Private A Madwoman's Plan

[Miren Rahulik]

Years from now, Miren would probably look back at this moment as the one that truly showed her just how little she knew about the galaxy at large.

The blaster bolts weren’t so surprising - she may have been forbidden from even touching a blaster, but the Heralds fought their fair share of enemies wielding them. However, her fear blinded her from the fact that the other droids were probably not going to wait in line and so it was only the reflex of sheer threat that allowed her to react. Redirecting the flame from its concentrated pour towards the initial droid, she instead let it go in a spectacular flare to obfuscate where she stood. The Heralds practiced some level of telekinesis to control the shape and impact of their flame, Miren applying these teachings to send the blaster bolts flying up and away from her. Deflecting the amount that flew at her from a fully automatic wrist mount took most of her concentration but she felt sure that even if the other approaching droid added his own salvo she could deflect both.

The sound that came from its weapon was completely unexpected.

It felt like the inside of her head exploded, the hearing in her right ear immediately devolving to a monotonous blare of tinnitus as her eardrum ruptured. She let her flame go in a burst, shoving them back a few steps as she took a moment to reach up to her ear and come away with a thin trickle of blood on her fingers.

One of the deflected bolts had pinged right through the optic sensor in the first droid’s head, powering off the now crispy attacker. The other two, and the couple waiting in the wings, continued advancing. Fear pounded in her chest - she hadn’t known at all this is what it would be like up against these metal monstrosities. She’d only ever been close to one, the mercenary droid Matsu Xiangu traveled with, and a glance at a distance had been more than enough. These things coming for her specifically...she was ashamed, but it was a good thing to learn now instead of in real battle.

She held her hands up, hoping that universal gesture of surrender would be enough, and it was. The two advancing droids stopped and stood still. Looking to Elpsis, her face a mask of something like stubborn anger and determination, she said: “I’m sorry. I’ve never fought droids before and I’m...scared. What would you do?”

Elpsis Kerrigan ​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

Some of the acolytes started watching the scene between the two pyromancers. Reverence, having successfully found and knocked out the real Nuroch helped the Nautolan up. Hearing the commotion, both looked towards their boss, with an expression that could be summed up as 'let's enjoy the show'.

"Burn them, throw them, crush them," Elpsis said matter-of-factly. If this had been Enyo, that would have been in it. The droids would have also not been stopped by Miren raising her hands. They would have kept firing until she had either been knocked out or beaten them. Then Enyo would have given her a brief, dispassionate lecture and made her do it again. Elpsis was a bit nicer though. Plus, as the flames summoned by her showed, Miren knew how to fight. She was not being cowardly, she was just afraid of droids due to lack of exposure to them, much like how many Tygarans reacted first.

"They're not demons; they're machines. People make and unmake 'em," she declared. "You see that metal? You can cook it. The heat you feel coming from inside them? That's oil inside them. You can overheat it. Blaster fire is energy. Heat. You can absorb it. When you're hit - and you will be - let it fuel you. Avoid the sonics. They're not dumb, they will encircle you if you just stand there. Strike hard, strike fast."

She stepped forward towards the machines. "Stand back," was all she said. As if a flip had been switched, the automatons levelled their guns at her. A spear of blazing heat manifested and she hurled it. It pierced the first machine's metal skull, burning its optics and its brain. The droids spread out and a fussilade of blaster fire came at her from various sides. Elpsis was not quite good at following all of her own advice because, as her limp indicated, she was not particularly mobile. Dodging was not something she could do easily. The blasters had now been set on lethal.

Bolts of searing laserfire streaked towards her. Some she absorbed or avoided, but her workout clothes burnt. Hard-sound exploded inside her skull, and chest. Elpsis tumbled, falling. Blood seeped out of her eardrums, and pain spiked inside her chest. A rib howled in pain. Perhaps she could have mitigated this somewhat, though probably not entirely avoided. She had made no attempt to do so though. Blood dripped down her face.

The pain was fuel for the coruscating wave of blazing heat and light rippling from her. It swept towards the machines. One droid was melted outright, overwhelmed by and overheated. Others were hurled through the air. Elpsis arose, though she stood a bit shakily. Premonition screamed inside her mind when a droid levelled its sonic gun on her. Red-hot metal fingers seized the gun and the wrist holding it. It caught flame, and with it the machine. She flung it with her mind.

