From outside of the office window, there is a load roar of engines. Zalen is blocked from view as a small armoured shuttle drops into view. Shards of glass are flung everywhere as the ship slowly rotates, revealing an open side door. Mounted in the doorway was an heavy repeating blaster with a republic soldier crouched behind it. Stood near the back wall of the ship was a hooded figure, though they made no move upon their arrival.

As Kai struggles to handle the lightsaber, Admiral Karath steps forwards and holds out a hand. "Droid, enact your secondary sub-routines, now". As soon as he finishes speaking, Kai feels his servos grind to a halt. He was frozen on the spot, defenceless in front of the admiral. Karath lets out a healthy sigh as he watches the droid closely. "Good, they were correct. Now, I am to take my leave, make sure none of my friends follow me. Kill them if you have to".

Reaching for the droids arm, Karath turns on Kai's commlink, broadcasting to Oola. "Oola Seena, can you hear me? It is Admiral Karath speaking. You are to make sure your jedi friends do not leave this building. Do you understand?"

With that, Karath turns and begins to walk towards the ship. With a small hop, he is able to perch on the window ledge before stepping across onto the metal floor of the ship. Turning back to face the office, Karath straightens up as if to attention, a smug smile on his face.

As this happens, Carth rushes at the senate guard that Zoroku had attacked. He swings for the guard with his fist and smashes into the side of the guards helmet. There is a dull clank as the guard staggers back, unharmed but surprised. Carth presses the attack while turning to shout at Zoroku. "You have to stop Karath! If he gets away it's all for nothing!"

Carth Combat Check : 3eA+2eD 1 success, 1 threat

Does 4 base damage to senate guard, threat spent to suffer 1 strain.

Ship moves to engaged range of the window

Karath boards the shuttle.

Through Karath's comm he hears multiple expletives. Then the droid under his command floats away, probably fully aware of the wrath that was bubbling just behind the door frame moving him.

Then in barges Oola. With a commanding presence far greater than her stature would imply.

Karath Flies off the shuttle and slams into his desk then it begins. A verbal assault so vile it would turn a Sith Lords stomach.

"THE **** YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO YOU BANTHA **** *****?! THINK YOU CAN ORDER ME THE **** AROUND?!!!! I'LL RIP YOUR ******* **** OFF AND SHOVE IT UP A DEWBACKS ***!!!! YOU ****** ******* WITH ******* GO **** YOUR ******* ******** BLOODY ********* AND A SPOON!!!!!"

Eager to help take Karath into custody, Armatta moved to engage him with her training lightsabre. He proved to be a harder target than anticipated, but at least her attack seemed to distract him slightly.

Definitely only a qualified success , she thought to herself, nonetheless feeling buoyed by this minimal advantage.

With a cry of shock and pain, Karath is yanked away from his freedom and slammed into his desk with a loud bang. The desk rocks a little with the force of the impact as the admiral slumps down onto one knee. Looking up with genuine fear in his eyes for the first time, Karath dives behind the desk to narrowly avoid the slash of Armatta's lightsaber. With one hand covering his head, Karath shouts at Kai-wan, "Droid! Get me to the shuttle, now!"

Seeing their leader in severe danger, the two remaining senate guards turn their backs on Zoroku and Carth and sprint back into the office. The first lowers their shoulder to body check Armatta before swatting at their with both ends of their pike in a terrific flurry.

Unfortunately for the guard had not seen Jemech chase him down as they ran into the office. As they raise the pike to strike for Armatta's chest, there is the hiss of a lightsaber as Jemech slices down the guards back with their blade. The guard flops forward, smashing into the desk before rolling onto the floor, lifeless.

While this is going one, the solitary soldier sprints past Oola as they are distracted and literally dives into the turbo-lift. The door hisses shut, and they are lost from view. It looks like they survived the fight but would most likely be arrested by the jedi below.

In the office, leaping past Jemech, the second guard swings their pike in a great arc and strikes for Armatta's lightsaber hilt. With a resounding crack the force of the impact the lightsaber is torn free of their grip and lands a little way away near the shattered glass of the window. "Let's see you fight without the weapon" the guard growls as they face down the jedi.

As Zoroku is hearing the crackle of his commlink activate, followed by Zlen's voice. "Well blue guy, it's been fun. I think my time in this fiht is done though, I'm not going to be sitting back in a jedi cell, and I'm not going to be one of your hired thugs. Maybe we'll meet ont he battlefield one day. Until then", this sentence is left open as Zoroku gets a quick sight of Zalen rocketing away from behind the escape shuttle. Another loss from the jedi today it would seem.

