Breaking the Machine

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"]


Splitting her focus was not easy. Especially after being shot. Elpsis forced herself to do so nonetheless. Strain was written across her features, sweat dripped down her bruised, bloody face. The plasma cannon was pulled this direction, then that, hovering above ground.


The Twi'lek, whose aura was filled with dark power and whose corruption was, upon close inspection, apparent both in her stained soul and features, seemed so close to her goal. Elpsis grip upon the cannon seemed to weaken, then dissipate entirely as the invisible binds she'd wrapped around it dissolved. The Twi'lek looked triumphant as Elpsis appeared to stagger. Cold sweat dripped down the empath's face.


The moment of exultation did not last long. Rather than continue spending herself, Elpsis had focused on the woman's lekku. First there was an unbearable heat blossomed around them, then they suddenly burst into flames. A cry of anguish emerged from the dark woman's throat. She might have been able to deal with this after overcoming her shock, but Ari emerged from cover to throw two grenades at her.


One was a thermal detonator. Boom. There was an eruption of blinding light as the thermal detonated, followed by the ion grenade. The detonations rocked the lab, resonating across the corridors outside. A sphere of protective Force energy had wrapped itself around the Twi'lek, shielding her from the worst of the damage. But not from everything. But not from everything. Ears ringing, almost blinded and in an awful lot of pain, she emerged from debris - probably a broken table. Internal bleeding, broken bones - things did not look good.


Where was the plasma cannon? She heard the tell-tale sound of it being charged up. With a cry of rage, the Twi'lek retaliated. Area of effect red lightning shot forth from her hand, enveloping those who wished her ill. Elpsis howled in pain, holding on to the cannon while she felt her life force being leeched. She held on to the weapon with such a tight grip her knuckles turned white. A bruised finger depressed the trigger. Boom. The weapon's recoil was tremendous, causing her to stagger. But after the thermal detonator explosion, the Twi'lek could not dodge. The plasma bolt ripped through her chest, exploding it. There was blood and gore everywhere. Elpsis slumped. Through her peripheral vision, she could see the surviving rebels rush to her and Ari. Then she hit the ground.

 

[Ari Vox]

Incendia had the cannon, even through the haze of pain and settling dust Ari could see as much. Before her the Twi'lek, lekku scorched and body mangled, a multitude of cust and bruises causing her once proud form to seem on the verge of shrivelling away like some slowly decaying beetle corpse. The Mandalorian forced herself to her feet with a jarring and painful motion that sent her almost tumbling forward in between the pair of women, blaster pistol trained on her corrupted foe as the cannon made the tell-tale charge sound and surprise was overcome with rage upon the Twi'lek's features.

She rose her hand to lay waste and Ari stepped in front of it.

The wave of lightning that coursed with dark energy enveloped the space between the Mando and the Twi'lek, sparking erratically as it sought out a conduit and found it first in the last layer of Ari's shield, then the steel of her armour. Not surprisingly the lightning was too much for her to take entirely, a good portion of it simply bypassed the first body and contact Incendia and the two women were now howling involuntarily at the electrical current flowing through their bodies.

Hand seizures caused the only shot that Ari made to fire way wide and the electricity threatened to blow the powercell that lay within the blaster pistol itself. The pain became her only thought, and this was surely the final desperate defence of a woman who'd been well on her way to dying for quite some time. There was a flash and then nothing, a streaking wonder that impacted the Twi'lek center mass and dropped the Mandalorian face first into the floor with the cessation of the electrical current. Darkness swam across her mind and body.

She dreamt while she slept, dreams that came with incredible intensity and were such vivid creations that the Mandalorian felt as though she were not asleep at all. The visage of her one time father, the biological one that she'd murdered in cold blood back on Groth, dominated these visions and was backlit by a tremendously raging fire.

He was beating her again. She was a child again. The visions made no sense and set primal fear ablaze within her heart.

It seemed an eternity that she spent there, wallowing in the pain of the beatings her father offered and she longed for a release. A stop to the pain, to the fire, and end to her life as she knew it. But when the strand felt about to break the visions turned to something...else. A new face became her father's, his body morphing to that of someone smaller, more petite. The silhouette became a woman and the face was marred with two milky eyes and firey red hair.

