Resilience and Retribution

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

At the analytical words of potential logic, Kiskla’s gaze hardened to meet [member="Marcello Matteo"]’s. Her determined resolve took over any sense of reason—as it had done for the entirety of her keep in Vain Hollow’s bowels. Resilience and genuine stubbornness was likely the only reason she was still standing there as a Jedi. Or standing at all for that matter.

I told them they would get out of here. Kiskla thought pointedly. Had she been able to speak, her words may have sound potentially venomous, or akin to the way her sentiments were delivered when her mind was in mule-mode and she wasn’t to budge on her decision. That promise was their first glimmer of hope in years. They’ve been in here before the war even began. Tortured to the point of resurrection and death again, and again. Beyond what we can imagine. I saw it, I walked with one through her experience…Her sentence derailed there and she looked distant for a moment, stormy eyes clouding over at the recollection of Vornskr’s dark magic. Although mute, her gestures were still vocal enough, especially her palms on her chest to indicate that she may have been through a bit while concealed in the castle’s underground labyrinth. Pain’s embrace, mental torture, blood letting and recirculation. Y’know, the usual. We’re going with the half of your mind that told them to get moving. So they will get out of here, and remember that hope and action lead to success.

Right as soon as this… she brought up the make-shift blueprint now to share with him, angling it for him to see from overhead. Apparently the castle’s layout was mostly for garrisons, historic epicanthix art, and lavish lifestyle. The power for all of it came from the..yep. Cool. The mostly dormant volcano itself. Uh, Volcano erupts.

Great, that would mean more stairs. She’d climbed so many today, what from the dungeon to the tip of the spire where she’d..oh yeah. Killed Vornskr with her bare hands. She’d have time to reflect on that later, for now it simply manifested as a shudder.

Not having removed the communication device from her ear, Kiskla reached up to touch the communication device and swallowed heavily to soothe her throat before turning slightly to hear if the connection was stable or not. The captain and his men very well might have been throttling through space right now. ”Captain, this is the Jedi.”

There was silence, but no static. Light eyes avoided meeting any contact with anything, and she stared mostly down the corridor as she pressed against the communication device in her ear.
After a few painstaking questions, a voice established itself.

“Congratulations.”

The fact that she was still speaking only meant one thing after the doom he’d sent her to. At this, she briefly glanced at Marcello, but averted her gaze once more to focus on speaking “Is there a way to override the control room or planetary shields beyond the nuclear option?”

“I’m not ranked for those authorizations.”

She couldn’t spare any more words on his behalf, and merely grimaced at his response. She had an idea, but it was characteristically dramatic.

The control room seems built into the volcano here. She turned back to Marcello, relieved to be mentally communicating once more. Her point indicated it was near the base of the castle, but not as deep as she’d been kept. That would have been dangerous for Vornskr indeed.

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello listened to [member="Kiskla Grayson"], but that was the extent of his personal investment in her statements. The Naboo Jedi didn't even necessarily disagree with the woman. She wasn't exactly a completely terrible judge in character, but the simple truth was the galaxy had plunged into an even deeper state of war...if that were possible. There was no way that Marcello was going to bring a bunch of individuals that, according to Kiskla, had been prisoners on Panatha for years back to the Praxeum on a mere whim...regardless of whom the whim belonged to. Further more, it was a pretty poor tactical decision to just liberate large swaths of epople that you actually knew nothing about without having a plan in place.

If Kiskla wished to be acutely irritable about the matter, he would incapacitate her and drag her out. Easy. Then he could figure out what to do with the unknowns sans her high-and-mighty-I-know-all rhetoric. Visually, however, Marcello responded only with a smile to her statements. A smile she would know all too well to be completely false and a silent communication of the reality of their situation. That being her request had been received, acknowledged, and taken under advisement. His intended course of action would see a bit more logic fused into her largely emotional desires.

