions returned to normal quite quickly, Ryssa sensed it was not quick enough as battle continued to rage around her. She either had to find a place to hide, or find herself a weapon to defend herself with. Reaching out into the Force, Ryssa sensed a number of people nearby...and one Stormtrooper heading toward her. Deciding to take out this stormtrooper for his weaponry, Ryssa struggled to her feet, her muscles protesting enough to make her grimace slightly in pain as she did so, and hid behind her pod. When the trooper came close enough, she used the Force to knock him down before pulling his blaster to her. Once in her hands, she shot the trooper to ensure her own survival. She then slowly and cautiously explored her surroundings, keeping to the shadows like she'd been taught so long ago. Yet while wearing little more than underwear thanks to millennia in the pod, Ryssa needed to search for clothing to wear before the cold took her.

:::22:45 to 22:40:::

After several minutes of wandering and shooting the odd trooper group, Ryssa found a locker room, filled with garments suitable for the harsh winter storms outside. Pulling out one such set, Ryssa quickly changed to further avoid the cold. As she pulled up the zip of the jacket, however, the Padawan sensed a presence nearby. Grabbing her blaster, Ryssa hid amongst the lockers, watching and waiting to find out who was there and whether they were friend or foe. When the presence drew close, Ryssa came out of her hiding place, weapon raised and ready to fire if she had to.

"Don't come closer..." she said, her voice quiet, yet calm. "Are you friend or foe? "

[O.c. Open tag to whomever wishes to find her. ]

[Tank]

j===== 22:34 ======

SUB LEVEL 7

"We are your rescuers," she yelled at one former prisoner who tried to get in their way. "Head to the turbolift!" She pointed back the way she'd come, and kept moving.

"I didn't call for a r..."

Tank's words died in his throat as he looked to the armored fighter hurriedly shooing him out of the way. Not Imperial, but also not a brother. That armor looked an awful lot like...

"Death Watch" came the icy realization. Killers and terrorists of the worst sort. At least they were, back in the days when things were simpler. The Mandalorians had become whatever the needed to be at any particular moment in the days of the Empire. Some fought for the Imperials, and it appeared that others...not so much.

Cooling his glower a moment, Tank decided that while he hadn't ordered a rescue from his comrades, he wasn't about to scoff at the notion. Quickly, the former clone commander liberated a heavy blaster rifle from a dead stormtrooper, giving the weapon a field inspection as he checked it's power pack and battle-readiness.

"Good enough." he muttered, slapping in a fresh charge as the tibanna pressurizer whined. He gave the exit option a glance, making a sour face at the notion of beating a retreat. He was still an able body, and by the look of this place, there were a lot of people who might not be.

Instead, Tank took off after his rescuer, pausing only to scoop a few extra tibanna packs and a thermal detonator off another fallen trooper.

"What planet is this, Mandalorian?"

[Alice Di Scarra]

===22:31===

SUB LEVEL 8

The change of temperature caught her by surprise. She gasped for air, coughing a couple times as she fell to her knees, palms meeting solid ground. Blinking for she could barely see anything after having spent the Force knew how long in cryo-stasis, she grasped onto the Dark Side as a tether. Her body who had been so strong until she was frozen felt unresponsive compared to how it used to be. She lack quickness, flexibility and even as she pushed herself back to her feet, her legs felt wobbly for a few more moments. She hated it, but saw the opportunity to feed on it, embracing the Force anew.

Pain rippled through her soul as she recalled one of the last things that had happened before she was taken prisoner. She remembered her mentor and ally, Aksara Siron, die in her arms as they went up against their natural foe, the Jedi. She swallowed with difficulty, her hands curling into fists ready to punch.

The Sith knew she had to move. She felt life around her, and as her ears behaved better than her eyes, she heard combat farther away. It seemed that her pod had been placed in a corner of a room, possibly at an end of a level, wherever she was.

She had to make sure not to topple over nearby bodies. She frowned as she realized two of them weren't responding at all. While the room was warmer than her pod had been, the area wasn't meant to strut around in black shorts and tank top. She was hoping to find a locker somewhere but wasn't so lucky.

Her skull pounded when an explosion blasted somewhere. She didn't know what was up but it echoed through the Force with strength and seemed to act as a catalyst for she was able to pick on many more Force users than she had first been able to. Everything still felt a bit muddled but there was Light and Dark at play.

