As Aeris sat in the room meditating, her mind reached out in every direction. Her senses were open, reaching out, feeling everything through the Force, which coated the planet, finding its way into every living thing. She took it all in, as though the Force itself were simply another extension of her senses, allowing her to see and feel things that otherwise would have been impossible.<br/><br/>The dark side was strong in this place, which became all the more evident as she reached into the Force, using it to extend her senses to allow her to search the planet for nothing in particular. It was as though the Force was a thick, dark fog that blanketed the planet, seeping into every crack and crevice, tainting everything it touched, from the plants to the wildlife, and most importantly, the people. Everything was heavy and dripping with the dark side.<br/><br/>This made it feel even stranger for her to draw on the light side to heal her, to rejuvenate her, while her senses stretched out through the dark side of the Force that surrounded her and everything else. Nevertheless, she managed. It was a little more difficult to draw on the light in a place so heavy with darkness, but it was not impossible, and the heavy presence of the dark side made it easier to mask the light side, lest any of her companions catch her and decide to betray her. Not that she thought than any one of them alone was of any particular threat to her, but if they could work together, they would be.<br/><br/>While her body recuperated and her mind relaxed, her senses stretched on and on, reaching out across the planet. It was then that she felt something. An anomaly in the Force. A presence that wasn't there moments before and which was quickly cloaked once again. A familiar presence. Her eyes popped open when the presence suddenly disappeared again and she was once again fully conscious.<br/><br/>Her green eyes were slightly wide as she considered the possibility that it was, in fact, him. That wasn't possible. And yet, she couldn't deny the familiarity of the presence any more than she could deny the emotions that began to build inside in that moment. Pain, anger, sadness, and something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Why, after all this time, did he still mean that much to her? Why could just the thought of him still evoke such powerful emotions?<br/><br/>Regardless of whether or not it was him, the fact remained that the presence was undoubtedly at least a light side Force user and likely a Jedi. That explained the distant, unidentifiable presence she'd felt before. She may have only felt one presence, but she had no doubt that the singular presence she'd just felt was not alone. She couldn't say how many, nor could she gauge their power, but she had no doubt that they were there and they were likely heading this way. She hadn't been able to pinpoint the vague presence hours before, but she had a good idea of where this one had been, and it was closer than the other, of that she was certain.<br/><br/>There was no way she could truly relax now, nor could she simply sit here wondering or letting her mind drift to things she shouldn't feel, things she should have let go long ago. This was a potential threat that she couldn't ignore. The others needed to know and she needed to get as much done in the archives as was possible. It was unlikely that their reinforcements would arrive before these new guests, and she had no way of knowing how powerful they were, so it was best to prepare for the worst.<br/><br/>She stood gracefully and spun on her heels, heading for the doors of the chambers with a swish of blood red hair and dark fabric. The doors swung open without her so much as waving her hand in their direction and she walked through them, turning down the hallway that led to the main staircase connecting this floor with the ground floor. "Meet me at the entrance. Now." She spoke over the comms that they all carried.<br/><br/>She walked toward the stairs, but rather than take them, she dropped straight down to the ground, using the Force to cushion her landing. The other five Sith all stood around her. Jax and Rixar looked at her curiously, Titus and Cain looked confused and possibly slightly annoyed, and Saila masked whatever she was feeling, although her physical mask did little to hide her emotions from Aeris. Of course, Aeris cared little what they were thinking and feeling. They did as they were told and that was what mattered.<br/><br/>"It seems that we have some company." she informed them, her voice simple but her expression more serious than usual. "They are masking their Force signatures. I don't know how many there are, nor do I know their strength, but I do know that they are light side users and they are likely heading this way." She explained, pausing for a moment. "They will likely be here before our reinforcement." Her explanation was simple, not bothering with unnecessary details.<br/><br/>"We need to be ready, so do what you can to ensure that we can defend the temple if necessary and keep your eyes and your senses open." She instructed those who would be keeping guard. "Jax." She looked his way and he nodded, knowing what she wanted him to do. They needed to ensure that they had as much information as possible before these "visitors" arrived. "Alright. Let's get to work." She instructed and the four who kept watch went off to ready the temple for whatever may come.<br/><br/>Jax lingered a moment, studying her expression. "You seem... troubled. More so than usual." He observed. Aeris tossed a glance his way and shrugged, brushing off his concern. "I'm fine." She assured him with a calm and level voice, her expression completely neutral as she spoke. "We have work to do." And with that she leaped up to the next level and headed back to the archives while Jax shrugged and headed for the other archives. "If you say so."