Log:First Order: Foundation

First Order: Foundation

OOC Date: August 22, 2019
Location: Alpha Prime
Participants: First Order: Hadrix Rol, Karys, and Saanvi; Knights of Ren: Kylo Ren, Erisi Auslese, Oran Arcantael, and Ravelyn

Alpha Prime lies in the deepest edges of unknown space, far out beyond the widely-recognized worlds of the galaxy, and as the shuttle bursts out of hyperspace, the planet below looms large, almost entirely covered in dark oceans. Winging lower, a few islands of sharp gray rock jut out of the waves towards them, and as the distance slowly draws to a close, the shapes of a city can be made out amongst the rock, portions of it ancient, and a smaller segment that bears marks of recent renovations.

Circling over the central island in a modest cluster of them, the shuttle lowers to the ground on a duracrete landing pad, and Kylo is the first to exit from the landing ramp in a cloud of ventilation gasses that spew from the ship's belly. Up ahead rises a bleak, forbidding structure carved from the living rock, a low sprawling hall beset on each corner by irregular, jagged minarets. He waits for the others to disembark, and when they have, the announcement is made: "This is Alpha Prime, the birthplace of the Knights of Ren. You've been here before," the man in black remarks to Oran, Erisi, and Ravelyn, who've likely already made this connection. He's wrapped in his worn robes, no helmet today though. The summons was urgent and the assembly time short.

Hadrix is quick to take up spearhead position when the ramp drops. Kylo's words to the knights being, more or less ignored. It's not for him. <<"Vanguard, flank postures, organize and priority Knight assets. Eighty Five, in the middle on escort center. Arcantael, I have your... Right hand side.">> quietly reminding himself to try and send that position chart. Again. Madness. His right arm goes up, plasma launcher extending and the pilot igniting, the armor-mask of his helm turning as he surveys the area.

Did she though? Maybe. Erisi gives a curt nod to Kylo once off the ship and he indicates they've been here before, memories hazy for now though no doubt she'll find her memory improves as they continue onwards to wherever it is they're going. Gloves are tugged off her hands and settled into her pockets within the robe, woman waiting then to find out why they are here again, or where they're going. Hands cross against her abdomen as she waits, hazel eyes sweeping the area around them, listening to those waves crashing.

Karys descends the ramp of the shuttle and moves to the right, fanning out to provide escort for the supreme leader and his contingent of knights. KS-0218 has both her pistols out and pointed down at ready, favoring the smaller blasters to that of the rifles. She tilts her head, her visor catching the light as the trooper speaks up over internal coms. <"On your lead, nine-oh."> She keeps a measured step so that her position amidst the others never changes.

Her armor gleams but shows a fair amount of carbon scoring and recent replacement in order to keep it serviceable and her in action. She takes her position in accordance to Hadrix' orders, taking up the side opposite him in positioning to be certain they have their charges covered. Meat shields is an effective term.

Armor on, helmet firmly in place, weapons sitting at the hip, cape fluttering gently as the ramp lowers and people step off the ship, Ravelyn is ready to move with the rest of them. "I recall," is voiced to Kylo. "What brings us here again?" The helmet turns to slowly survey their surroundings searching for any signs of a trap, even here. That group is always turning up, and it wouldn't be shocking to find them here waiting.

"My three? Five?" Oran guesses at Hadrix, as they disembark the ship. As usual, he's dressed in black robes and a supercilious attitude that stops just shy of Kylo's smacking range. Business as usual for the short Knight. He seems wary, however, and perhaps more on edge than usual. "This is the kind of place where you ought to expect the unexpected, as unhelpful as that is," he warns the Vanguard. "And among that 'unexpected,' certainly, red vibroweapons at the worst possible time."

Saanvi grins up the rear as usual, one hand lifted while gloved fingers absently work over her makeshift medical supply dispensory vest, the other checking her more combat oriented inventory "Is the color a matter of preference or how they are made?" is idly wondered in a distracted tone as if she doesn't truely expect an answer.

The temple that lies before them is harsh and forbidding, a fever-dream nightmare interpretation of similar Jedi and Sith structures, standing stern despite the ages of harsh salt wind that have run over its surface, sharp edges resisting the wear of time. As Kylo leads them inside, the stone sky of the ceiling far overhead stretches over them, replacing the cloudy grey almost seamlessly. "I've been meditating lately. Pushing my mind out into the galaxy, reaching for something. Anything. For a long time there was nothing."