Senate Guard 3 Combat Check : 3eP+2eD+2eS 1 success, 1 advantage

Flips destiny point, does 7 base damage to Armatta, advantage spent to recover 1 strain.

Jemech Combat Check : 1eP+3eA+2eD 2 successes, 1 threat
Does 7 base damage with breach to senate guard 3

Carth's Squad moves to the tubo-lift and disappears.

Senate Guard Reapropriate Talent Check : 3eP+1eD 2 successes, 1 advantage
Flips destiny point, activated to disarm Armatta

Zalen uses jetpack to leave combat.

The security droid’s photoreceptors dim, then brighten again, as his new primary directives are processed. “Yes, Admiral.”

I’m flying! I knew I had it in me!!

”Mistress, I’m...” When he spies Oola Seena, the reality of the situation becomes clear; but there is no time to dwell on his disappointment.

”I do not know why your subroutine has not kicked in properly, but I appreciate neither the yeeting, nor the language.”

K-1SO deactivates the useless jedi weapon, and flings the hilt back at its owner, before leaping acrobatically across the room to deftly retrieve his own staff from the floor. Picking it up, he prepares to defend the Admiral’s escape from those he thought were his friends.

Throwing ls hilt (improvised) @ Oola : 2eA+1eD+2eS 1 success, 2 threat

Zoroku nods to Carth as the Soldier turns to deal with the guard. Rushing to Karath who had been brought back into the building by Oola he swings his blade in a controlled fashion as to injure not kill the Admiral, missing as Karath cowardly flees into his desk. His Lightsaber hilt smashes into the desk with some force cracking it.

Karath cries out in shock as the jedi try to bring him down with their attacks, but by a miracle he is able to remain unscathed, for the time being. Scrambling to his feet he turns to face the jedi, but is taken by surprise a a blaster bolt punches through his shoulder and sends his pistol spiralling out of his grasp. Gripping the injury with his other arm, he looks up with a snarl to see Carth by the door, his pistol aimed at the admiral. "So be it" he grunts as he starts to back away again towards the ship. "Droid, padawan, kill them all!" he bellows before turning to run towards the ship.

Leaping aboard the ship, the craft slowly begins to wheel away from the shattered window. With no real way to leap after the craft, Carth and the jedi are forced to watch as their quarry begins to escape from this place. The battle is not done yet though, Kai still seems to be under the orders or Karath, and has not et regained control of his components.

Carth Combat Check : 4eP+1eA+2eC 1 success, 3 advantage

Does 8 base damage to Karth, advantage spent to knock weapon out of his hand.

Discipline Check : 1eP+3eA+2eC+1eD 2 failures, 3 advantage
, Oola is able to resist control, Karath moves to the shuttle

Shuttle leaves the battle scene[./spoiler]

After a brief, irritated glance at where the borrowed training 'sabre fell, Armatta quickly drew her own lightsabre, and attacked the remaining conscious Senate Guard in a non-lethal fashion. She landed a hit, bringing him close to but not completely over the edge of unconsciousness. Maybe it was due to the agression in the room, but the Force was fickle for that moment, choosing not to refresh her energy reserves as she'd hoped.

As a terrific stream of energy is unleashed by Oola, the power strikes one of the rear engines with terrific force. The engine explodes with huge roar and the ship dips violently to one side. For a moment it looks as if the ship will plummet to the ground but the pilots is able to wrestle back control, just. Trailing smoke and flame the craft rumbles over over the buildings of this level and disappears into the lower levels of the planet. There was no way they could leave the planet in that ship now.

In the mean time with a casual flick of their wrist, Jemech cuts through the neck and shoulder of the final senate guard. Looking out of the window they smile to the others. "The hunt is on!" he declares before turning and running in the direction of the turbo-lift.

Shuttle Recovery Check : 2eP+2eA+4eD+1eS 2 successes, 2 threat

Pilot prevents shuttle from crashing, threat spent to prevent them travelling far.

Jemech Combat Check : 1eP+3eA+2eD 2 successes, 1 advantage
Does 7 base damage to senate guard, advantage spent to recover 1 strain, moves to short range of the elevator

Kai-wan continues to flail, windmilling with his long limbs as Oola drifts him back out into the hallway. Desperate for a weapon to carry out his new directive, he latches onto a coat rack on his way out of the office.

It is some moments before the security droid regains his feet, but when he does, he immediately launches into an attack. Twirling the unwieldy office accessory, he lunges at the unfortunate Jedi blocking his way. “K’Taii!!” Armatta Tano’bi easily parries the awkward attack, and the droid throws the improvised staff in frustration, determined to retrieve his own weapon at his earliest opportunity.