Incendia did not beat her.

With a start, Ari woke from the trance-like state she had been in and found herself laying on a mattress in a cold and dank room. Other cots with other bodies dominated the space, its walls were bare and the entire room was spartan in its utility, clearly, this was some sort of medical bay. Looking down at her body she found her armour stripped and replaced with a cheap feeling gown. Beneath it, her body was bruised and severely lacking in any respite. The beating she'd taken at the lab had almost overwhelmed her, it was one of the closest she'd ever felt to her adoptive father, Thor.

Nothing seemed to stir in the room but her and she shifted to a seating position with a great deal of effort and discomfort. Without shoes, where would she go?

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"]


A woman moved inside Ari's peripheral vision. The wiry Zabrak female who had led the band of rebels on their quest. Spire. She looked like she'd taken her share of knocks, but was up and about. There was a sterile gauze bandage wrapped around part of her head. She still carried a pistol in her thigh holster. "You're not in Manda yet, in case you're wondering, Mando," she remarked dryly. "You took a hell of a beating. Lucky to still have your head on your shoulders."


The room the two were in was cold, dank and utilitarian. Severely lacking in creature comforts. In other words, typical for med bays. Or those not designed for the rich and affluent at any rate. Other cots with other bodies had been cramped into the small room. A glass with water had been placed next to where the Mandalorian was lying.


If Ari looked around, she'd spot Elpsis lying on a nearby mattress. The young witch was still asleep. Fresh scars and bruises marred her body, her breathing was a bit slow, but regular. Occasionally she turned around in the somewhat dilapidated old bed and mumbled words, some more intelligible than others.

 

[Ari Vox]

From the water Ari drank, her eyes adjusting to the simple act of being open and her mind slowly processing the events that had to have taken place in between the last thing she recalled and her arrival here. Manda had been a distinct possibility, still was if she cared to think hard enough, but the water that rushed down her throat and cooled the fires of her body seemed real enough, it's rough and shoddy taste a clear indication of her survival.

Around her were faces she recognized from the mission, rebels that must've gone down in the final climactic battle of the fight. Ari was surprised she was among them.

"I'm surprised you lot brought me out," Her voice was cracked from disuse, lacked any depth or volume control and came out sounding like she'd awoken from the grave. A gulp of water seemed to make her chords more accommodating. "Would've saved you a bit of dough," A smile cracked across her worn features, mirthless other than the slightest humour in the gleam of her eyes as she assessed the Zabrak and then the ground. Nearby Incendia stirred and drew a look from the Mandalorian.

"That one's a hell of a fighter, no surprise with the scars she has," She muttered and pointed with one shaky finger at the resting force-users silhouette. The day had been won by the lithe redhead, honour and glory would be hers for the taking but Ari knew she did it for far more than that. Or thought so, at least. At the foot of the Mandalorian's cot was a pile of her armoured attire, and from the bundle came a soft whispering that barely fluttered its way into the blonde woman's ear. With a grunt and heave she leaned across the cot and rifled a hand through the belongings, returning it to the light clutching a small earpod piece which she swiftly fitted in place.

"Ma'am if you can hear me I'd damn well better get a response!" Came an angry vocabulator that the Mandalorian instantly recognized. Rawlins, for all his depth and intelligence, was very much a mother hen when it came to his organic counterpart. "Why do I even try anymore, she's gone Skip!" The anguish in his robotic voice was real and painful to Ari's tattered heart.

"Rawlins, this is Valkyrie, I'm alive and well. Wait for further instructions,"

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"].


Spire shrugged. "My boss has a lotta dough. Word is she chits aurodium." Hopefully none of her children would shoot her with a crossbow while she was taking a crap in her privy. That would be really embarrassing. "Don't leave people behind...if I can help it." She was quiet for a moment. After all, they had been forced to leave people behind. Too many? It was the cost of war. The Zabrak spared the still sleeping firebrand a glance.