She was about to head outside of the room when she felt pain, not coming from her. A wounded soldier rushed into the room where she was and stopped on his tracks when he got to her. Relying on instincts, she threw him into a nearby wall and then grabbed at his neck, until it broke. She sensed other people farther into wherever she was but her priority was to get geared up. She removed the clothing from the man and was grateful for her tall silhouette so the clothing wasn't too mismatching. The boots were a little small but that would do. She groaned when she thought he only had a blaster with him, but eventually found a vibroblade on him too, which was more to her liking. She grabbed both weapons anyway.

She was a far cry from her top shape, but things would have to do for now.

She needed to find a way out.

[Prisoner Zero]

"Don't come closer..." she said, her voice quiet, yet calm. "Are you friend or foe? "

"I do not know."

Hidden from sight, Prisoner Zero smiled. Since his escape, a feeling, alien to the human body, had become more prominent in his mind, under his skin, like an itch he couldn't scratch. With the appearance of the girl, it made perfect sense: he was gifted and so was she. In a show of compliance, he raised his hands and turned to face her.

"I am the enemy of your enemy. Will that suffice?"

[Ryssa Kilvaari]

Ryssa lowered her weapon, choosing to trust the man for now. While still guarded, the Padawan did allow herself to relax a moment. "I don't really know what's..." she spoke as her voice cracked, her chest feeling congested and reflex ordering her to cough. For several seconds, she coughed until the congestion passed. She then looked at the man sheepishly. "My apologies...I'm still recovering from my time in stasis." she said. The truth, however, as Ryssa knew, was that she was still sick, not from hibernation, but the fact that prior to her being put on ice, Ryssa had inhaled toxins from Ossus' atmosphere when the supernova burned it and everything on Ossus' surface so long ago. While Ryssa had managed to get herself and her charges to safety underground, her lungs did inhale the hot, toxic air before she could seal herself and the young Padawans and younglings in. With good intentions, those she'd saved put her into stasis in an effort to save her. Yet now...how long had it been? She had many questions to ask, but for now...she decided to connect with the person before her.

"I'm Ryssa Kilvaari... " she said as she put her right hand to her chest, bowing her head slightly. "Prior to me being kept on ice, I was a Jedi Padawan...now, however... I'm just a girl with a gift of the Force."

[Prisoner Zero]

Once he was confident the girl was not about to shoot him, Prisoner Zero investigated the lockers, much as she had done only moments before. While he listened to her story, he gathered a pile of replacement clothes and peeled off his soaking ones. Each item of clothing was inspected before disposal, as if the mystery of his own origin story could be found within the sopping wet material or on the faded labels. Alas, not even a name was revealed to him, which became problematic after the girl introduced herself.

"I'm Zero," he said, without hesitation. "I don't remember much, but I know that I am gifted, like you. Perhaps I'm also a Jedi."

From over his shoulder, he offered her a smile. He enjoyed his voice, it had the smooth and refined quality of someone important, or, at the very least, wealthy. A flash of red light shrieked into the locker room, it chased away the gloom in a fantastic spray of sparks, and prompted Zero to hug the wall and glance outside.

"A stray shot," he decided. Between the rows of pods, he saw soldiers in polished black armour, moving with purpose, "They are close. I assume you know how to use that thing?"

[Sejah Haversh]

SUBLEVEL 8

To his horror, Sejah watched as the stormtrooper before him did not lower his blaster, but instead trained it directly on him instead.

"Woah!" Hal raised his paws. "I'm on your side! I'm on-"

He didn't get the chance to finish his statement as he saw the barrel of the blaster light up. The Force pulsing through his veins, Sejah felt every millisecond tick by as if it were a full minute, allowing himself the speed to dodge out of the way. Then his moment of clarity vanished, and he found himself ducking and weaving through pods, control boxes, wiring and coolant lines before tumbling out onto the floor beyond. All around him was death and destruction, and he had no idea where he was. Between two pods ahead of him, he saw a long-haired blonde man in Jedi robes calling out for his master, and a black-haired woman gave him some form of answer which seemed to appease him.

Blaster fire from behind gave Sejah a jump, and once more he reached for his lightsaber only to find it wasn't there. Still, if this woman could help, he would have to approach unarmed. Scrambling between the last two pods, he immediately ducked back into cover as more blaster fire surrounded him. By the time he emerged, she was gone, and he cursed his luck, and lack of understanding while peering around the corner.

[Ryssa Kilvaari]

::Sublevel 8::

Ryssa smiled slightly when Zero introduced himself, though couldn't help but wonder if it were a nickname to hide his true identity, or if he didn't remember it. She was not about to ask, however as she caught a glimpse of him changing clothes. Blushing slightly, the Padawan gave him a bit of privacy as he got dressed by turning her gaze away from him. As she did so, a stray blaster shot screamed through the room, causing her to immediately duck and hide behind a locker, weapon ready to fire when necessary.

