Bringing Heaven to Hell (Firemane)

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Space. The final frontier. Going boldly where no woman has gone before...oh, wait, this is not that sort of tale!


Anyhow, while Tarissa was indulging her love for mass destruction and Dells had taken over a Reaver-class tank, something this writer thoroughly approves of because they really wanted someone to use them, Siobhan was out there in space. The transport shuttle had reached a position from which she could work her telekinetic magic, meaning that they were rather far away from the main fleet, and now she was out there. Clad in a space suit that would have felt terribly claustophobic if she was not used to beskar'gam by now and tethered to the craft.


Nothing could go wrong. Nothing at all. She took a deep breath as she concentrated, eyes fixated upon the enormous mass of debris and shattered ships that littered space. Too many for the naked eye to count. The Firemane and Eldorai clearing teams were already at work salvaging what could be made use of. Obviously in a part of the area far away from her. Space was bloody big after all and the orbit of Gehenna was like a salvager's dream.


Space...she remembered it all too well, from just a few months ago. She the bitter, biting cold that made Hoth seem like a summer paradise as she was brutally catapulted into the depths of space when Shadow's space station was set ablaze and torn in half. She remembered desperately struggling to breathe but failing and feeling like she would suffocate, as if she was drowning. Her powers had not availed her then. Her impressive mastery of the Force, her combat abilities, her seemingly indomitable will...all of it had been futile. She remembered being afraid. No, that was not strong enough a word. She remembered being gripped by terror and, perhaps most importantly, not wanting to survive.


She took a breath, then shook it off. Fear could not rule her. It was the little mind-killer. It could not control her anymore. The Kerrigan would not be held back by it. So she blotted it out, like she blotted everything out around her, paying no mind to the seductive siren call that came from the depths of the darkness that laid claim over the planet. She had conquered it once, broken the gods and false idols the Bando Gora made obeisance to. Like she would one day find and break Shadow. Completely and utterly.


"Time to clear the highway," she muttered to herself, voice obviously modulated by her massive helmet's speaker, as she focused and gave herself to the Force. She was not yet fully recovered. Truth be told, she had tremendously exerted herself on Alderaan and that was not even taking into account the failed assault on Shadow's base. She really should not have gone to Alderaan, charged into battle so soon after recovering. Her memories were mostly intact again, but sometimes she still discovered gaps in her mind. But this task was something that came natural to her, something she knew she could.


So she fixated her focus upon the massive of debris that littered space before her. Wreckage from battles long past, from the Protectorate conquest and doubtless from clashes before. Some could be identified as the remnants of Bando Gora battleships, others of war vessels of the Protectorate fleet. Most of those ships being from the Exarchate fleet of Eriadu. Her own Exarchate at the time. It was time to send them to their final resting place, for as they would burn up in orbit it would be their funeral pyre.


Resolved in this, she harnessed the awesome power of the Force as she stretched out and opened herself, drawing in an absurd amount of force energy. She felt a sense of exhilaration as the tremendous power filled her, animated and energised her. She would just be running on her own power here, along with what the sigil of hope was feeding her, but that should suffice. So much power that she was greedily drawing into herself, until it felt like she might burst, but it was controlled. Pure and raw aggression harnessed for productive purposes.


With aphotic energy writing inside her, she visualised the broken mass of shattered ships and debris floating around in space before her and...acted. To be precise she lashed out and unleashed her power. One might compare it to a steam engine combusting or a volcano suddenly erupting without warning. Such might be a fitting analogy for the overpowering, apocalyptic shockwave of telekinetic energy that suddenly surged from her and swept forth to crash into the mass of debris. Such was the force that she herself was shaken by it, likewise the shuttle she was attached to, but it held for now. Beads of sweat were dripping down her forehead and back, but she soldiered on and exerted herself to widen the telekinetic blast, pouring more and more energy into it. She imagined her power crashing into the wreckage with such force to cause a chain reaction, sending all the detritus of battle surging through space at such speed the naked eye could not follow, making it crash into oribt and burn up, be utterly fried. In a way her task was actually made easier by the fact that there is no gravity in space. The objects she was throwing were...very big, but in her grasp size mattered not. Her will would slam into the wreckage much like an enormous battering ram or as if battleships had fired hailstorms of missiles. Debris would break and be utterly shattered by the impact or simply burnt up in the atmosphere. The shockwaves would be gigantic...and so it happened. In space there is no sound, though it is often depicted to the contrary. The same applies to explosions.