A trough filled with torches rests along the interior wall, and the man with the scarred face takes one, wrapping a gloved hand around it and concentrating until the fabric bursts aflame, the tongues of fire licking at the leather as he pulls his fingers back. The walls are bare of hangings, decorated instead with carvings and paint, some of the figures rudimentary while others are almost astonishing in their sophistication. In the center of the chamber stands a massive statue, a clawed hand held powerfully forward, a scarred, bald head dimly lit by the flames below. Even carved from stone, Snoke sneers from beyond the grave, the shade and shaping of the sculpture distinctly mismatched with the rest of the interior. "Then it came to me in a vision. Clouded, but something told me to go back to the beginning. This is where we began."

A moment is spent staring up at Snoke before glancing over to Oran and Ravelyn. "They're right. They found us here before, but we're not chasing her this time." His eyes shift further back into the temple. "Not this time."

The way that sensor array 'mask' on his helmet turns and remains in position one can -feel- Hadrix staring at Oran. He knew the area, he's firmly at his four o'clock. <<"Close enough. Maintaining your four unless you call me up along side to three.">> approval. At the sight before him, Hadrix uses no torch though, a massive flood light on his helmet engages, stabbing into the darkness and bleaching away shadows. <<"Eyes up.">> is all he mentions over the squad comms, thundering along on robotic feet as the others make their way.

Erisi will take up a torch and set it aflame with her brain. She remembers the inside of the temple, and the brief memory of someone saying hello the statue. The right edge of her lips pull up in a smirk at said memory, banged woman listening to all speaking, "This place is full of annoying surprises, all deadly and with the common sense not to announce itself before striking." Her face is lit by shadows and light as the torch flickers, wind from outside weaving and worming its way in, trying in earnest to draw the luminosity away from the torches, "Let's not give them time to figure out we're here, or anyone else for that matter." Said with a small nudge of her chin towards the depths of the temple that they have not yet breached, "Let's get the jump on-" That huge flood light engages and she raises a brow to Hadrix, turning her head to eye the man then his compatriots, "Do you all have those?" Slowly, while waiting to hear an answer, she moves around the statue of Snoke to begin moving ..onwards. Or at least to the other side of the room.

The temple has nothing for her save dark corners and sight lines that bother her to some degree. Karys feels nothing even if the atmosphere is ominous she has no connection with the force. The firelight is a poor substitute for artificial lighting and messes a bit with her visor and view. Unlike the heavily armored figure of Hadrix, KS-0218 is sleek and minimally armored to afford for quickness of motion. The calls for eyes up draw her attention to do so, beneath that visor her eyes flitting quickly back and forth to watch for any form of movements. Firelight throws moving shadows and can trick the eye and leave the attention quickly shifting where it need not be. The light that is provided by the squad lead is enough to eliminate some of the problem areas even while Erisi seems to not take to the bright sterilizing light.

Kylo leads the way and Ravelyn follows, having no idea of what the formation is supposed to be, that's a Vanguard thing, so if there was any intended position for the knight it's likely not followed. If there was a memo, someone didn't read it. Oran mentions the red vibroweapon and Ravelyn nods. "Just always expect it and maybe they won't show up this time." To emphasize that, one hand hovers near the weapon resting at the knights hip, though it's not pulled free yet, because soon there are torched to light. One is picked up from the trough, the other hand lifting to manifest fire out of nothing so that the wrappings around the torch ignite. Once it's good and burning, it's tilted out toward anyone in need of a flame, and then held aloft to help spread the flickering illumination.

Oran raises his brows at Hadrix as Kylo speaks - but it's hard to interpret the exact part of the speech that triggered that look, or what the Look is even about. Regardless, he seems not to have anything to add just now. He is perhaps too busy wincing at the floodlight, the sudden appearance of which causes him to stumble briefly. Eyes accustomed to firelight are reeling, to be sure!

Saanvi observes quietly, "It seems unlikely that a party of this size now illuminated will avoid detection. Particularly with the sound of thrusters enough to lift almost two hundred kilograms."

Kylo gives Hadrix a look that is less than approving as well, before following Erisi toward the mural on the far wall where a very different figure from the statue in the middle of the chamber is depicted. With carving and paint alike, a humanoid form is picked out in simple black paint, a long robe belted around its waist, a hooded cape around the shoulders, and a black and silver masked helmet obscuring all view of the face, lines of mottled chrome still faintly shining in gilt paint that's all but been worn away. Kylo's torch moves closer, illuminating the figure on the wall, standing in stylized glory atop two bodies at the head of a small army that stretches out on the fresco away from him in both directions. "Ren."

