We rushed through the various corridors and hallways that wove inside the maze that was the Jedi Temple. Guards had passed us by with little to no concept of our presence while clone troopers rushed behind them. Jedi Knights and Padawans searched every room and cove for us. None of them knew we were walking right by them.
The first stop on our escape were the turbolifts. I was hoping that with the search that we could use them to elude 90% of the foot traffic between us and the Temple gates. Unfortunately each turbolift had two guards on them, the white robed Jedi Guardians standing gestalt in their calmness.
Barriss looked nervous as we saw the guards, her eyes flicking between me and them for a few moments until she stamped down on her anxiety. Looking around I decided to just take the easy way out; once I registered no one else was present.
With a small pull on certain atoms in their bodies all of the guards were put to sleep. It was amazing what you could do to someone if you could control the chemistry inside their bodies...
Anyway, we quickly entered the lifts and took them down as far as we could. Using the small period of time we had in isolation, I took another scan of the Jedi Temple. The Jedi were going floor by floor, searching for me now and I could sense Obi Wan fighting Anakin up above. A miniscule flash of regret shot through my mind but I pushed it aside. I wasn't the one who attacked first... And whilst I had a part to play in what happened, it was also their fault as well.
"Master... H-how are we going to escape?" I looked towards my new apprentice as she stuttered and smirked.
"We're going to stick to the shadows as much as possible. Invisibility and silence can get us further than most can comprehend... Once it fails though, we will have to run as fast as we can."
"Can't you just, kill them?" I quirked an eyebrow in her direction before chuckling.
"I could, but there is no need to kill them. They are just misunderstanding what is happening."
She bit her lip and looked away for a moment before regarding me once again.
"What... Is happening?"
"Me and my companions are from different universes to this one." Her entire expression exploded into surprise.
"U-universes!?"
I nodded.
"Yes. You see, we all are a part of a group that can chat with one another from different universes or different versions of our own universe. We can use the interface that allows us this ability to teleport to one another..." With a widening of her eyes and a small smack of a fist into an open palm she had an epiphany.
"That's why Obi Wan was concerned over your friends disappearing..."
"Yep~!"
The turbolift ground to a halt as we reached the main atrium level. From here on out we would be hard pressed not to be discovered, especially considering the fact that Yoda was sat before the front gates alongside Aayla Secura.
"I can feel Grand Master Yoda..." Barriss softly whispered, her face set in a rictus of concern and queasiness.
"Yes. He has a companion in Aayla Secura as well." I looked towards her, "If it comes to a fight I want you to sprint past them and find a speeder. Ensure that you are safe. I can defend myself if I need to, you on the other hand are too divided between Light and Dark."
She grimaced but gave a light tilt of her head in agreement.
With a minute flex of the force I opened the turbolift doors and activated our invisibility once more, our forms, scents and sounds muting to a level that it was barely perceivable. We barely managed to slip out as one of the Temple guards entered the lift with two other Jedi.
We both waited for the turbolift to drift upwards before briskly jogging through the hallway that lead to the atrium proper. Reaching the entry door we both halted and watched as a detachment of clones jogged past in formation, Shaak Ti at their backs.
Time dripped slowly by as we awaited a gap in the movements of the Jedi until the activity slowed to such a point that we could slip past the doorway and towards a large marble pillar parallel to our position.
Night time was starting to slowly creep into the Temple proper, the sconces along the walls and lightsabers of various Jedi painting the marble floors and walls in techno-coloured hues that resembled a disco ball's reflection of light. The distinct sound of marching boots and patrolling Jedi added an uneasy level of creepiness to the entire scenario that I didn't appreciate at all.
We moved to the next pillar and then the next, scoping out our movements to ensure we weren't easily under scrutiny. Invisibility made stealth a breeze, figuratively speaking, but could be detected by more powerful Jedi or Sith. That was the reason why I was hesitant to face Yoda... The little green dude was nothing if not powerful.
Our progress blurred despite my eidetic memory, each pillar and connecting hall seeming much the same as the previous... The only indication that we were making any headway in our escape was the lessening numbers of clones and Jedi. Needless to say, the Jedi Temple was massive and at this current moment a huge pain in both of our asses. It was difficult to maintain invisibility this long whilst also concentrating on sticking to the shadows...
Unfortunately, or fortunately; depending on your point of view, I didn't need to maintain our cloaked status for much longer as we reached the narrowing entryway of the Jedi Temple. It was a beautiful gateway that glimmered with an eon or more of history. Statues and terracotta artworks stretched the full length of the massive corridor and came to an end just before the large white-marble gates that were currently opened wide.
Sconces illuminated the central segment of the corridor in a comforting orange glow, as if to mock the eeriness of the newfound silence. At the end of this enlightened area sat Yoda upon his floaty chair of destiny. His eyes were closed and his figure slightly hunched in on itself. Out on the steps just beyond the Jedi Grandmaster was Jedi Knight Aayla Secura, who was currently pacing back and forth upon the top steps of the Temple courtyard.