Blaster bolts came for her from the last machine. She caught a bolt with her open palm. A bright glow could be seen enveloping it. Strain was evident on her face and smoke coiled from her metal hand, but Miren would be able to feel her channelling intense heat. Her white eyes flared. Then the droid seemed to be burning from the inside out as the hydraulic oil was being manipulated.

Finally, the machine exploded in a shower of burnt circuitry and shards of metal. Anyone too close would have to shield themselves to avoid being struck. Elpsis' scarlet mane tousled and sweaty and there would be fresh bruises. It was a good warm-up. She looked at Miren. "Destroy the next batch." A couple fresh droids were already marching towards her.

 

[Miren Rahulik]

The depths of knowledge she was unaware of were vast. She knew little of the concept of the Force, having heard of it more from those who practiced outside of the Heralds’ code like the various Jedi and Sith and all manner between who’d come to work with them over the years. So in her mind, leaving home had also meant possibly leaving behind seeing anything like what Elpsis unleashed in front of her ever again. How was she to know if bending fire existed anywhere else?

The flames reflected bright and zealous off the mirror of her eyes as she watched, awed by the shared sensation of unbelievable heat. She shielded herself with the Flame as the blast of heat and light rocked off the crouched Elpsis followed by the exploding droid, the strands of hair that framed Miren’s face blowing back as the rest of her stood completely, utterly still at attention.

This perhaps, would be the first valuable lesson of many. She repeated it to herself as she stepped forward. They’re not demons, they’re just machines. They’re not demons, they’re just machines. People make them, and unmake them.

The droids had little use for assessment now that real engagement had begun, and the blaster bolts came thick and fast. She wasn’t foolish enough to stand still, the instinct to avoid them overwhelming even if Elpsis had said those that made contact would act as fuel. But those she couldn’t dodge...an unfamiliar pain, but also a conversion: a heat in her chest and her belly that blossomed with each strike. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, imagining the oil inside the droid flowing like blood in a human to try and approximate the source she was looking for. The sound of something percolating called over the chaos, something threatening to blow, more pressure applied until the droid’s chest blew open and it fell back in a pile of sparking circuits, leaking superheated oil on to the floor. It wasn’t as complete a destruction as she’d witnessed from Elpsis, but for having never tried it before she was, to put it mildly, thrilled.

Oh, her heart beat out of her chest seeing them close in. But now she thought...this was an opportunity for creativity. They’re not demons, they’re just machines.

The hearing in her right ear was as if she was underwater, and thus she almost didn’t notice the droid who was aiming to further rupture her eardrum. Dodging the sonic wave, her face set in a thin line of determination - she would not let Elpsis think fear would hold her back even if she was not worried about admitting to it.

Her eyes snapped to a rack of weapons further in the training room, one hand coming up to catch the spear she called to it. Heralds learned early in their training how to fight with all manner of conventional weapons - and more importantly, how to set them alight so even those not felled by the first blow would burn in their wake. It was one of their Orders biggest trademarks, immortalized most recently in a mural done by some unknown artist along a flattened section of Idd-yha’s rock outside the city of East Haven: Rael, mouth open in a primal scream with her headtails electrified in anger, kusarigama ablaze and cutting through a line of Eyaer.

The spear, metal and amazingly conductive in her hands, blazed to life. There was grace to it then, as she repeated the mantra in a rhythm to the way she danced around them. The last droid in the group went down as the spear was thrust up through the back of its head, its ‘brain’ glowing bright red as its circuits were introduced to white-hot spear. She was breathing hard by the time it was done, sweat dripping from her forehead as she released the Flame and it disappeared from the spear.

She stood upright, twisting the spear in her hands. “It would seem I have a lot to learn,” she said to Elpsis - an endless perfectionist, seeing only the areas that needed improvement. “Do you think there’s room for you to teach me?”

Elpsis Kerrigan ​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

Suffice to say Miren got quite a bit of attention when she suddenly enkindled a spear with flame, gracefully danced around the machines and plunged the weapon through the skull of a droid, frying its 'brain' and circuits. "Okay, that was kinda hot," Reverence blurted out. "What? You were thinking the same."
"Your puns are terrible," Nuroch remarked.
The Dahomian elbowed him lightly. "Jealous I beat you up?"
"You mean after I got tired of you punching thin air, yes."
"Can the Lieutenant ignite spears?" Zhaleh asked a bit cheekily. "I mean, I haven't seen her do it."
"Mayhaps you should focus less on speculating about others' skills and more on improving yours, Private Jai Bijana," Hazania reprimanded her sharply.