On an impulse, he pulls one of the gloves from his fingers with his teeth, reaching out a hand to lay it against the weathered carving, concentrating hard for a moment.

Nothing happens.

Pulling away, he drops the hand, glancing around at the others with a short shake of his head. "There's something here, I can sense it, but where?"

Hadrix might be looking back at Kylo when he is glared at, but he keeps the flood on unless directly ordered. Kriffing space wizards can use their mystical powers and stars damned stanging hoodily hoo. Hadrix has the technology, he knows that there's no real sneaking when dealing with 'evil' space wizards. Kark it. Flood light. He looks to the wall scanning slowly, unsure of what the Supreme Leader is looking for, but that is for the Knights. Not him. He keeps his flamer up, right hand clenched, the mechanical left hand shifting as the thumb rubs against the ring and pinky, mimicing internal movement. Turning a slow circle to point, and aim his flood light. <<"There. On the floor. The statue is obstructing part.">> he blinks to use his HUD imager and looks to Gripper to have the droid holo-record and send the image to the other members of those assembled with HUDS on their helmets.

Erisi can't sense a damn thing when she reaches out to sense the living. Like. My dudes. None of you exist aside from visually because she can't sense even those in the chamber with her. Heck, she can't sense herself which could lead to a lot of exstistential issues if she was one to dwell on such things. As Kylo drops his hand her own raises up to touch the mural, trying to suss out things behind it, living things. She'd take a rat at this point but nothing saunters into her senses. Not. A. Damned. Thing. So she keeps looking at the mural while Hadrix, with his HUGE FLOOD LIGHT, finds something, a glance given over her shoulder as he speaks. Hazel eyes will drop as her hand remains raised, looking for what he's indicating.

One pistol is holstered in favor of reaching out to curl her fingers around some loose rock slabs against the mural's wall. She grunts, the sound made audible through the helmet's auditory tech. As the rocks scrapes and shifts, she holsters her other gun and quickly uses both gloved hands to push and shove the rock aside. Karys does the same with the next piece as her feet scrape across the worn dusted ground. They slide a few times but as the heavy slabs fall over accompanied by the crunch and crash, she reveals another drawing. This one of Ren in white facing two dark clad figures. She catches her breath and steps back.

<"Another image here,"> KS-0218 says over the comm sys. Her head turns then and glances to the others, giving room as she steps to the side while the rest are searching for answers.

If Ravelyn gives Hadrix any kind of look, he's spared it thanks to the mask that completely obscures any visual on potential scowls. The torch remains in hand all the same, the other hand hovering near the weapon for quick access. Ravelyn only follows partway to that mural before coming to a stop to try and reach out with the force to sense... nothing. Just nothing. It's good that others have better eyes, or equipment, or whatever it is they're using to find things, because Ravelyn is no help with it currently. Rather than dwell on the failure, the Knight turns to look down at the carving Hadrix is illuminating. "What is it?"

Oran knows what to do here, yeah! He closes his eyes and reaches out with the FORCE! He can feel it! He can feel everything, a vast interconnected series of links and relationships, an impossibly beautiful and complex web of all living things, phenomena seen and unseen. All you have to do to manipulate it, to be led where you need to go, seek what you find, is to interpret that web correctly.

He stretches out a hand and closes his eyes. Then he begins to walk, and takes one step, another... okay, wall... Oran continues walking... wall.. he looks like a holo-game character trying fruitlessly to cross some area it wasn't coded to cross and eventually bumps into Erisi. At that point Oran just opens his eyes and gives up. "Right, I've got nothing."

Saanvi frowns and turns in place slowly, a small tactical flash light fished out, powered on, and llifted to eye level as she searches...and sees nothing. She may or may not be looking so intently that the flashlight is shown directly into her comrades eyes.

Kylo glances at the carvings on the floor, but when Karys announces her discovery, he gravitates that way, brow furrowing as he peers down at the image of Ren, who it clearly is, but painted in white. "He's never depicted in white." He frowns, bending down on one knee to consider the image more closely, reaching out again to touch it, concentrating on the image, feeling for.... nothing. Nothing happens, again.

"They're already inside!" The search is interrupted by the sound of rapidly approaching feet, boots running over stone, and panicked voices. There's no ambush this time, at least, as the black-clad figures that by now are familiar to the Knights and Vanguard come hurrying through the same entrance. Four draw red-painted vibroweapons, four shoulder black rifles, all seem somewhat out of breath.