She watched grimly as she saw the big debris vanish in orbit to be consumed and fried into a beautiful inferno. A small smile curved over lips then suddenly... a smaller piece of debris crashed into her. Taken by surprise she cried out as pain from the impact surged through her.


Then she realised that things had gotten...very complicated. For one she realised that she was pulled away from the shuttle as if gripped by an invisible force. The line connecting her to the shuttle had been severed by the impact and she was suddenly floating helplessly in space as she was catapulted into the cold vacuum of space. That was annoying, but manageable. Then that her suit had been breached and was leaking...and suddenly things started to become a lot colder for her. The alarm systems of her space suit flared, telling her what she already knew. Oxygen was...becoming very thin...

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

"Lady Cadalthor says the landing zone has been cleared. Many enemies still present."
"Excellent, begin the landing. Move into the city and destroy all enemies. Commander, send a message to Lieutenant Tempest, she is go for launch."

Suddenly, an urgent warning beeped up. "Lady Alcori...Lady Kerrigan has been hit," a comms officer said.
"Explain. Now," Tegaea snapped.
"Debris severed her connection. The shuttle is keeping track of her, but they don't have a tractor beam."
Icy fear filled Tegaea. Not again! Siobhan, I am going to slap you from here to Raevana. Not betraying her turmoil, she spoke calmly. "The Radiant is nearest. Have her picked up by them and dealt with by the medical team. Top priority."

And so the Radiant was dispatched to help assist the shuttle in saving Siobhan. Tegaea could only help the wouldn't be too late.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


One wondered why Siobhan had went on this task in the first place. After all, the Firemane fleet could clear the debris away just fine, though it would take a hell of a lot longer. Perhaps it was because she had nothing to do on the Ardarvia and was bored. After all, Tegaea was giving all the orders and could run the operation without her, leaving her as a bystander playing second fiddle. Perhaps she was jealous because it was her wife giving the orders.


Space is big. Even though in most holovids and video games it is often portrayed as being rather easy to cover, unless one uses 3D maps, which no one does anyway. Space is also cold. Extremely so. As a matter of fact it makes Hoth look like the ideal place for a tourist resort for something other than adventure tourists and fanatical Ropo fans. In space, no one can hear you scream. You can also not breathe in it. At this point this writer is probably stating the obvious and should get on with the actual plot. The plot being the one that Siobhan has gotten herself spaced again. As it was the clock was ticking...only a few minutes at most were left for her. Bitter, biting cold gripped her. Oxygen was running low. In space, as has been said, one cannot breathe and what reserve oxygen her suit had was being flushed out by the breach.


The alarm systems of her suit flared, informing her of a breach she already knew about. Her vision grew hazy, things threatening to go dark for her around her eyes as she found it difficult to concentrate, focus dwindling as she floated seemingly helplessly through the depths of space. She struggled to breathe, though intellectually she knew that was futile anyway, her face turning paler. It was ironic perhaps that the first wave of dropships was already swooping down through the atmosphere of the planet she had conquered so many years ago, seeking to once again conquer and this time forever. Icy fear gripped her mind and sought to paralyse her actions, flashes of her engagement with Shadow threatening to overtake her mind.


Then she tried to act. She did not need someone to save her again. She had the Force and it was a powerful ally - or tool, which was probably closer to the way she used it. Chucking and crushing the massive pieces of debris had tired her out a lot, but sheer desperation and fear filled her with adrenaline and gave her the boost that was needed. She would most certainly not die in space like it had almost happened last time. Nor would she helplessly float around until someone saved her again.