When Zero asked if she knew how to use her blaster, Ryssa smiled slightly. "I learned to shoot about five to ten minutes ago. I'm a quick study." she whispered with some sarcasm in her voice as she reached out in the Force to locate where the armoured soldiers were. "Point and pull trigger...and yes I know the barrel is to point away from me and toward the enemy."

Ryssa then moved from her position to an area where she had a better shot while still able to remain in cover. She waited there, using the Force to keep track of their location. Once satisfied she could shoot them, she turned slightly from cover and took her first shot, surprising the group as one of their team went down. Taking advantage of the confusion, Ryssa managed to shoot a second and third in quick succession. The fourth though, needed a little ingenuity on her part. Using the Force, Ryssa snatched his weapon from him and tossed it to Zero so he had his own blaster. She then raised the trooper off his feet with the Force and sent him flying toward two other troopers with enough force to knock all three of them to the ground, leaving her and Zero with an opportunity to escape.

"Quickly! Let's go!" she said to Zero, before musing out loud, "The more things change, the more they stay the same....Would've thought the bastards learned some lessons by now..."

[Prisoner Zero]

Instinct compelled him to snatch the blaster out of the air when it was thrown his way, but to tear his gaze away from the small mountain of bodies that had piled up before them required a considerable feat of willpower. It had unfurled like a great symphony of violence, with Ryssa at its throbbing heart, conducting the carnage with the authority of a royal maestra. If he listened carefully, Zero was certain he could hear the ebb and flow of her power, ringing and resounding through the Force. And he wondered: what manner of power could he bring to bear upon his foes?

He took flight at her command, nursing the carbine to his chest like a newborn babe. Liberated from the sucking and dragging of wet clothes, he found new strength in his limbs, and a speed that, in no time, put distance between himself and the recovering soldiers. And as the first shots sailed overhead, his heart fluttered, rejoicing in the thrill of the chase. Behind a cryo pod, they found temporary reprieve and an opportunity to return fire. Zero recalled Ryssa's words as he lined up his shot - point and pull trigger - and reconsidered his strategy when he saw it swallowed by the darkness.

"It seems I am not a soldier," he informed his companion. A flurry of action drew his attention beyond the rows of cryo pods, to where a bedraggled band of fugitives were offering resistance to more armoured troops. In the flashing light of blaster fire, they danced like revellers at a Rylothian rave. Zero pointed.

"We have allies," he rose from his crouched position, "Come. There is strength in numbers."

[Y'roth Helghast]

===== 22:35 =====

SUB LEVEL 8

De'Ville. Terrorist.

Helghast needed no explanation of how or why. Simple conclusions could be drawn from the presence of Lilaena De'Ville that quickly explained the entire scenario. A subroutine raced ahead of his thoughts providing a solution that gave Helghast slim chances of survival given his current disposition versus the adept before him. The subroutine was immediately suppressed as the combat HUD came to the forefront, lacing the oncoming woman in red lines that depicted poise and momentum, calculating possible variant angles of her lethal melee weapon. The tall Inquisitor stamped down, his heel crushing the throat of the now abruptly dead Bothan. His arms were raised to meet De'Ville as she flew at him. The long knives in each hand extended their full length to lithe swords just short of a meter in length. The material was dense and could likely withstand two, maybe three points of contact with a lightsaber. If Helghast could survive long enough.

The second subroutine, running since he first awoke, had finally compromised the installation's guardware, encountering the opposing slicer, presumably with De'Ville, only momentarily before it raced ahead to contingency protocols. 22 hours and 35 minutes until the auxiliary fleet would set into position and then eradicate any sign of this facility via orbital bombardment. Unless comms were re-established and the project manager, a Supervisor Llawl, offered the correct time sensitive code word. Helghast found that unlikely immediately and instead activated the second protocol contingency in the blink of an eye.

Y'roth stepped into the attack at an angle, one sword meeting her lightsaber for as long as he could risk it. The power throughout the facility went out and the light from his eye, De'Ville's lightsaber, and the sparks from their contact was the only source of illumination between them. Y'roth's face was the passionless stoicism of duty to match Lilaena's rage and promise of death and vengeance.

===== 22:32 =====

SUB LEVEL 7

Supervisor Llawl breathed in sharply as her connection with the installation was abruptly cut. The cryotube that she leaned against, the prison of her dearly beloved fool of a husband, quit humming with sustaining energy. There was a panic, a sense of desperation that was now permeating through her exhaustion, as she feared the likely reason behind the sudden loss of power.