Opposition, and they're coming in behind the First Order. Finally. There might be a look like Oran had beneath his helmet, but it's not time to unmask! Hadrix's response to the incoming forces is to twist at the hip, right arm coming up and while his targeting system may have bracketed the foe, the stream of white hot flame pouring out adding a new level of light to the area as it pools around the incoming enemy <<"Vanguard, contact. Weapons free!">> highlighting and sending his contact report to the others.

Erisi jostled by Oran, glasses teetering further down the bridge of her nose to come to a rest on the tip, a narrowing gaze given to Oran as she gently pushes back with her hand on the wall to right herself properly, "Why ..would you walk ..with your eyes closed." Said in a terse whisper before the sound of footfall erupts and Eri is turning quickly with hands raised in front of her, feigning surprise, "Oh no, what a surprise that we, right now, at this moment of studying things, are found." Can one hear the eyeroll in her voice? Probably. She's not trying to hide it, one hand striking out to set aflame Dark Warrior 4, dragging her fingers through the air as she sends ripples of flame from the feet upwards to the torso of the being. She really needs to start on the saber thing. But it's just too much fun lighting things and people up.

The call for weapons free is what gives her the edge, she lets out a breath and growls inside her helmet. /Never easy/. This said to herself as the pistols come up as she takes aim to follow along with the chosen contact that Hadrix picks out. Too many shots to count and yet one manages to clip one fo the armed figures and she hisses out a breath as she checks powercell readout quickly and aims down the length of her arms as she steps forward to offer protection to the Knights who are far less armored than the vanguard. The crunch of the ground beneath her boots its felt but unheard as the group engages.

Ravelyn is focused on the carving and doesn't detect the approaching figures until someone calls out the warning that they're already here. The knight straightens and makes a sound that's half a curse and half snarl while whipping around to face the oncoming opponents. The torch is cast aside as a gloved hand lifts and takes aim at one of the soldiers, a few sparks between fingers giving not nearly enough warning for the solider to avoid the jagged bolt of lightning that shoots out. It fries the man in a way only electricity can, not enough to end his life, but badly enough to cause grievous harm. The other hand drops to grasp the lightsaber at the knight's hip, pulling it free so it is at the ready.

"It's a proper shock," Oran agrees dryly with Erisi as the warriors and soldiers begin to appear. "Can't wait to see which of my internal organs gets unceremoniously pierced like so much kebab this time." Less sass and more serious as he continues, "If past experience is any indication, your fire and other powers will work better than the sabers, but I will endeavor to keep them away from you to give you space to work." He reaches for his belt and with a snap-hiss, the red blade springs to life!

Saanvi drops the light and reaches for her sidearm, looking about for anything that approximates cover even as her weapon lifts and powers on "Less than ideal setting for a firefight." She laments deadpan, shouders square chin lift in a quiet defiance.

The Knights of Ren and the Vanguard are quick to join combat with their opponents, both sides knowing just how dangerous the other is by this point in their clashes. Only one group walks out, and neither end encounters in one piece.

Kylo's lightsaber ignites as he pulls it down from his belt, the blade leaping forth before the two side blades spit into life, menacing one of the shadow warriors before a shot sails past his head.

Shots fly hot and fast, with one taking aim at Hadrix and the veritable storm that Karys unleashes filling the air with plasma. Licked with fire and lightning both, the armored attackers utter shouts of alarm but persist through whatever rigid training they've endured to press the attack. A vibroblade bounces uselessly from Ravelyn's suit, another homes in on Karys, and a red blur whips past Erisi's nose without touching her. Those with rifles fire and move at the same time, heading for the shelter of Snoke's statue.

Caught where the breast plate ends and the belly plates begin, Hadrix's armor vomits steam made from vaporized flexsteel and plasteel plating that becomes a glittering metal drift, pushed away by the heat and concussion of the blaster bolt hitting him. It's a strong hit, coring through his armor, and the carbon scored crater in his center of mass weeps molten metal that mingles with blood and liquified tissue, hardening into a macabre starburst within moments.

The big trooper stumbles back, pneumatics wailing as he tries to keep upright, suit systems locking to arrest his fall and then his flight jets kick in to hover him centimeters above the floor and re-angle his position. The flamer spits again a serpent as to the flare of a star arching through the air and coiling around the head and neck of the soldier who shot him, melting durasteel, duraplast, and organic material alike, crumpling the figure whose lungs and throat scorch with the heat before a sound can be made.