As the loyal droid is felled by Zoroku, the air of the office is filled with a tense silence. Jemech had already reached the turbo-lift to go after the downed shuttle, and Carth slowly makes his way into the office with a sigh. The man looked shell-shocked s he stared down at Kai, his hand shaking a little. "I, I can't believe that Karath was a traitor. It just doesn't seem right, he gave everything to the republic".

Shortly after this the turbo-lift hisses open, and a team of jedi come marching out lead by Vrook and Vash. Their lightsabers are drawn as they make their way down the corridor and spread out to fill the office.

"It looks like Jemech was right" Vash says as she leans towards the window, disappointment clear in her voice.

"Yes, and not just about Karath" Vrook growls as he eyes Kai. "Even the jedi are susceptible to infiltration". Looking back to Master Vash, Vrook continues. "We should see what we can get from its memory core before it is destroyed".

"Agreed" Vash says in a sombre tone. The head of the high council nods to a pair of jedi who step forwards and begin to drag the droid back down the corridor.

With that Vrook rounds on Oola with a fierce scowl. "As for you, you were not supposed to even be here! You left the temple against our wishes, to get drunk? Then you defied us a second time by insisting on fighting and putting yourself and others at risk!" Stepping forward he lowers his tone, conveying the severity of what he was saying. "And do not think that I do not recognise the damage out there that was caused by you. You gave into the dark side, you killed a number soldiers who could well have been innocent in this! You are to return to the temple, under guard and you will remain that way until the council decides your fate". Pausing, he reaches out a hand before speaking again. "I will also be taking your lightsaber, you are not to be trusted, padawan".

Two knights move to flank Oola, ready to escort her out of the building if she resisted.

Watching her go, Vrook lets out a heavy sigh and shakes his head. "Such a waste". He turns to face remaining jedi and Carth. "The rest of you, you have done good work. You almost caught Karath, and now he is unable to get off world. Corouscant officers are on the way to the site now, it is only a matter of time till we catch him. In the mean time, we will have to explain all of this to the senate before we can go any further. You are to return to the temple, and remain there. We will need to talk to you about what happened here, but in the mean time, get some rest, you have earnt it".

It did not take long to return to the temple in the shuttles that they had arrive in. Outside of the admiralty building was a mess, with soldiers and corrupt officers unconscious or being arrested by some of the jedi. A dark cloud hunger over the affairs though, there were a number that had fallen dead during the battle. Not only those that had fought the jedi, but some jedi themselves. It had been years since jedi had dies in out and out combat such as this, and would only strain relationships for them and the republic further. The journey back to the temple is almost silent.

When they arrive the temple itself is a buzz with questions and rumours from the younger padawans and knights who had remained. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, but the returning jedi for the most part remained tight lipped. The injured were rushed through to the halls of healing, while others wen to get food to retire to their rooms.

Oola quickly found her escort replaced by a pair of senate guards who silently followed a few steps behind her. She still had the freedom of the temple, but the guards would not let her leave, or let her see what had happened to Kai-wan.

Kai-wan's receptors would slowly begin to function again, though he would find the images pixelated. He was unable to move anything beyond his head, and could hear voices just out of view.

"I thought you said there was nothing wrong with this droid when it came back?"

"I did, I did! There was no sign of hidden subroutines or anything like that!"

"Well guess what there was?"

"I'm sorry ok? I didn't realise I was dealing with a pro-level slicer. They must have been built into his basic programming, they'd only look like errors until activated".

"It doesn't matter now, the council want a full autopsy carried out as soon as possible. Get everything you can from it".

"And after?"

"Scrap it, it's too much of a risk to keep it running. Unless the council change their mind this thing will be slagged by tomorrow".

Before Zoroku would return to his room to rest he had several things to take care of, from the communication he had made with the Ascendancy he would need to get in the ranks of the Republic Navy to show that he was making progress with their plans, but that didn't mean he had to fully cooperate. 'I can get into the Grand Navy of the Republic and then bolster them against the upcoming Sith threat, all while posing like I am aiding the Kroci Family and their take over of the Ascendancy. I wonder which of the eight other families joined them in aligning with the Sith.' He thought as he walked but it wasn't toward the any Government building but to the Jedi Temple in the direction of a workstation, his Lightsaber had suffered damage and the first thing he would like to do is fix it.

Armatta returned to the Temple with the others. She declined a visit to the Healers, as she had already taken care of her own wounds on the way back. A good night's rest would fix any remaining problems.