The protective cocoon of the Force could not resolve the problem that in a couple minutes she would have no oxygen. It could provide some protection against the brutal cold...for a bit. Her telekinetic will could wrap around the suit breach and with a powerful pull heal it...rather rudimentarily, admittedly, but nonetheless. For a moment she lost focus as a piece of stray debris suddenly struck her in the back. Not enough to force another serious breach but enough to send her flying and catapult her towards the planet, where ironically enough dropships were just racing down. Her mind reeled under the impact as she was seemingly wildly tumbling. Passing through the atmosphere would be...bad for her.


Then she managed to catch herself and wrapped herself in the Force. With enough energy and concentration she could throw...almost anything. It stood to reason that she could propel herself as well. That was, after all, the very principle of levitation, and there was no gravity in space forcing her down to some fixed ground. And so propel herself she did, force pulling herself as if she were a boulder fired from a catapult, her will overpowering the invisible forces that sought to bring her down as she thrust herself through the cold space, incidentally towards the waiting tractor beam.

 

[Eyrecae Alzari]

[member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Coryth Elaris"]

"Finally!" Eyrecae said impatiently as the ground came into sight. The nightmarish battlefield with its wrecks and ruins lay scattered before them in the sulphurous light. Flames burned intensely, and many reavers and their allies were slain.

As soon as the door opened Ashira's daughter was striding forward.
"Alzari, stay in formation!" one Firemane officer ordered. "Wait for support!"
Eyrecae looked back, her helmet showing no expression, then she shook her head and kept walking. As she did she unslung her hammer.

The bombers and gunships had done well, but air power was never absolute. From the craters and rubble enemies came forward to fight. Alone, and without support, Eyrecae charged. If she'd waited, Delila's tanks were landing, and the rest of the strike team was following, but there would be no pause in the charge.

Running forward she leapt onto a shattered tank, then into the fray. A wounded reaver tried to reach for her, but she hammered them to paste. A True Reaver, unscathed by the blast, came forward to meet her.
"Blood for the Kerrigan!" it roared, swinging a massive mace which took Eyrecae in the chest and sent her flying.
Shaking herself off, Eyrecae let out a guttural roar, turning into a banshee screech as she reached the enemy. Her hammer, moving at rapid velocities, shattered the mace on impact. Roaring her triumph, Eyrecae brought down the hammer onto the True Reaver's head, crushing it like foil. More enemies came, but she continued to crush her foes. One powerful punch broke open a cultist's helmet, leaving him to suffocate and burn in the toxic air. Eyrecae was having the time of her life...though at some stage it might be good if others came and helped.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Eyrecae Alzari"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Eyrecae Alzari"], [member="Tempest"], [member="Coryth Elaris"]


Apparently Kerrigan had gotten herself into another mess and was now floating around in space. Well, Kaida obviously did not know that. Not everything was about the 'Great Countess' after all. Doubtless she would soon be mopey again about being superfluous since she was not allowed to induldge her love for death charging. And Eyrecae was charging off. Well, the rather bitchy frost elf did not belong to her fan club either or care about her.


Gehenna was not a battlefield she had wanted to return to, but there was no time to be wethennish about that. Besides, she had volunteered, so it would have been terribly mopey and inconsistent. One might strongly question the wisdom of sending a cryomancer to a hellish hothouse like Gehenna. It's about as logical as sending a pyromancer to Hoth. However, this writer does not like Kaida much and so logic and consistency is not something they're focused on. Does this writer like any of their characters? Well, they like Moira Skaldi for valid reasons. One of them being her inability to be emo about things. Anyhow, now that this writer has for some reason decided to fill this post with stuff that has nothing to do with plot, we shall actually write relevant things.