<<"Target down... Medic...">>

The stone. The Stone. The Stone is on fire. With Oran protecting her and her attention able to be focused on the baddies, Eri is able to spot those dudes moving to take cover around snoke. A bolt dives past her nose, a whir of color briefly recognized but just as quickly ignored, "Hopefully this works --" Eri says, "And is worth your protection." And it is. IT IS. Sucking in a deep breath and holding it Eri begins to twist and writhe her hands through the air, veins taking on that soft glow which rouses the natural olive gold tone of her flesh (it's sweat), rousing forces to work together, the hand of Snoke, the outstretched one, lighting up first before the flames snake along the edges of the statue and nooks and crannies before erupting into flame, crackling and crinkling. Crinkle crinkle. The massive statue now a big ol' bon fire, not so easy to take refuge behind or around due to the heat, while also lighting up the chamber. Huzzah!

That first blow from one of the soldiers is a solid hit to her midsection. The blaster bolt is mitigated by her armor but still leaves her grunting and sidestepping to widen her stance. She quickly lowers as her knee touches the ground and fixes her aim on an injured shoulder. Sometimes the odds are not with her but this time at least one of her bolts intended for the figure hit and down the foe. As a call for a medic goes up, she holds her own, gritting her teeth as she can still function despite her wound.

Her gun swings left and takes in the injured form of one of the warriors, the weapon it holds noted with a faint look of disdain. She squeezes off a few shots and clips him with one that gives her a moment of satisfaction. Her head turns at the sound of Hadrix calling, the flame lighting up her view like some grand display of flaming machismo.

It's chaos, but it's a sort of chaos that Ravelyn is slowly becoming more accustomed to. This up close battle where you have to try and dodge things, which is what mostly happens as a vibroblade swings down, turning enough so that it simply glances off the armor. Luck, the force, whatever it is the knight is glad to not be skewered again. At least not yet, the night is young. As Ravelyn looks up, another of the soldiers comes into view, and this one is lifted off the ground and flung with but a motion of one hand, sending the solder hurtling into a wall where, once again, injured but not quite dead.

Oran and Erisi might suck asset at finding clues, but they're doing alright with this teamwork in combat thing! VWOM VWOM VWOM goes the red saber blade as he blocks and dodges attacks from their assailants - it's consuming work, the whole not getting stabbed, not letting Eri get stabbed thing, especially against an enemy that's similarly nimble. But it's working! It's working in the sense that a big statue just went up like a beacon. Oran laughs - he's surprised, but delighted, by the sound of said laugh. And maybe a little unhinged, but aren't we all, right?

Saanvi grunts as a shot scores solid contact and breaches her armor, knocking the breath from her and jarring her back violently causing her to stagger back several steps and ALMOST lower her weapon but as soon as her balance is recovered her hand lifts anew and she finds a target, firing and making her way towards Hadrix at an uneven gait. Hadrix asking for a medic on his OWN behalf is never a good sign of the man's condition. <<Medic in route, seek cover and standby>>

With two of the soldiers already down, that leaves mostly the red-bladed warriors with the vibroblades, who continue their attempts to cut up the Knights and Vanguard but aren't having much luck of it. That goes both ways, though, as Kylo and Oran both swing and miss all around, trading blows and dodges with them, a leg pulling back, an arm moving there, ducking just then. Sparks fly from the floor as lightsabers and vibrating durasteel graze its surface, and all the while the statue crackles with ethereal flame.

That has the attention of one of the soldiers, who takes careful aim at the robed woman and pulls the trigger. It's a beautiful shot, really, perfectly threading the needle between two of the warriors and Oran to hit Erisi in a vulnerable location, just as the head of the Snoke statue splits in half from the heat.

Landing with a crunch of metal on stone, Hadrix shifts and moves closer to the attackers. Growling as he sprays more flame in a fan across the attacking soldiers, as he stumps forward he re-engages his floodlight in the direction of the attackers, throwing his arm out to retract the flamer and set his underslung carbine into firing position as he closes.

<<"Moving to speartip. Providing fire support and cover...">> grumbled out, his voice filled with the sounds of a man being fed trauma meds via suit systems.