It was that Captain. Captain whatever-his-name-was. That idiot. The entire installation was not lacking power all of the sudden as many if not all of the newly released occupants might think. The installation was actually conserving every ounce as the contingency protocol forced the generators to over cycle and rapidly deteriorate the twin cores containment fields. The entire mountain would explode in maybe six hours and that auxiliary fleet would arrive to not much else but a destroyed mountain visible from space. Only the console on the other side of her office, currently occupied by the barbarian would still have access to the installation main frame. They would be able to ensure that power was still routed to the turbolift from there. Something she meant to stop sooner than later.

She slowly pushed herself up to her feet, glancing back and forth as quickly as she could manage, confident that her attackers were only just waiting to come around either side and finish her off while she had attempted to recover.

===== 22:30 =====

SUB LEVEL 8

"Sir, more prisoners... They just keep coming..."

The darkness was helping them to congregate, that was for sure. Aveedes sighed, looking at the mass of prisoners taking cover several meters away from his men's forward positions. He glanced back to the turbo lift where some of the prisoners were at as well. Aveedes had dedicated his heavier weapons in that direction, expecting a war droid to stick its head out of the lift at any moment. He earnestly hoped that the power going out was simply a defensive measure employed by the invaders and nothing more. Earnestly he hoped it was not anything else. The turbolift without power meant a small reprieve that would allow him and his men to handle what they could down here for the time being. All of these prisoners were not going anywhere fast, and reports were coming in that the troops were still killing plenty of them as the weakened and dazed stumbled into their cross hairs.

Captain Aveedes had pulled back the roving pairs of troops as much as he could, losing too many men by themselves out there, he feared a sudden onslaught of force adepts at any moment. He hoped they had saved enough grenades for when that came, or even that they would know it before the line broke.

[Ryssa Kilvaari]

Ryssa couldn't help but smile slightly as Zero believed himself to not be a soldier. There was a time when she felt the same way. However, back when she was training, it was expected of her to learn to command Republic troops once she'd completed her Jedi Trials. While she had been just days away from completing her trials to become a knight of the Jedi Order, it never came to be. For her, the muscle memory was as fresh as the day she learned them. The only thing she didn't know was just how long she'd been frozen and with that, many questions came to her mind. What kind of galaxy had she awoken into? Was this battle just a one off or were the Republic still at war with the Empire? What role should she play in this once the battle was over? Should she just fade into an unknown life, taking all the memories the Jedi could learn of into the grave once the Force claimed her soul? Or should she rejoin their cause and relive the days of battle once more?

In truth, her questions had to wait for another time as something else caught her attention in the Force. Dark energies. Something...someone that was talented in the Dark Side had been awoken. Lessons of the past had taught her to be on guard and when Zero spoke of possible allies being nearby, Ryssa was more than a little concerned. As a Jedi, it was her duty to protect them...to be the barrier for which the dark could not pass, yet Ryssa also knew that, this was something she could not do. She was too weak, both medically and in the Force. As the firefight raged on around them, Ryssa felt her lungs burning, urging her to cough hard once more. She needed to get out of this situation as quickly as possible, yet she could not morally leave others behind to fight while they escaped.

Once her fit of coughing subsided, Ryssa looked over at Zero. "Str -cough- strength in numbers they may be, but it counts for nothing if they don't start -cough- making their way to the door, they'll have a bigger problem on their hands." Ryssa warned. "There wasn't just Jedi in these tanks...I sense a dark side presence too...and should they decide to attack our allies, I'm in no shape to stop them."

Of course Ryssa would do her best to buy them time if she had to, but inside, Ryssa hoped that whomever the dark presence was would be pragmatic enough to realize it is better to lend their strength in getting out of here then to add to the carnage.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

===== 22:34 until Imperial fleet arrives to destroy the base =====
===== 5:59 until facility power cores explode =====

SUB LEVEL 8

She did not hesitate. She did not falter. He had once had her at his mercy but now, now, he was at hers.

And she had none.

De'Ville batted aside one of his swords and ducked underneath the second as Inquisitor Helgast met her attack with one of his own. Her blade and the sparks it made against his was the only source of light in the immediate surroundings. The comms were active with her vod trying to get the turbolift running again, but she had eyes only for her enemy, and her fury beat him backward. She was not the woman he had known and subjugated. Not anymore. Never again.

SUB LEVEL 7

[cryopod warehouse]

"What planet is this, Mandalorian?"