All around her was mayhem and chaos as Kaida landed with an initial strike force of Firemane Eldorai soldiers. Corpses and the detritus of battle were strewn across the war-ravaged ground. It was bloody hot and she felt it perhaps more than the others because she was so attuned to the cold. Starfighters and gunships roared overhead, the noise of their engines being added to the sounds of gun fire, the whoosh missiels and the fanatical cries of the Reavers as they death charged.


There was little in the way of natural cover, for if the planet ever had life it had been stripped clean of it aeons ago, but the wreckage of the last battle provided a good deal. Moreover, there were plenty of craters. "Here they come, take cover. Set up e-webs in the centre, mortars in the rear. Bolter bombardment...now. Second fireteam load APE rounds! Watch your six." a wounded Reaver that pounced at her was cleaved from shoulder to belly as her yellow lightsabre dazzled into existence and scythed the beast.


Eyrecae was going on a blind death charge, but the frost elf had no desire to follow, though the hammer-wielding maniac offered a great distraction. Taking ahold of her shatterbolter she charged the weapon and took aim as Reavers and arachnids charged them, several having played during the bombardment and now suddenly leaping out of craters and from beneath corpses. Scarlet beams and salvoes of laser fire streaked through the air as the Firemane and Eldorai soldiers unloaded their blasters and rotary cannons, frying bodies and scything limbs. To them was added the thick cracks of bolters as explosive bolts were thunked out. Spying a True Reaver charging with an animalistic roar, screaming, "My life for the Kerrigan!" Kaida took aim and squeezed the trigger. There was a resounding boom, almost like the roar of a cannon, as an explosive bolt leapt out of the gun and shot through the air at tremendous speed. The True Reaver sought to wrap himself in a shield of force energy, orange tendrils leaping out as he drained lesser Reavers, but this did him little good as he was blasted to pieces...along with most of his cover, and a number of Reavers. Blood and guts splattered across the ground.


"Mortars...fire," further behind the lines of soldiers, who formed firing lines like armies of old, mortars had been set up and now they unleashed their deadly balls of explosive. Explosive shells guided by telekinetic specialists on the Eldorai side, who wrapped their willpower around them and propelled them forward, blocking attempts by True Reavers to reflect them. As the shells impacted in clouds of orange-yellowish gas filled the air, covering the area and disorientating the beasts. Back in the original battle the Protectorate had employed FEX-M3 nerve gas to decimate the war beasts of the Bando Gora. Firemane unfortunately did not have access to that, but this worked thus as well as it would disrupt the vision of the bugs and Reavers, perhaps make them fall on each other. "Second mortar team...fire," the second wave consisted of shells filled with the delightful concoction called white phosphorus. Kill it with fire was a trope the Eldorai fully subscribed to. Thick white clouds billowed up into the sky as the shells struck, Reavers and beasts screeched wildly and in intense agony as they were mercilessly put to the torch. The toxic was filled with the smell of burnt, charred flesh, as if someone had put the barbeque on for too long.


"Prepare to char...," our frost elf did not get any further because suddenly, from deep within the ground, arachnids burst out. One leapt out right behind her and pounced. The Force gave her a warning. It prevented her from getting run through by one of its massive spines as she dodged, though the impact sent her flying and one of its spines beat into her to break ribs. She grit her teeth as the arachnid spat burning acid at her, willing the Force to blot out the surge of intense pain. Her lightsabre moved in a blur to chop off legs as the beast charged, then the abomination screeched loudly as an Eldorai pyromancer sent forth a blast of flame. Using her chance Kaida surged forward and ran her sabre through its mouth. Two Firemane soldiers perished as they were too late to respond and devoured by the arachnids, an Eldorai got her legs broken as they were seized by the spines of one before the beasts were cut down by APE rounds.


"Get the wounded out of the firing zone and give me cover. Keep a fireteam to cover our rear. Bugs might come again. Load APE rounds against them. Angelii at the front, bring up your Taegis shields and form line." with that Kaida took up position and, as more Reavers charged upon them, bringing alchemically hardened maces, auras that reeked of the vile energies of the dark side, abominations all, up against the invaders, concentrated. It was true most of her cryomantic abilities were either impossible or extremely difficult to use, certainly those relating to manipulating the moisture in the air to generate cold since this was a planet with no water.