VULNERABLE SPOT. That's like any part of Eri. The shot gets her square in the chest this time, ripping through her clean and sending her reeling back to stumble with her left hand to her chest, woman hovering on the edge of falling over. It also, by crazy luck or stupid chance, has turned her to face the carefully aiming Dark Soldier. With a sudden swell of rage the short woman snaps her free hand out as she goes down to finish off Dark Soldier 2 with a super heated blanket of flame just before her knees crack into the stone below. Sinking back into her heels she manages to remain mostly upright, wheezing as her lifes force ebbs out the front and back of her, "S. ..I die ...you d-di-die ...jer-jerk." Mumbled in between foamy gurgles, Eri's firin' hand shakily remaining raised in the air as her body begins to gently sink forwards.

Karys is rising, shifting to get better aim on one of the warriors. She is crossing in the open and each shot misses, causing her breath to catch and a sound of frustration leak across the coms. Hadrix is in her view. Another falls at the and of ..something. Fire. Okay that is likely Erisi. She does not question and thankfully the helmet helps with the scent of burning flesh. She strafes and it throws her aim all off, shots going wide.

She finally calls out. <"Medic when others have been seen to."> She has definitely had worse.

"Shit! SHIT!" Don't nom this pose, alright, I'm saying inappropriate words in it. Somewhere in all the blocking, dodging, parries, Oran spies a shot slip through and nail Erisi. He doesn't wonder how this happened, he knows how this happened -- there's two melee soldiers and several ranged soldiers attacking them, that's how it happened. He presses his lips together in a grim line, warns Erisi, "If you expire I'm going to have to call your mother," and then returns his attention to attacking, defending, himself and her. Along with, of course, a suggestion to one of the already-wounded Vanguard - "MEDIC! Stabilize the Knight!"

Saanvi hesitates, she'd almost reached Hadrix and a second glance confirms he should top the triage list but with a deeply displeased scowl she lets Hadrix wiggle towards his blaze of glory and lopees towards Erisi at an uneven gait <<Medic en route to Knight Asset>>. Her weapon is holstered and she kneels with a pained gasp before doing her pattened rinse, assess, rinse, cut, clothing or armor and then works to staunch bleeding and clouse the wound before slapping an unseemly but functional patch over the breach in the armor.

The fight rages on around them even as there are casualties on both sides. Kylo comes whirling in with his saber, finishing off the one that Oran has already struck, impaling the assailant through the chest, before ripping the blade out and chopping into another one, but the wound is not mortal and that fellow keeps on coming. Ravelyn is attacked as well, and a shot flies at Karys.

The statue continues to split, the arm cracking and falling to the floor in a smoldering pile, then the upper portions of the carved torso.

Torso turning and the sensor mask following it to see Karys struck. There is a snarl over his externals and Hadrix begins firing crimson blaster bolts until the clip runs dry, surrounding the one who injured his squad in blasts before a strike scores on the shoulder plates, sending sparks and liquid plasteel spraying into the air.

A chunking sound comes from the massive arm of the power suit, followed by an energy cell twisting through the air, followed by a clatter of a fresh cell being rammed into place by automated systems.

Erisi gets plugged up, woman sitting there on her knees without raising so much as a whimper as she's tended to. Wheezing out a thanks she reaches out, and if allowed clutches the shoulder of Saanvi with a grateful squeeze. The other hand raises as Eri leans in towards poor injured Saanvi, "D...don't move ..just ..." Whispered as hazel eyes refocus on the enemies beyond them, fingers twisting in the air as she turns her wrist, fingers clutching suddenly as she sends in the flames to finish off Dark Warrior 4, a low throaty chuckle erupting from her, a bit of bloody foam sputtering out as she does so, leaning away from Saanvi to let the woman do her things with the others, Eri mostly staying intact, "You ...do not ..get to give my mother ..such good news ..you'd make her year." In reply to Oran, Eri still in Bad Condition, but her ability to set things on fire seems to not be suffering thanks to him and Saanvi. Free hand slaps down to her knee to keep her upright, and Eri will do a half-scoot on the ground to look for more people to immolate.

Karys is aiming down the length of her arm as more go down, falling prey to both the Knights and the Vanguard. She adjusts her stance and just as she gets off a shot there is a slam of a blaster bolt right into the lower part or her torso. She stumbles back a step and goes to a knee again, the next shot sent out in a rage filled sound of pain that she tries to mute from the comm. She sucks in a breath and though that one shot makes it, the rest go wide and wild, finding not purchase on a target. Then her voice, attempting to come through measured is a bit strained. <"Medic to KS-0218...shot..twice">.

The comm dies out and she straightens up, trying to ignore the searing pain that steals most of her focus from the task at hand. Smoke curls upwards form her armor, briefly coming into view of her visor. She grunts, pushing herself up out of sheer will alone and what was once a wide stance is ridiculously so to keep from tipping to the ground again.