And just like that...Marcello pushed his own emotions for Kiskla to the side in order to effectively execute his duties for the betterment of the whole. No need to live without emotion...it just had to be appropriately managed. When the point of the conversation shifted to that which he'd asked, Marcello surveyed the blueprints for a moment before offering a succinct nod. "Let's go then." Before either moved an inch, Marcello added a brief element of insight. "The planetary shields won't likely be successfully deactivated through any electronic means long enough to serve the purpose of what we need. Back-up systems undoubtedly exist...or there may be security systems in place to prevent extended unauthorized access." A host of potential problems. Marcello only needed the control room for evaluation of defenses at this facility. Between Marcello's entrance and Michael's intended actions, security was no doubt...in full gear. "The generators will have to be destroyed."

Now, Marcello began walking. Kiskla's knowledge of this facility was far greater than his, so he mostly allowed her and the blueprints to guide his path.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

This could be a carousel conversation, especially with two strong-headed individuals. The problem was, before Kiskla had been a captive of Manaan, she was used to getting exactly what she wanted, when she wanted it. People seemed to like her ideas enough to support them, and follow her into battle and whatnot. sThe only thing she’d never wholly succeeded in as an aggregation of all the Jedi sects. Before her capture however, she’d recorded a message for the triumvirate that would be the inaugural segue to the success of her vision — an introduction to the Jedi Academy, an open area for all Jedi. It was only her hope that this was a seamless operation at this time, all Jedi working in unison without having to pettily choose one association over the other. Barriers only existed if people continued to insist on defining them. The only definition that required her attention now though, was the definition of where she and Marcello were to go.

The map rotated in her palms and she took an inaugural step forward from the chamber foyer toward the nearest designated descent point. They’d have to do this all quickly. Kiskla was operating purely on hypersensitive Force fuel, every ounce of power she’d been drained of for the past year and a bit, all pooling in her body at once. Coupled with the adrenaline and fear of her most recent kill, she was hardly a human operative at this point. Merely driven by objective and the same stoic resilience she’d harvested in the dungeons. If she hadn’t such resolve, she’d be akin to a zombie. A mute zombie.

Mute save for her telepathic connection to [member="Nui Akona"] (and as demonstrated, Marcello. But this one was for the former Battlemaster.) Master Matteo is here, we’re heading to destroy the generators, located within lower levels of the Volcano to disarm the planet’s shielding system for the time necessary for an exodus. Mostly because Kiskla was too technically inept to make any delicate, time-sensitive adjustments. Go big, or go home! Do you have a rendezvous. We won’t have much time once we’re done.

Oh yeah, not just refugees but some creepy looking soldiers might also be joining the bandwagon. One for all, and all for one!

The sensation of spiking dark activity caused Kiskla’s hand to reach out as they advanced through the route. Stained fingers gripped [member="Marcello Matteo"]’s wrist instinctively as The Force giddily reacted to the mistress’ request for its action. A transparent veil slipped over the pair so as to provide temporary, invisible refuge as a storm of dark legionaries filtered from the barracks.

Many people were going to die when the castle crumbled. Kiskla could already feel it in her minds eye. That would usually stop her from action — promising herself that each individual could be redeemed from their strayed course. At this time though, as she watched their heavy steps carry them past, her expression was placid and emotions mostly mute. The only reactive nerves were the minute bubbling of reassurance that they deserve it.

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Had Marcello been party to [member="Kiskla Grayson"]'s silent conversation, he would have corrected her slight misconception of the tactical situation. However, it was of very little consequence in the end. They still needed to reach the area so that Marcello could grant R9 access to the mainframe. Once that was done, they could start making their way back to the hangar. It would undoubtedly take the droid a bit of time to hack the security protocols and slice completely into the system in order to provide a temporary deactivation of defenses around the Citadel.

Now...if they were doing the smart thing and not worrying about extracting refugees until they had a proper extraction force to effect the action, getting away from the Citadel and off the planet would be simple. However, that's not what they were doing. Marcello was working out the flex in the strategic actions that would follow over the course of the next couple hours while Kiskla guided their cloaked existences deeper into the bowels of the Citadel. He might very well have to leave her with the refugees while he executed an action to bring down the shields long enough. However, he'd need to have the shuttles already practically at re-entry interface precisely when that happened.

Much as he was certainly capable and willing to keep Kiskla with him, it would be problematic for her to be sliding around in his lap while he attempted to take down targets. You know. For...several reasons.