Ignoring the banter in the peanut gallery, Elpsis stepped towards the Maenan. "Yes," she said simply. "But you must get some perspective. You just left your homeworld. You faced something you weren't used to fighting, so you were afraid." There was no judgement in her tone; her delivery was matter-of-fact.

"That's natural. It takes strength to admit it. Fear keeps you alive, it's what gives you the ability to run faster, to strike harder because you know otherwise you're done for. What you must not do, is let it control you. If you can face your fears, you can face anything."

There was a pause before she continued. She took a breath. "Now Firemane hierarchy 101. I don't know how the Heralds were structured, but Force-Users are part of the military here, so I guess not everything's totally different. That means you'd have bosses to answer to. Some will be Force-Users, others won't."

"I'm a Lieutenant, so I've got a small unit under me. Most of the time you'd deal with me, Lieutenant Nyssa Vykaris or one of the Sergeants. They all know their stuff, they're here to make everything runs smoothly. And tell me when I'm being dumb," a somewhat self-deprecating laugh escaped her throat. However, it soon turned into a cough. The others in room did not seem concerned, so it probably wasn't anything unusual. "Wanna meet some of my team?"

 

[Miren Rahulik]

Miren didn’t know how to respond. There were few who might have classed Elpsis’ advice as ‘kind’ - free of judgment, to be sure, but not delivered with the kind of warmth that would correlate to the lump rising in Miren’s throat. God, had she been so starved of any kindness that even this measured reassurance made her want to weep? She nodded, not trusting herself to speak for the moment, feeling the advice burn itself in to her memory.

Military hierarchy was a much drier subject, less prone to cause a stir of emotion, and so she latched on to it gratefully. All Heralds were Force-users but otherwise it didn’t seem much different and answering to an authority had never been her issue...that authority just had to feel worthy.

“I can’t say I won’t make a mistake, but it sounds very similar to how I grew up for the most part - I’ll be on my best behavior,” she smiled, trying to shake her own discomfort after her reaction to the words on fear. She registered the coughing fit, and that the others mostly ignored it… And then-- “Yes!” she answered in regards to meeting some of the others, probably so fast it caught anyone in earshot off guard.

She moved to replace the spear where she’d pulled it from, carefully skirting the half-melted, sputtering ‘corpse’ of one of the droids just in case it wasn’t truly out of commission, smoothing out the training uniform she was wearing in preparation for being introduced to some of the others. She did recognize Zhaleh from the hangar, if only because she found herself drawn to her fine features and large eyes. One of the other women appeared to be of the same species as Zhaleh, one Miren had never seen despite Maena’s diversity. They all seemed to be looking at her as curiously as she examined them, which made her feel somewhat less like a deeply unsocialized freak.

Oh right.
She needed to open her mouth.

“Hi… I’m Miren.”

There were certainly more eloquent moments in her life.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

"Girls, this is Miren Rahulik. She's a Shi'ido, she's from Maena, and she escaped an evil cult. She's gonna joining the team. I know y'all do your best to help her adjust."
The young Qadiri was the first to speak. "Uh, hello, I am Zhaleh," she smiled encouragingly, or what she thought was an encouraging manner at any rate. "I, uh, liked your spear of flame. Machines make me...uncomfortable, too," she added a bit shyly. She spoke Basic with a cute accent and rather slowly, like she was still uncertain about the language.
"Zhaleh Jai Bysara is a Qadiri from Tygara. You'll be seeing a lot of those. She grew up in a land of ice and snow specialises in ice magic. Thanks to her we can go without a fridge if we need to. And she can freeze arseholes to death," Elpsis explained.

"Celaena Eilris. An Eldorai. They're related to the Qadiri. Her planet got turned into a hellhole and then invaded by imperialist dicks, and she's been burning them ever since."
"We got any new ones to roast yet For 'glorious' Firemane?" Celaena spoke sardonically. Her delivery made it rather plain her opinion of the megacorp was not stellar. "And hello, I suppose. Figure we'll be burning scum together. Make sure you don't freeze mid-battle," she added bluntly.

"You've had your own problems with our tech. She managed to escape fortress of fire cultists and get here even though she'd never flown a ship. Don't disrespect a fellow soldier," Elpsis said sternly.
"Yes, ma'am."