Ravelyn moves with the medic as the path changes and Erisi can be tended to, stepping away once Saanvi is safely there. Not far, just near enough to clash with one of the dark warriors, swinging the lightsaber blade with a deadly intent that is completely ineffective in actually doing damage. There are a few clashes where sparks fly adding to the cool factor of the fight, but nothing that actually lands.

"She's whining about her mother so she's going to live. Triage your next, I'll cover your exit," Oran says terse words to Saanvi that might serve as thanks for patching up Erisi. The fight burns around him as he continues to block, attack block, press - he's not a Hadrix-size wall of muscle, but he's fast, and fueled by the Force and adrenaline. "Wait. Wait. Be ready. Wait," he breathes to Saanvi as he works, and then finally finds an opening to cut through one of the warriors and give the medic an opening to dart through the next patient. Lightsabers cauterize, but with the right sweep through the middle, blood is still splattering everyone in the vicinity. "GO!"

Saanvi applies the patch to Erisi's armor to help hold pressure on the dressings and rises with a wobble and a gritting of teeth before pivoting at an awkward angle to start that graceless uneven lope towards Erisi, <<Medic Approaching>>. She falls and this time it's not a grunt or grit but a pained gasp as she sinks to her knees, blinking a bit to clear her vision before stooping over and getting too work with the snapping of strapps, protests of zipprs, and tearing of sterile packaging as she gets to work.

With only one of the shadow warriors remaining, it's just a matter of time, and when Oran fells one, Kylo's saber slices back-hand to pop the head off the last opponent left standing, who stands a moment longer before collapsing to the floor, the Supreme Leader standing over the corpse with his lightsaber while the last one burns and crumbles in effigy. It's an accidentally poetic image.

As the last vestiges of that statue splinter, crack, and crumble away, the rest of the pattern Hadrix had noticed in the beginning becomes clear, a large network of crisscrossing carvings that center around the place the statue had occupied, and in the center as the base pops and splits, a relic of the past is revealed: a small, many-faceted orb embedded inextricably in the rock. Clear to the air again, a light pulses in its depths. "Clear the rubble away," Kylo instructs, though he's already raising a hand and pushing it aside himself through his connection to the Force. "Help me." Down on his knees, hands planted on the hot, blood-spattered floor near the orb.

There is a distracted sort of manner to his movement as Hadrix lifts his arm again, lancing a blaster bolt through the head of the last remaining soldier. "Eighty Five. Keep them with us." landing on the ground with a dull thud, heading towards some of the largest of the rubble slabs. "Eighteen, let me know if you need a lift." forgetting comms, speaking only on externals. A sucking sound mixing with the vocoder distortions, the same sucking tone mirrored in through the hole in his armor as blood that would be pooling in his chest cavity is pushed out.

Erisi folds forwards, clutching an arm around her chest, to crawl forwards to the rubble, wheezing the entire way. Unfolding hand from chest she'll try her darnedest to make something move with her brain, but ..her talent is wrecking things with fire. Her eyes close after a long moment, head dropping to hang as she tries to catch her breath and refocus. It's hard though, when you're mostly dead. Letting herself hang there for the time being she tries to summon the strength to attempt again in a few minutes.

All praise the medic, Karys is not really able to move but she tries to lean back to give Saanvi a look at the wound at her gut. Its still smoking and the smell is rather horrible as she tries to breathe. As the rubble starts to crack and break away she has a prime view where she rests when Hadrix takes down the next figure and they sprawl out unmoving. "Finally..." she says but trails off at seeing the orb. Her gaze narrows and she reaches out a hand, pressing it against Saanvi's shoulder to get to her feet. There is a sound of struggle now that one set of bandages is in place and she hobbles forward. She starts to pull at the rubble but ends up doubling over in pain, shuddering as she can't seem to be of any actual help to those trying to get to the item. She falls back a step and sinks to the ground, letting out a strained breath as she keeps her eyes up - watching and waiting for further threats.

Ravelyn takes a moment to look around and make sure that no one else appears to be alive. Satisfied with the deadness around them, the knight's attention shifts to where Kylo directs it. "What is that?" The question is asked as one hand lifts, and up with that motion comes a sizable chunk of rubble, which is harmlessly flung to the side. Apparently not knowing what they're unearthing isn't going to stop the knight.