"Hoth," Ciryc replied to the freed prisoner, their path to the offices clear except for other defrosted and confused people, Teroch and the wardroid Jariler doing a fine job keeping the troopers off their six. Hel reached the office doors just ahead of them as the power flickered and went out. Only the intermittent blaster fire illuminated the entire level, and the Mando'ade were quick to turn on the lights in their gauntlets. The powered doors would not open - and their brothers had sealed them.

"Open the doors!"

[inside the office]
Choruk cursed as the lights went out, but the computer console remained active. The virus Mand'alor had written was still working, pulling the innermost files from the mainframe and copying them to the datastick. There was too much to fit, even though it was only going after the highly classified files. He scanned the console while Obed was forced back off to open the door for their vod, leaving the wounded jetii behind the cryopod.

"Power is out to the turbolift!" came the call over the comms.

"I can reroute it from here," Choruk said. I think. He could see that power was still being generated by the system, it just wasn't going past the buffers. Instead, it was building up around the dual cores and containment would be breached in a matter of hours. He forced the computer to reclassify the turbolifts as mandatory systems - air was still flowing in and out of the compound despite the power dump - and clicked on his comms. "If I cannot override the command, this entire compound will detonate in -"

The jetii stumbled out from behind the cryopod, her red lightsaber flashing in the darkness as Obed opened the outer doors to admit Hel and Ciryc. Choruk was forced to leap away from the console, aiming his blaster at her chest and squeezing off a few bolts as she sank her blade into the console.

===== 22:33/5:58 =====

COMM ARRAY
Kotir still stood at the ruined array, the bodies of the Imperials sent against it scattered in the snow like bloodied toys. Aang collapsed at the basilisk's feet, his breath fogging up his helmet as internal systems failed. From what he could hear on his comms, his vod had only hours to complete their mission and clear out. He looked over to where he could just see the top of Laara's helmet, resting against a snowbank as if she had fallen asleep, and then he dragged himself upright, using handholds on Kotir's powerful legs. "We did our duty," he said to Laara, climbing aboard the wardroid and leaving her body to keep watch on the mountain.

[Ondraeya]

===== 22:30 =====

SUB LEVEL 8

Continuing to follow the dark haired woman with the lightsaber, Ondraeya's steps continued to be compelled by pure adrenaline more than anything as her desire to escape this hell was stronger than ever. Stepping over fallen bodies of troopers in armor as well as some of those that had once been encapsulated in these pods, the Hapan kept pushing one foot in front of the other. Then it hit her as she bent down to one of the trooper's belts and dug out a small canister of water and a protein bar. Trying her best not to inhale both, she nearly choked on the bar, hand to her mouth as she coughed incessantly. Though in the tumult of combat that reigned around her, no one seemed to take notice. Tear filled eyes blinked several times as she continued eating, then washed it down. It wasn't much, but it would at least keep her a bit longer, she mused. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly and soon rose again, now taking in the fight between her apparent savior and another in red armor. Both seemed adept with their weapons as well as in her way to another turbolift which appeared damaged in some way. Moving along, past another pair of cryopods, avoiding blaster bolts and other prisoners running for their lives or fighting Imperials, she started to recognize the symbology on the red armored man's shoulder pieces.

The obvious Imperial symbol gave Ondraeya a moment of pause as she then raised her rifle, aiming at the target center mass and waited for the moment when he was focusing both weapons against his foe. Rage for all that the Empire had taken away, then locked her in this hold, she unloaded a full eclip on the target. Feeling the adrenaline pumping through her body, the Hapan wanted to rip this man's throat out with her teeth, rage in her eyes.

[Tag: Y'roth, Lilaena]

[Tank]

For lack of a better option, Tank followed behind Ciryc, keeping a tight cheek weld on his rifle as he panned every cover position he advanced past.

"You're not with Gar Saxon. Who are you? Clan Rau?"

Blaster fire zipped past as they reached the offices. Tank skidded behind a door frame to use as cover as he stitched a cluster of fire in the direction of the last bolts.

[Llamendo dal Iesin]

SUBLEVEL 8

"Get to safety!" cried a voice, and Llamendo staggered backwards as blaster fire screamed past him. He stumbled, hands fumbling for anything safe and sturdy. Finding purchase, he swayed to his feet, eyes darting up and down the length of the chamber. All that he had to grasp on to was the woman who had called out to him. In the split-second flashes of light provided by blaster fire, she was all he had. Pushing aside the confusion and fear, Llamendo darted towards Lilaena.

"Please," he pleaded as he swayed into a bulkhead not far from Lilaena, his vision still a murky fog. "What's happening?!"