Elpsis' attention turned to the lean and muscular dark-skinned woman. "Reverence. She's from Dahomey. That planet breeds tough people and she's no different. She's our puncher and close combat girl. And apparently a bit of fangirl."
"Laugh it up, ma'am. And hi, Miri," the Dahomian said warmly. "We get all the misfits, so I guess you'll fit right in. Don't mind Cel. She's always grumpy."

"The Rattataki's Corporal Rhea from Tephrike. She was shackled by tyrants and fanatics, but broke her chains. We fought our way through a concentration camp together. She's good at sneaking, stabbing and can electrocute scum."
"Welcome. If you wish to spill the blood of oppressors, I shall be your companion. Lieutenant Kerrigan won't play you false." Rhea said a bit stiffly and with an intense look in her yellow eyes, though she was being genuine. She was a Basic native speaker, but had a thick brogue. "I've...had to adjust to the technology of the star people, as well," she added after a moment.

Elpsis moved on to the next minion in the room. "Corporal Diona fought Firemane on Tephrike, but she turned on the tyrants. I wouldn't have made it off the planet without her."
"That is," Diona began, then paused. "Correct. Welcome."
"She's great at shielding and with a sword. Experienced in tactical leadership. Listen to her. And the Togruta's Sano Tahoka."
"Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess," Reverence joked.
"Or just a pain in the arse," Celaena muttered.
"And you're nerf-herding, unwashed peasants," Sano shot back with what she clearly thought was a witty insult. Her accent sounded rather posh. "I hope this little meet and great is not giving you too bad an impression of us, Miren. We're actually capable of being professional...well, some of us at any rate," she declared with a side-glance to Reverence and the Eldorai.

"Girls, how does latrine duty sound?" Elpsis cut them off sharply. "Sano can pilot and she's got some training with a lightsabre." Fortunately, Sano had the sense not to give a speech about how it had been more than just a little training.

"Sergeant Hazania Jai Bysara. As you probably guessed, she's a Qadiri like Zhaleh. Not from the snowy part of Tygara though. Daughter of the head of a Qadiri fire order. She leads second squad, train elementalists and burns things."
Hazania was all business; her delivery was crisp. "We'll see about getting you integrated over the next days. Given your gifts, I trust we shall be working together closely. If the Lieutenant is not available for training, come to me."

"The Nautolan's Nuroch. One of the few males here because personnel decided to make an amazon platoon or something," Elpsis continued sardonically. In all fairness, the first squad did have a male sergeant. "But I don't think he's complaining about the view."
Nuroch knew better than to make an indecent remark. "No comment. Sometimes I have a shower to myself, so that's not bad. Cleaner that way," he remarked very dryly.
"He's from Tephrike and can bend minds."

 

[Miren Rahulik]

Oh bestill her little heart, so many to meet.

Her youth had been marked by many more light-hearted friendships but Heralds by and large were described as...intense. There was no off-duty for a Herald and while friendliness between those so inclined was common, banter like this was almost unheard of. It took everything she had not to let what would probably be interpreted as a creepy, overly large smile spread on to her face. Not even Celaena’s bluntness could have dimmed it.

“I’m sure there’s a lot you can teach me,” she responded instead, meaning it too. Maybe there was a hidden talent for diplomacy buried somewhere in there. She glanced to Zhaleh too, trying not to let her own thick accent get in the way of her Basic since it seemed the young woman had to pick carefully at the language still. “And you as well - every day was hot on Maena, I don’t know what cold feels like.”

Reverence and Rhea were both imposing for different reasons, the former for her sheer physicality and the latter for the intensity of her demeanor, but surprisingly warm in their greeting. It made her feel better to know she wasn’t the only one who might be confused about which way was up on a reader. And did the Lieutenant say concentration camp?

She also made a mental note to learn more about this Tephrike as it came up once more when Diona was introduced - though it was obviously at best, a sore subject. It didn’t matter for the moment as Miren was forced to stifle a laugh at the bickering between the other women. She was going to LIKE it here…

Sergeant Byzana however...she was intimidating for completely different reasons. Member of a Fire Order, training, a business-like demeanor. It smacked of her upbringing though she knew it wasn’t fair, and she pushed down the instinct to react as such. “I’m looking forward to it ma’am.”

Nuroch, ah Nuroch - surely the most patient man in existence, or at least the smartest to have preserved his own hide among this gaggle of female warriors. Multiple hearts would not protect him from certain doom in this company!