Oran is sweaty and breathing hard, splattered with blood - although fortunately none of his own at the moment. As the last of the bodies hit the floor, he stands there a moment, saber humming, as though surprised to find the onslaught ended. It had to have only been minutes, but it felt like hours. His saber disappears with a 'ssshhhhhhhvvip' and he mops his forehead with a sleeve, watching to make sure Erisi is in fact still alive and kicking... well, she's alive and crawling... close enough. That's fine. Everyone is fine. Oran clips the saber to his belt and steps forward to place his hands on the floor like Kylo did, staring at his hands and wondering when his perfectly groomed nails got so damn dirty. Gross. Oh right, concentration! Rubble begins to shift...

Saanvi presses a patch on wound one for Karys, the commotion, the rubble, her supreme leader's request for assistance are all ignored as she works to stauch bleeding from Karys' wound even as her own continues to ooze blood down her armor freely, and this wound too is sealed with a patch to keep out the elements and hold pressure. This done she draws in a deep breath, focuses on not passing out or crying out and staggers BACK to her feet to seek her next patient-which happens to be Hadrix. Finally.

For a long moment of the kneeling on the floor, it seems like once again nothing will happen.

And suddenly, he appears.

A flicker and the pulsating light becomes steady, though the orb itself remains almost entirely lodged in the stone floor, only the top surface visible. The image is grainy but lifesize, a glowing grey-white projection of a figure in familiar robes, belted around the waist, a full cape, and a hood worn up over the chrome-lined helmet, though the projection is occasionally shot through with tinges of red or blue.

"Ren," Kylo gapes, stumbling back and clambering to his feet as the projection turns to face the surviving group. The voice that issues forth is distorted in a familiar way though the tones that underlie it are not.

"You are not who I expected," is the first thing it says, "but you are not who I feared. Another came seeking me but did not find me. Her darkness taints these halls even now. You are different. Dark... and light. Conflict. Balance."

The figure's arms cross over its luminous chest. "She found something else. Something the one whose image sealed me away left behind. She will use it, and soon."

The image begins to flicker and fade. "Do not- let the cost- dissuade you."

Hadrix turns to the figure that appears. There's a moment, and he takes a very long breath, the force of his longs and his lung inflator forcing more blood to run down the front of his armor. <<"Medic...">> is what he can say at least. No idea about Mr. Holospooky and his cryptic messages. Kriffing space wizards. Knowing he needs blood to renew, he bites out his drinking straw and begins sucking down berry blast flavored potable.

"Tell us the cost --" So says Eri, the woman remaining where she is, still not yet ready to try to stand, "And what ..what she found ..so I can ..rip it from her twitching fingers."

Karys is not going to comment, but there is a deathly stillness about her as the figure speaks. The reflection on her visor shows she does not move an inch during this exchange. Not until Erisi asks her question. Only then does the relief of the treatments to her wounds give her enough strength to stand, lowering one blaster to its holster as she moves closer to the Knight on the ground, extending a gloved hand for when she is ready to stand. She remains near Erisi for the time being, a wariness still about the vanguard member.

Ravelyn draws back a pace when the image appears, surprised by the sudden apparition. "Wait, what did she find?" asks the knight, looking first to Kylo, then the fellow knights. "Don't be so cryptic, what was found? How will it be used? What is the cost?" The latter question is a repeat of what Erisi asked, but it seems like a good question that deserves to be repeated.

Oran sits back on his heels and watches. "Ren?" he echoes Kylo, with less understanding or certainty. What is this now, a title, a clan? A family? Are they all Rens? Ravelyn Ren? Erisi Ren? His thoughts scatter like frightened birds when Erisi speaks, and he sighs, climbing to his feet. He extends a hand toward her. "We're not to know. Not now, not yet. Worry about your own twitching fingers for now, and I'll help you up."

Saanvi fals to her knees and slumps over Hadrix's armor to rest even as one hand begins to disassemble a bit of his armor to better access his wound, "A Wearable tank. Truely. Inconvenient." before forcing herself to sit up on her heels and focus even though she's looking sooo tired.

Questions are asked, and they're good ones, and it's likely the image knows the answers to all of them, but that doesn't stop it from fading further, flickering once more, and winking out.

Kylo stares at the empty space for a long moment, and then he shakes his head. "Something Snoke left here. It's not a big enough place to be another superweapon." At least that's out. "...we'll deal with it when we have to. We're leaving." And leaving these dead bodies behind, because he turns and walks back towards the entrance where the shuttle is still waiting out on the landing pad.