The task forces had all split up and began their concealed approach. Zhio's crew, aboard the Alcyone, had readied the ship for launch. Given the nature of their mission, the crew was instructed to begin flying once everyone had had time to be in striking position. And, to avoid any communications being intercepted by the enemy - even encrypted ones, since that would still alarm the Treasure Hunters of an outside presence near the Jedi temple - the crew of the Alcyone were simply briefed to wait for an adequate amount of time, before taking off and piloting the ship towards the southern battery.
Spek was in position, along with the unit that had been assigned to him. They were entrenched behind a rock formation. The closest they could get to the temple, without being detected. The remaining three hundred meters that separated them from the temple's walls, and the AA battery, was an open field. While the enemy had placed barricades on the outside, they would have to cross the distance while under fire, if they wanted to get in close-range of their target.
All of that, had already been discussed on the way down, after studying the terrain, and it was decided that they would have to open fire from the safety of their own natural rampart. At least at first, while they cut down their numbers. The commandos came prepared with long-range precision weapons. Zhio himself, had attached a long range scope to his Mercury-class energy rifle. By this time, the Zeltron assumed that everyone else was also ready to begin their strike. Now, there was merely the matter of waiting for the Alcyone to appear above the hills over the horizon.
A few of his men were surveilling the enemy with their binoculars. He, had his eyes closed, and was sensing his ship's approach by reaching out with the Force, sensing his crew in transit.
"They're here." Zhio said, before the ship was even visible to the naked eye. Before the first commando even reported that the enemy had begun mobilizing. "Open fire!"
And, open fire, they did. A barrage of blaster bolts flooded those three hundred meters with light and sound. At first, unidirectionally; then, quickly going both ways.
Deadly accurate first shots from Spek and his unit, caught the Hunters off-guard. The ones still on their feet, quickly sought cover and retaliated, and reinforcements seemed to be arriving at every second that went by.
Nevertheless, there were not that many seconds between them opening fire, and the Alcyone becoming visible in the sky above and behind them.
They were encountering more resistance that what was anticipated. And, at that range, their weapons were not enough to destroy - or even disable - the AA battery. They needed to close the distance, and fast. For the diversion to work, the ship could only delay getting into range of the AA for so long. If it started flying in circles, retreating, or even slowing down her speed too much, it could alert the forces inside the temple that her apparent suicidal approach was merely just a ruse. Time was of the essence.
"Try not to shoot me in the back, buddy." Zhio told the nearest commando. "Also, tell that to your friends as well."
Jumping into the open, he ignited both his lightsabers. An average-length blade of translucent silver on his right hand, and a light-gray shoto on the left. Adopting a high guard Djem So stance, he began to flawlessly deflect the incoming bolts to the side. Steadily moving ahead, as he did so. The silver blade of his right-hand saber, was being generated by a ghostfire crystal, which produced phantasmal afterimages of its motions.
It did not take long for all incoming blaster fire to concentrate on him. Providing an opening for the squad behind, still under cover, to venture into the open as well, and begin to take out the opposition.
Zhio deflected bolt after bolt, with short and precise movements, keeping his dominant hand close to his body. His style, more akin to a Soresu stance, if not for the left hand helping to cover wider angles, without the need for broad movements. Bolt, after bolt. And to the side. His agility beyond what was normally possible without aid - in his case, that aid came from the Force.
All of a sudden, the anti-air battery released a volley at the Alcyone. Spek was about to glance over his shoulder, but even that slight momentary lapse caused him to suffer a hit. He was lucky, as the blast barely grazed his arm. Still, he could feel the burn, and there was a charred hole on his elegant red doublet. It seemed that this particular garment, saw the inside of a fabricator, more than it did the outside.
Without knowing the extent of the damages to his ship, if any, Zhio linked both lightsabers by the pommel cap, creating a double bladed weapon, and rushed against the enemy position. His lightsaber, almost as if spinning like a wind fan in front of him. An effect, that was heightened by the ghostfire. This time, as his frenzy and anger grew, the blaster bolts were not simply being direct away from him, but towards the enemy, shooting them down with the particle beams fired from their own weapons.
The erstwhile Padawan crossed the enemy line, descending upon the Treasure Hunters like a whirlwind, while they were still readying a second salvo of the battery. He was slashing at weapons, arms, and legs, in a flurry of blind rage. Until, there was only one enemy left, with a blaster shaking in his hands.
Dividing his lightsaber into two halves, once more, Zhio smacked the blaster out of them, cutting it in half with the lightsaber on his right hand. The man fell down on his back, and began to crawl backwards against the temple's wall. The Zeltron raised his right arm, ready to strike.
Then, the bandana covering the lower half of the bandit's face, fell down, revealing an expression of panic, on a boy with no more than twenty years of age.
Spek looked around. Some of the other Hunters were fatally wounded or already dead, the droids as well. But the vast majority had survivable wounds. The ones he had made, with his ghostfire blade, despite crippling, were not mortal. Yet.
A battle like that one, was no place for a kid.
Spek Zhio sighed, and hit the boy straight on the top of the head, with the smaller blade of his left-hand lightsaber.
As the other troops were now nearing the battery, Zhio touched it with a hand, and removed the heat from it, with cryokinesis. That would weaken the thing, for the commandos to easily bomb and dispatch it. Monkrove's men under his command, began doing just that, by setting timers for a small controlled explosion, Zhio returned his attention to the boy. The last Treasure Hunter he had fought.
He knelt down near the young man, retrieved his grappling spike launcher from his utility belt, and shot it at the wall, one meter from his position. He used the other end of the monofilament cable to tie the boy's hands and feet. Securing him on the spot.
He had struck the kid down with his left lightsaber, that contained a kimber stone. The blade it produced was non-lethal, and felt like getting hit with a club. The boy was just unconscious, and Zhio would return for him, after his job was done.
Right then, he felt the presence of another Force user, somewhere inside the temple. It had the same smell as the one he was sensing back at camp.
That was not the initial plan, but Zhio had to deal with this contingency.
"Stick to the plan. Stay here and guard the place, until enemy reinforcements stop arriving," he told the second-in-command. "I'm needed inside."
An explosion took out the AA battery with nearly no damage to its immediate surroundings. A billow of dark smoke began rising, and would alert the other squads to begin their side of the invasion. Zhio looked up, as he saw the Alcyone fly above his head. Leaving only a minor trail of smoke behind, coming from the portside.
He went inside the temple.
Credit Wizard
Spek Zhio
Dantum Kryszar
Connie Copal
Asaaj En Kelsani
Soren Dar 