Resigned to having to write after action reports, she spent the middle morning on that. She left her contact information with the Council secretary (in case she wasn't registered properly yet as a Temple resident) so that she'd be available for any requested de-briefing, and went for an early lunch in the Temple's main commissary. The dining hall was an odd mixture of an officially subdued atmosphere - Jedi had actually been killed that morning - overlying the quick flight of rumours around the hall.

Armatta sighed as she looked at the food options. I know that as an unaccompanied Senior Padawan that I only rate single quarters with just enought space for a bed, desk, closet, and a tiny 'fresher - but I really miss having access to a proper kitchen and being able to make my own food. An electric kettle on the desk is NOT sufficient. She quickly scanned the occupied tables but didn't see anyone that she recognised.

Resigned to eating alone again, she sat down with her tray of food choices. It's been thirteen years since I last was here. Stands to reason that most of my old friends have moved on to other Temples, field missions with their masters, and the like, and that I don't recognise the rest from my original age cohort. Them's the breaks when one is Chosen at age nine, then dragged out to the Outer Rim because one's master is a Jedi Watchman. SO many correspondance courses!

With lunch out of the way, she was finally at a loose end. Armatta looked up the locations of the Temple workshops on the Temple intranet and paid them a visit. She nodded to Zoroku as they entered together, then stopped to gain an overview of the place. I really hope that the crystal and lightsabre workshops are better sound-insulated than most of this place. I'd hate to be working on something so crucial and delicate just when the metal saws start making a racket!

Signing in for a workshop bench, she set to work on her first projects. There were some frustrated moments, but four hours later she looked at her new tool kit and slicer gear with great satisfaction. The compactness of the slicer gear will be useful if I ever have to sneak it past guards and the like.

She took a long drink of water, already planning the next day's projects in the workshops. And I need to do some sparring in the salles, or at least some katas. Maybe there are some 'sabre classes with open slots.

The day passes slowly for the padawans after the chaos of their mission. Oola had been secreted away, and Jemech had not been seen since the admiralty. The battered form of Kai had been taken into the bowels of the temple. Slowly the temple began to quieten as the excitement of the morning passed, but there was still a charged energy in the air. Something unknown or unsaid within the temple walls. The members of the high council had not been seen all day, locked in their chambers in the high tower of the temple.

As Zoroku and Bellona enter the workshop, they are met by a marked different sight compared to the rest of the temple. The walls were a darker grey and lacked the ornate pillars that dominated the majority of the temple. In their stead, solid plasteel struts maintain the wall and ceiling integrities. The workshop was a large affair, but was broken into a series of small sections, each dedicated to a different specialisation. The air was thick with the smell of grease and metal as jedi and temple assistants work on droids, gadgets and even the occasional lightsaber. The wall were lines with tools, and parts and scrap were stacked in every open space.

" Drat" Zoroku had been working on his Lightsaber for a few hours when he finally decided to give up on the repair he was attempting, his strong suit was never mechanical repairs and such, looking at the damaged handle defeated he decided that he should hurry to the Naval Command before it got much later . ' Best not linger on what I cannot solve now, I have to catch one of the admirals before they retire for the evening.' Zoroku would start to head clipping his saber to his belt and heading off, before he made it out of the workshop he would pass near Armatta.

Armatta looked up from her water in time to see Zoroku pass by.

"Hey, Zoroku, how'd your hilt repair go?" she asked him.

He turns to see Armatta before he exits the workshop, " Not Well, I have never been one for mechanical work." He addressed her and showed her the damaged Lightsaber, " For the moment I do not have the time to go back and try again, I have business to attend to with the Admiralty." He clipped it back on his belt.

"I have some time before the dinner hour. Let me see what can be done - I've got all the tools right here," Armatta suggested.

He nods his head, " I would greatly appreciate that." Zoroku says giving her the lightsaber, " My business should finish before the Dinner hour, I may join you after I am done. I must be off the Admirals won't stay in their offices for much longer." He waved a goodbye and headed off exiting the workshop.

Silun Tell restlessly wanders the halls of the temple. He has been eager to depart once again for days now, but his master's strict orders have kept the short Sullustan confined to the temple grounds until there is a valid reason for him to leave. Silun has spent countless hours studying, meditating, and practicing, and now all his pent up energy has him roaming the halls of the vast building in circles.

"I'll charge the material costs to your workshop account!" Armatta called after him as he left.

She sat down with the hilt and tried to remember what exactly had happened to it during the Admiralty raid that morning. The hilt hit that desk edge rather hard, then the blade itself fritzed a bit before coming back in a weaker form. Probably the power cell then, or something connected to it.