"Red's a good girl," Spire remarked. "Bit too much of a hero complex. No surprise, with a family like that," she trailed off. It was not her place to divulge things. Ari got up and rummaged through her belongings, before removing a small device. Spire could not quite make out the stream of angry words broadcast through the earpiece, but she got Ari's reply. "Friends? Concerned lovers?" she asked sarcastically.

 

[Ari Vox]

"Oh thank heavens you're alright-" Rawlins bawled, his programmed emotions in overdrive as he blathered noisely into Ari's earpiece. She tuned him out, attention set on Spire as she spoke and simply nodded along with the conversation. She owed her a life now, it had been a long time since something of that scale was owed to anyone and she wondered how she'd go about repaying it.

"I guess you could say they're my crew, should've checked in before we took off," A smirk spread across her face and a deep inhalation sound came through her earpiece. Rawlins was offended, he had every right to be. Since she'd first become a Mandalorian he had been there at her side, teaching her about her new culture and many others throughout the galaxy, about fighting which he drew from endless sparring sessions with her adoptive father Thor, and even of the things she'd missed in school as a child. Math had been her strong suit, expressing emotion was never a real strength of hers.

"You mentioned Red's family?" The Mandalorian led, hoping to find more about this mysterious force-user she had felt so compelled to protect and had failed so miserably at doing.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"]


"They pay my bills," Spire responded dryly.

"Ari?" Elpsis spoke with a groggy voice when her vacant eyes fluttered open. She looked around, furrowing her brow slightly. "Spire? We won?"

"Yes, kid."

"No kid," Elpsis muttered.

"No, I guess not," Spire admitted after a moment. "How you feeling?"

"Like the morning after an Order party," Elpsis joked lamely. "How many made it out?"

There was a pause. "Enough. We got the toys. Evac will take place at night fall. Be ready to move out." With that Spire turned away and left the medbay.

Elpsis glanced towards Ari. "Hey, you ok?"

 

[Ari Vox]

She'd begun dressing while she and Spire spoke, the aches and bruises flaring in response as she slipped on her bodysuit and boots and forced her to sit back on the cot, panting from the effort. Nearby Incendia stirred, her voice sounding as rough as she looked.

"Yeah, I'm good. That was a hell of a close call though. How about you?" Ari's breathing had stabilized, her energy had come back quickly and she began fitting her vambraces. Pieces of armour would follow, interconnecting Mandalorian Steel that never ceased to amaze her. The history was not quite the same as the traditional Beskar, but it brought waves of roiling recollections to the surface for the blonde woman regardless.

Rawlins had shut up for a moment, at least that was a positive.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"]


"Still walking, still breathing, still got my bits. I guess that's good, right?" Elpsis asked rhetorically. "We kicked arse though. Poor Ned, poor everyone on our team who didn't make it. May they find peace and joy in a world without war," she said, sounding somber.


Slowly, she got to her feet. The aches and bruises her body had sustained flared up in response and she winced, feeling a stab of pain. Her breathing was a lot more laboured than she would have liked and she had to take a moment to stabilise herself, feeling a bit dizzy.


Still, she removed the cheap gown. The fact that her body was exposed to the Mandalorian did not seem to bother her. Military life had a way of breeding impractical modesty out of you and she was not shy about her body anyway. Her gaze drifted towards Ari as the older woman donned her suit.


"You're always in armour. Always encased by layers of steel," she remarked. It went without saying that she was probably referring to more than the simple fact that Ari wore Mandalorian steel a lot. "Sorry. Didn't mean to pry," she said quickly. She slipped into her own clothes. She did so rather slowly, though, relying on touch rather than sight to get it right. "You gonna come with us?" she asked while she slipped on a shirt, sounding a bit hopeful.

 

[Ari Vox]

Encased. Ari appreciated the imagery and nodded along with the force-users words. It was true, she had not only the shield and armour she wore but many layers below that were even more defences, a shelter for places that the Mandalorian wanted none to see. Without them she was vulnerable, a feeling no soldier appreciated, and so kept them up in all possible circumstances. Even the times that Ari had felt passionate enough for love, the protection remained and made her distant and cold, the eventual dilemma to which every relationship fell prey.