"Hrmmm-hrahahaha, foolish of you it is to hide! Sense you I could, before the room you did enter, yes...?" Yoda's nasally backwards words echoed through the room and drew the attention of Secura who immediately spun and sprinted towards Yoda.
Barriss gave me a look of mild horror and unease that practically solidified itself in my memory immediately. Slumping my shoulders a touch I decided to bite the bullet and just take the loss like a man.
In an instant the invisibility dropped from around me and I amplified my force presence until t was filling the entire corridor, the miniscule presence of Barriss being obfuscated by my blaringly obvious projection.
With a mild wave of my hand in my apprentice's direction I stepped out from around the pillar and faced the Grandmaster and the knight down, my hands clasped behind my back once more.
"Grandmaster Yoda... Knight Secura... How wonderful to meet you again. If I may inquire, why have you decided to treat us as if we were prisoners of some form?" I spiked my force presence once more as I felt Yoda searching through the force for my companion. Obi Wan had most likely reported the fact that Barriss was accompanying me.
"Prisoners, treat you like we did not... Deception used against us it has been. Movements made without explanation there has been... Disappear suddenly your companions have, yes?" Externally I nodded whilst internally I was sweating bullets as Barriss slowly creeped around the Jedi, attempting to edge through the enormous gateway without being noticed.
"Yes, my companions and I are especially, 'touchy', when it comes to our movements. We love to come and go, much like the force itself... Canis especially has issues with feeling caged in after his experience in a prison, unjustly I might add, in the past." Yoda rubbed a few of his stubby fingers over his wrinkled chin before nodding softly.
"Makes sense your reasons do. Violence not needed it was, however." I frowned towards him as he finished speaking.
"I didn't attack anyone... Anakin Skywalker chose to attack me first whilst I attempted to explain to Obi Wan. If you are angered at the violence that has occurred then I must point you in the direction of your own Jedi, Grandmaster..."
The Jedi immediately began staring into my eyes, his own expanding as he no doubt realised the truth in my words. This mattered little for me however as Barriss had just escaped and was rushing down the stairs towards the taxi stand at the edge of the temple district. She would get a speeder or something and soon I could be off doing way more important things, like setting up my Stargate network.
"True your words are! Mistakes made there have been!" I felt the tension in my muscles relax at his words.
Then like a house of cards the calming atmosphere immediately ignited once more as several dozen Jedi stepped out from nearby hallways and doorways. Blue, purple, yellow, green and orange lightsabers stretched around me in a circular pattern. Clones upon higher levels hoisted their blasters over the edge of the upper pathways, pointed down towards me.
"Surrender now SITH!" Windu yelled out loudly, Yoda having frowned at the unfortuitous timing of his fellow council member.
Instantly I drew my lightsaber and spread my mind throughout the corridor, my force powers amplifying to even higher levels as I boosted them with my magical core and the mana from my Log Horizon stat screen.
As soon as I drew my blade the clones up above switched their safeties off, the hisses and whines from the blasters reverberating throughout the entirety of the atrium. Licking my lips I slowly turned, paying attention to every single enemy that was within range of me.
"STO-" Yoda attempted to cease hostilities but was beaten when a massive crashing noise blew through the door of the temple.
Everyone, including myself, turned to witness a dropship smashing through one of the large Jedi monuments and roaring towards the gateway of the Jedi Temple. Where I expected the speed of the craft to shrink it instead grew and the screeching of strained engines billowed before the spacecraft.
"GET TO COVER!" Windu screamed out, the Jedi following his orders in moments.
I was in no such position to dodge the ship so I did the only thing that came to mind at that moment... Abusing the force until I looked like a badass...
Extending a hand I focused all of my billowing power onto the transport ship, my mind filling with the molecular details of explosives and chemicals. The momentum of the ship stifled immediately, the speed draining away as if the entirety of the ship was being exposed to friction all at once. Concentrating on the engines I crushed them with the force and spread my efforts to the the gravity mechanisms, making the ship immediately nose-dive towards the base of the temple district. Finally I tore apart the droid that was piloting the vessel, ensuring no button could be pressed to initiate a detonation of the explosives present on the transport.
With a deep intake of breath I released my hold on the force and felt a semi-distant explosion which quietly faded to a merciful silence. The Jedi were recovering from their dives and attempts at getting to cover whilst the clones had all dropped to their stomachs, preparing for the coming impact.
It was in this lull that I channelled the force once more and sped out of the temple and down the stairs, my legs and arms blurring with the speed I was enforcing upon myself. In the distance there was a stack of smoke rising from the senate building. Another explosion rocked the far-side of the Jedi temple as another ship flew in from the opposite side and landed calmly inside.
Ignoring the pandemonium being unleashed behind me I flung myself into a taxi speeder. Barriss was sitting in the drivers seat and quickly kicked us off, her verdant features glowing in expectation and hope as we soared through Coruscant's skies towards the nearest spacedock.
'It seems everything is going according to plan!' I chuckled inside my own head as I watched several gunships fly towards the senate and Jedi Temple.
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