Armatta opened up the hilt and carefully checked the power cell and the surrounding fittings. Yep, one of the power cell brackets broke so that the cell is just that tiny bit out of position. It won't be a tricky fix. Thank the Force that it's not the crystal itself.

Less than an hour later the 'sabre hilt was closed up and - upon a brief test - entirely functional again. Armatta tossed the broken parts into the correct recycling box, tidied up the workspace, and arranged that the cost of the replacement parts be charged to the correct workshop account. She also poked through the recycling containers, looking for a few suitable discarded bits and pieces for another project.

On her way out to dinner Armatta stopped to book a pre-breakfast slot the next morning for a lightsabre workbench. "I want as much peace and quiet as possible for my project," she explained to the coordinator. "Particularly as I'm not even sure with which project I'll start."

The Mon Calamari shrugged. "Up to you if you want to get up at oh-dark-hundred. Just keep away from any heavy machinery if you're fatigued. We don't want to clean up after accidents."

"I certainly don't want that either!" Armatta said with a smile and left.

She dropped off the scavenged pieces at her quarters, then proceeded to the commissary. I must remember to return the training 'sabre to the Temple Quartermaster's office after breakfast tomorrow.

Zoroku makes his way back to the Naval offices on coruscant specifically looking for Admiral Ovitom a man whom he had spoken to earlier in the investigation. Hopefully the man was still in his office, when he approached the door, Zoroku knocked.

Silun Tell restlessly wanders the halls of the temple. He has been eager to depart once again for days now, but his master's strict orders have kept the short Sullustan confined to the temple grounds until there is a valid reason for him to leave. Silun has spent countless hours studying, meditating, and practicing, and now all his pent up energy has him roaming the halls of the vast building in circles.

It is a strange journey for Zoroku as he makes his way back to the admiralty building alone. It was not too long ago that he was on the same route with very different purpose. When he arrives at the building he sees that it is still swamped by republic personnel. Courscant law enforcement, investigators, government representatives and actual military forces were everywhere the jedi looked. No other jedi were here from what he could see.

As he approaches, a sergeant approaches to stop Zoroku but instead pauses as he listens to his com. Nodding to someone unseen the sergeant steps back and lets the jedi through the doorway. The building interior is filled with investigators, literally removing consoles and carrying the entire thing out to trucks just outside. Zoroku can feel many eyes watching him as he makes his way unmolested up to the turbo-lift.

Upon reaching the right floor, he again finds himself alone. At the far end of the corridor, carbon scarring marks the floor and walls from the earlier battle. However the dead and unconscious were gone, and the door to the office had been sealed with a magnetic lock.

Before that door, Zoroku reaches the door of Admiral Ovitom, and just as he is about to knock, the door hisses open. Zoroku is almost bowled over as a pair of law enforcement officers march out of the room. The pair barely look at the jedi before shoving past him with a slight grunt.

Going into the room, Zoroku sees the devaronian admiral sat behind his desk. The room was as cluttered as before, and now had a large bottle of something purple sat on the desk. The admiral knocks back the same liquid from a glass in his hand before sighing heavily. He looks at Zoroku and lets out an audible groan. "You again? Haven't you caused enough damage today Zoro?"

Meanwhile in the commissary only has a few jedi here and there stocking up on food. It is easy enough for Armatta to find a table by themselves. As they begin to dig into their meal they hear the clatter of a tray in front of them. Looking up they see a rodian smiling at them, a fellow padawan. This was Shu, they had joined the order maybe a year after Armatta. Glancing around conspiratorially, Shu leans in to talk in a low voice. "Ok, talk to me. I've been looking for you for a while now. Were you part of the mission today? Everyone has a different story about what's been going on".

Elswhere in the temple as Silun seeks a way to distract himself, he almost is completely nocked over by a tall figure coming around the corner of the corridor. He would feel a pair of hands catch him by the shoulders to steady him. "Whoa there little jedi, you seem to be in a great hurry to be nowhere" a deep and calming voice states. Looking up, Silun would see a balding jedi with long brown hair and a heavy set moustache. There was an elegant earring hanging from one ear as well. " What seems to ails you, padawan?"

Silun shakes his head in irritation, then remembers his place and gives a quick bow in respect. He can't seem to place who the Jedi is or if he has ever seen him before, and hopes his ignorance will not get him in trouble. "I'm sorry, Master, my mistake. I should not have been moving so fast. I am... restless. I have no work to occupy me, and even if I did, I have been restricted to the temple grounds for so long. I wish to be off on a new journey, but my Master has..." His words falter at this point, betraying the fact that he considers using stronger terms for his Master's commands. "He has suggested otherwise for the time being, and I don't know for how long."