He smiles.
"It cannot have escaped your notice that this planet is no longer suitable for our species. The particulate matter in the atmosphere, that was once the ground, slowly corrupts our lungs even this far underground.
"It is getting increasingly hard to hide from our scientists the fact that we should live for eighty or ninety years, not fifty or sixty.
We are a dying race."
"I am truly sorry for what has happened to your people," Kellan said softly. "It has never, ever been the intent of the Jedi to inflict harm upon any race of beings, other than in defense of another, and then only under the direst of circumstances. You are knowledgeable in the Force. You must feel the truth in my words." She sighed, again feeling a wave of crushing depression over the events that had come to pass.
"But our ultimate objective can still be achieved here which is to stop Kuylen. These riots which are destroying your city as we speak, were surely begun by his men. This chaos had been set in motion by the time we were freed and we tried to help those who wanted our help," she pointed out. "But the vision I have had for some time now has unfolded into reality. We cannot stop this, as you already know. But we CAN stop Kuylen. If you have no idea where he may be, or we he may be heading, we will have to find him ourselves."
"His goal, as we understand it, is to find whatever Darth Demnos has left behind," Kellan explained. " 'The secrets of the Sith', if you will. To be honest, I doubt Kuylen knows what he is going to find anymore than we do. Specific information on what Demnos' mausoleum held, or holds yet, is unknown to us." She looked away from the Elder to something only she could see. "Our journey has been long and arduous at best. And I must add that in all honesty I have been advised by more than one person to abandon this mission." Kellan gathered her inner resolve, which threatened yet again to shatter into a million pieces. "But time is set in motion and the Force is with us. Despite all that has been done, that is where my faith lies."
"Of course he doesn't know," says the Elder. "Nor can he have hundreds of followers exploring the planet. He has recruited his followers here, and his own people destroyed the transit lines to other cities. Besides which a global search would take him months or longer.
"So. If you are Kuylen, looking for this Mausoleum, what would you do? After all, what sort of questions have you been asking?"
"Well, this is just a thought, but if the Mausoleum is a Sith site, I think it might be masked by the Dark-Side...ya know, to hide it better?"
"If I were Kuylen, I'd be headed for a place of knowledge..." Xeth says, thinking. "So far, the only source of knowledge we have found is you, since there is no museum or archive. Do you think he could be headed here?"
"No archive?" says the Elder. He points to the large vault door behind him. "This door, this place I could have defended if I had remained in control... there is your archive."
Suddenly all of you get the most extreme danger sense... and a cultured voice is heard
"Typical Jedi thinking. Leaving your followers in the fight outside. Where they are no good to you."
For those of you who have not seen him before, the man now coming entering the room, with the tidy beard and braided hair, the old-fashioned full military uniform half coverred his his pelisse (a half-cloak worn through one sleeve), a tall, dark-haired man full of authority, poise and malice... this man is Kuylen.
There are others. The huge albino alien, in primitive leathers and with horible blue veins, slowly pulsing, visible all ove rhis body, with a ridiculously large lightsabre strapped to his back, that one is Chion. The dimunitive girl who looks remarkably like Faith out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is Jolanta, sister to Krisha who once caused so much trouble in the past but is now very dead. The Zabrakian in simple robes you have not seen before- this one must be Saar, of whom much has been heard but nothing seen.
And more. The one in full body armour and helmet has only been seen briefly- you think he is known as Wraith? Also only ever briefly seen is the tall athletic one known as Rah. But Galder- he is an old 'friend'. He is a handsome thug, with an artificial left arm after Marcus took his old one. And also Takuan, their force specialist- but he looks injured.
But now more. Coming through with them are six Council members, all sabre armed and looking at you menancingly. And another ten Zeitonians with kinetic weaponry which they aim at you guys.
This is not good.
"I, on the other hand, brought all I needed to make this no contest," says Kuylen. "Now, is this going to be amicable or shall I have you all pointlessly slaughtered now? Lay down your weapons, Jedi."
"Marcus, we meet again..." Galder says, grinning. He ignites his red lightsaber, but also ignites the lightsaber of his dead Lieutenant, both blades red. "Drop the lightsaber, and whatever crap you are carrying. I'll claim it as mine, and it'll join my trophies later."
Wraith returns your stare, Kosta.
"Kosta, remember me? I nearly had you beat at our last meeting, maybe this time I'll succeed."
"And Xeth, run through by my friend the Lizard Man. It's a shame he could not be here to see you defeated again..."
"Ah, Master Gundark!" Wraith takes special notice of her. "The cowardly Jedi Master who ran at the site of future Sith! Pathetic..."
"Do as Kuylen says, and maybe we'll let you join us...or we'll just kill you!" Wraith chuckles, his eyes moving between the Jedi and the Elder, pistol swiveling about.
Rah ignites a sabre, hissing at you guys nastily, whilst Takuan quietly confers with Kuylen.
Kellan sucked in a hard breath, pulling her sabre smoothly and igniting it in one motion, despite the visible display of kinetic weaponry. Habit.
She chose to ignore Wraith's taunt, not wasting her time sparring words with one of Kuylen's thugs. To say that she was not happy to see Chion again was an understatement. The fact that Kuylen and his group had stumbled upon her and her fellow Jedi without an inkling of his prescence tapping her on the shoulder bothered her more than she would have admitted. Twas a moot point now; confronted they were, sandwiched between their antagonists and the vault door. Even more so, they were outnumbered, and obviously outgunned with the damned kinetic weapons. In fact, Kellan couldn't quite recall being in a situation where the odds were stacked this highly against her.
Grevor's words, which had rung so loudly in her ear's recently, had faded. Her duty to the Supreme Chancellor and the mission was still the priority. And for, what would certainly appear to be the last, a chance to take Kuylen. To stop this horrible thing. To avenge Qui Gon. And somehow live to tell Obi Wan.
"We'll stay the course, Xeth," she answered the geonosian. She nodded to Marcus and then turned her gaze upon Kuylen. This was it.
"We're not laying down our weapons, Kuylen," Kellan answered coolly. "So don't bother trying to check Demnos' will. I doubt you're mentioned in it."