"Layers of steel don't work very well against high-voltage electricity though," She smirked and resumed fitting her armour, taking her time and doing it well, a meticulous process she'd perfected over years of practice. "I do feel like we're cut from the same cloth," Ari remarked, eyes locking on the milky eyes of Incendia before returning to her process.

"Go with you where?" By now she was finished dressing, had only her helmet to don and her weapons to set but left them sitting as they were at the foot of her bed. In her suit she felt better, it held her aches tightly and made movement a little easier but still, she felt winded and wild-eyed crazy. It would take more time before she was a hundred percent but if this med-bay was in the safehouse she'd been first introduced then the mercenary felt confident she could make it back to her ship.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"]


"Uh, home base. We got great R&R. Could shoow you around." Standing was awkward, not to mention walking. She felt winded and her ribs made their discontent known. The battle had left her with more scars to add to her ever-growing collection. Then again, the ladies really digged the scars...so perhaps it wasn't much of a loss?


The girl put on her utility belt and reattached her lightsabre. "Shame I can't see your face. Your aura's nice though. Strong. Pretty." She was not just being poetic. An aura was what she saw when she looked at another person. Sometimes it was difficult to remember what the people she'd known before losing her sight really looked like.


"My real name's Elpsis. Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori," she said after a pause. There was not much reason for anyone to have heard of Elpsis. Who knew, it might be a popular name in this very large galaxy. Kerrigan and Alcori, on the other hand, were quite famous names. At least if it referred to Siobhan Kerrigan and Tegaea Alcori. Former leaders of the Omega Protectorate, directors of Firemane and general power couple.

 

[Ari Vox]

The Mando had never been one for auras or magicks of any kind, but she appreciated the compliment regardless and rose to her feet along with Elpsis. A fire was erupting throughout her body, muscles that wanted nothing more than a few days bed rest and three meals a day, but the warrior would have none of it. Fractures, sprains, tears be damned! She wasn't going to spend another moment bedridden and infirm.

"Elpsis, it's a pleasure," There was a pause, the soldier cocking her head ever so slightly to the side while grinds turned and an idea filtered through. "I seem to recall your name from somewhere. Arms manufacturer maybe?" A piece connected to the puzzle and Ari smiled every so slightly. "You're more than just well-off aren't you? I'd be surprised to hear of you fighting on the frontlines had I not seen your aptitude for it,"

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"]


Ari's reaction caused Elpsis to giggle slightly. "Burning bad guys suits me more than lazing around in a spa and stuffing my closet full of fancy clothes I'll never wear. I went through the school of hard knocks on the streets instead of being born with a golden spoon in my mouth. I'm a fighter. Like my mothers - my adoptive mothers."


"They're big in business these days. Arms manufacturing, exploration, and so on. Maybe you'll get to meet 'em. Sure they'd like you." Well, she imagined [member="Tegaea Alcori"] would. Siobhan's opinions tended to be variable when it came to anything that related to Elpsis. Of the two, she was the more haughty, aloof one.

 

[Ari Vox]

While she fastened her helmet to her belt, Ari listened intently to the younger woman. He claims of a hard knock life seeming apparent in not only her outward appearance but her stature and the way she carried herself in a fight. The Mandalorian felt an even stronger kinship, her traumatic childhood serving to strengthen the bond she felt with Elpsis and allowing her to smile through the grief.

"My childhood wasn't much to write about either. definitely weren't any Jedi-godmothers around to turn a Bantha into a luxury cruiser at least. Definitely wasn't born to this," She patted the T-visor of her hanging helmet as an explanation and worked to tie back her hair with a clip she pulled from her wrist. "I was adopted into Clan Vox as a teenager, haven't had to look back since," There was a moment of silence between the pair of wincing women before Ari finished tying her hair and dropped her arms to her sides.

"Shall we be off then?"

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"]


"Both been through crappy childhoods and hard knocks, huh? Upside? Ladies dig hot chicks with scars who can kick arse. I do at any rate," she batted her eyelashes at the older woman. "Wanna trade stories some time?" Doing your hair was a little awkward when you were blind. Especially when you had an unruly firemane. But it sufficed to grab a hair scrunchie and throw it into a ponytail on their way out.