Still pushing down the urge for the crazed smile, she nodded to the group. “Thank you, all, for making me feel at ease. I have to admit this is probably the very last thing I expected to come out of today, but I’m not disappointed, and I’ll make sure you aren’t either.”

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

"Welcome to the group. I will show you around and make sure you get settled in," Sano declared in a slightly....self-important voice.
"Mind your own training, Private. Initiation is done by procedure," Rhea reminded her firmly.

"Oh, many Qadiri don't know the cold. Most of our people live in deserts and tropical places. I don't know how they bear it. But they think my tribe's the strange one," Zhaleh responded, picking up on a point Miren had made earlier.
"She always needs extra sunscreen when we hit the beaches," Reverence remarked. "Probably gonna get her revenge whenever the Lieutenant drags us to an ice hole."

"Has she already been inducted, ma'am?" Hazania addressed her boss, professional as ever. "At what position would she start? Her Zari's strong, familiarity with your technology needs work." Her tone was matter-of-fact.
"Not yet. Our team, presumably. Similar situation as with Shikoba. Still gotta deal with the legal crap," Elpsis said. At this stage, she didn't know the contractual details might require some improvisation. Fortunately, many of Firemane's Tygaran recruits, particularly former slaves, lacked literacy, so it was not an unknown issue.

"She could bunk with me," Zhaleh chimed in.
"Appreciate the sentiment, Private. But we'll sort her when we get there. Still gotta chat with the Colonel." She glanced at Miren. "You'll start as enlisted, so you'll be bunked with a couple other soldiers."
"What is this Maena like? Who were you running from?" Diona suddenly asked. Her tone was soft, but intent. Her expression was stoic, as if she was assessing the newcomer. There was something about the Tephriki. She looked older and wearier than most of the minions.

 

[Miren Rahulik]

Sano could have told Miren she stank of bantha poodoo and it wouldn’t have mattered in that moment. This was so much better than she’d imagined. Her idea of the galaxy outside Maena was without reference and she’d been prepared for an endless prison maybe, a greater evil than what she’d left behind. This bickering, loyal, mixed bag of misfits...no, she hadn’t been prepared.

Of course, she was overwhelmed. There was a hierarchy and a way of doing things here she didn’t understand, and was afraid to step out of line around. But the sensible part of her mind told her that an honest mistake would not be punished here like it might be back ‘home’. If she could show them she wanted to do well…

Speaking of, she nearly immediately stepped out of line when she went to take Zhaleh up on bunking, a young woman’s excitement to share something new with another of her ilk. Instead, she nodded at bunking with several others while her footing was found -- oh yes, just what I was going to say, surely…

Diona’s question was sobering, but Maena itself was nothing but good memories. “Hot,” she answered, smiling. “A lot of it is volcanic, a few big deserts. Locals will tell you it’s because of wars between ancient species, and then the Age of Heroes - the whole world is scarred, and runs hot and proud. Megacities, lots of larger settlements, and in between - a whole lot of dangerous nothing. The natives are strong, strange…”

“The Heralds though…”

_________​

Sitting in front of paperwork, contracts, legal obligations to Firemane she could read...absolutely none of it. She held the stylus in her hand as if she were an infant figuring out her legs, turning it to look at either end trying to figure out which end was the one that would let her put her signature to everything. Not that she’d know how her name was spelled, nor what it would look like.

“Um…” she said, looking up at Elpsis who of course, wouldn’t be looking back in the traditional sense.

Oh yes, improvisation was a good way to put it!

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

There was a foe even the bravest of warriors regarded with feelings of pure, unadulterated loathing and dread. A horrible evil that even the strongest duellist, the most titanic of titans or the mightiest of war fleets could not defeat. This villain was relentless and free of feelings of pity or mercy. Try as you might, you could not outrun, outfight, reason or bargain with them. What was this menace? Its name was paperwork. Or the bane that shall not be named.

It took a moment for Elpsis to put two and two together. When she did, her face was flushed with embarrassment. "You can't read," she realised, feeling silly. "That's...that's okay. I mean, you'll have to learn, but not you're the first in the platoon who had to catch up. A lot of the Tygarans couldn't either. And I can't read anything not in braille."

Realising she was rambling, she patted the Maenan on the shoulder and got up. "Don't get worked up 'bout it. I'll fetch a protocol droid. And tell command they need to send someone from legal."

FIN