The much diminished rebel crew awaited them. Kora was helping an obviously wounded rebel walk. Spire was carrying the plasma cannon. Now that they were on the clock again the Zabrak was all business. "Took your time," she remarked to Elpsis.

"Blame my hair," Elpsis said sardonically.

"Just cut it off," Spire said in a deadpan tone. "Command has dispatched our ride home. Ession is crawling with jackboots, so our window's limited. Move out."

"Sewers?"

"Sewers," Kora confirmed.

 

[Ari Vox]

"That only makes sense right?" She smiled at Elpsis from the corner of her mouth and grabbed her weapons as the pair ventured out from the med-bay of the safe house and into the main room proper. It seemed business as usual, most of the rebels and mercenaries in sight were beat in one way or another but each wore their newfound scars with pride and were busy at work. Spire was armed and dangerous, Kora aided a less-than-mobile casualty and the mention of sewers was brought up once more.

"Sewers," Ari replied, eyes rolling and voice low. "I'm right behind you then,"

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"]


Down they went into the sewers. They were as smelly, cramped and claustophobic as last time. Indeed the stench might have become even worse. It was probably best not to speculate why. Elpsis tried to swallow her disgust as she crawled. Perhaps it was for the best that she had not had breakfast. Wearing a breath mask also helped a bit.


Eventually, they exited the pipe and emerged from the manhole cover. The meeting spot was a deserted landing pad. Once the hangar had seen use, but then the area had been abandoned, as the corresponding factory had been closed. These days it was utilised by smugglers and other lowlife.


Leading the pack, Spire made her way onward. Having reached the hangar doors, she came to a halt. The pass code was transmitted by sending two silent pings before giving the door three short punches. Noise could be heard coming from the other side of the door as the second half of the code was transmitted. Spire stepped back, giving the team a curt nod and a hand signal. Finally the door slid open, revealing Firemane operatives in nondescript spacer clothes, and a small, sleek ship. Elpsis hoped for a hot tub, but was certain her yearning would go unfulfilled.

 

[Ari Vox]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

Rain was falling gently, no more than a drizzle really, but enough to give the covert operatives an eerie silhouette in the diminishing haze as Ari stepped out from the hanger and into the open, flanked by Elpsis and Spire on either side. The rebels moved with a purpose, the walking wounded assisted by their bretheren whilst everyone else just hustled to the ship. It was small, enough room for the rebels heading aboard but only just. The Mandalorian found herself in a sandwich, Elpsis on one side and a heavily bandaged rebel on the other, the entire left side of his head coated in a white linen that meant the two would have no real communication.

Spire remained behind, guiding the wounded into the ship and passing off words where she needed before stepping back and letting the door slam shut, it would only be moments before they were beyond orbit and then, hyperspace. On her wrist-mounted holopad Ari punched in a quick command and reclined back as best she could, setting the Jackal rifle between her knees and the back of her helmet against the wall behind her. Rawlins would follow them safely, Skip piloting the freighter as her droid companions awaited her return.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Ari Vox"]


Even though the rebel band had been much diminished by their raid, the small ship was still cramped. It had been designed to enable its crew and passengers to get in and out before anyone noticed them, and was thus lacking in space or creature comforts. Their exit was quick and took place without much fuss. Spire was the last aboard, having made a final headcount after the last team member boarded the vessel. Finally everyone was aboard, the ramp was raised and the stealthy vessel toook off.


"Man, I'm hungry. When I'm home I'm stuffing myself. And getting laid," Elpsis muttered quietly to herself. As the ship pierced the planet's atmosphere and left the planet behind it, she suppressed a yawn. She was well on the way of dozing off when the pilot punched the coordinates into the navcomputer and made the jump to hyperspace. By then she was dozing off. Presumably Ari's ship would receive the appropriate coordinates so that Rawlins and Skip could follow.


It would take a few hours before the ship went into reversion and emerged in real space, entering the black void once more. When this happened, it found itself facing a ginormous space station that seemed to stretch as far as the naked eye could perceive. Probably even further. This was the Arx Aeternea, Firemane's headquarters and absurdly large status symbol.