But that did not mean she was entirely useless and out of her depth. For if there was a thing that came natural to her beyond control over ice and water, then it was manipulation of the winds. In a way both reinforced each other, as conjuring up powerful, cold winds was necessary to say summon an icestorm of a blizzard. Her ability to summon a whirlwind came from manipulation of the elements, not telekinesis. So as chaos raged around her, as the Chaos warriors clashed against the thick phalanx the Angelii in the group had formed, sarzmigars and shields clashing with maces and great swords, blaster bolts flew through the air and the screams of the wounded on both sides echoed acrouss the vast mountain ranges, she focused. The salvoes of acid being spat by the bugs was met by blasts of flame and heat unleashed by the Angelii and telekinetic blasts that sent monsters flying. Still there were casualties - here Reavers went down from an armour-piercing rounds, there a Firemane soldier was taken out of commission by a torrent of lightning fired by a True Reaver or speared by an arachnid. But what the task force lacked in numbers it made up with discipline, superior organisation and firepower. The hammer blow that was the original exterminatus of Gehenna had cut off the head of the Bando Gora menace, what was left now was clean-up.


She gave herself to the Force and poured her will into manipulating the air currents to make them shift. The air would become heavier and heavier around the charging Reavers, as it bent to her command. A gust of a wind would be conjured up and break free, sweeping across the broken ground towards the monsters. At first it would be quite weak but then intensify as a whirlwind came into being, blossoming into a raging tempest that tore through the battlefield with ever increasing speed, the howl being such that it might be almost deafening as she sought to create a maelstrom of power, one based upon the weather but coming into being through the all-binding energy field called the Force as it whipped across the desert. Such raging winds were not uncommon on Gehenna and so while Kaida was using a significant portion of her power, more than that she was drawing on what was already present. And so the local wind started to spin on the ground, gradually causing a funnel to form. The funnel moved over the ground, pushed by the winds out of which it had been born, picking up wreckage, bodies and dust as it became visible. Kaida poured her will into strengthening the whirlwind. clouds forming over the funnel, though it took plenty of energy to do so and gave her one hell of a headache.

Needless to say it took a good deal of concentration, especially for one on her level, to maintain the raging whirlwind and ensure that the powerful swirling forces swept towards the enemy to violently seize the beasts to pull them into the air and suck them into the vortex of a wind, rather than strike the Firemane troops. Beads of intense sweat dripped down her face and back, counteracting the natural cold she usually felt as she exerted herself, though despite the strain she soldiered on. She remembered the first battle all too well - she had lost friends and would crush those charging the lines now. The Gunships took to flight and steered clear as the whirlwind raged, obviously unwilling to be engulfed by it, though they did their part by laying down a hailstorm of fire on the enemy.

 

[Qual'Zyanya]

Beneath the mountains,
Bando Gora ruins.


It was just typical really. You finally made some headway on your tour through the fascinating capital city of the Bando Gora, but then the locals had to rudely interrupt you. It was terribly naughty really. These savages truly had no class. Well, that was the reasons why they were Reavers in the first place! Anyhow, they needed some education in proper manners.


Firemane troops and their Eldorai allies had landed upon the surface of Gehenna with much fanfare and were duking it out with the remnants of the legions of Chaos in the desert. However, Valeska and her loveable minion Amelia were obviously unaware of that. Doubtess if she made it out alive Valeska would not mind visiting the nightmarish battlefield and taking some pictures. Holopics of death and destruction, wrecks, ruins and corpses woud fit perfectly into her album. Besides, there was bound to be a few badly wounded soldiers who got forgotten and, well, she was bound to be thirsty by the time they got out.


However, this presupposed that they survived this engagement, for a horde of bestial Reavers seemed awfully intent on eating them. Or sacrificing them to the Kerrigan and then eating their liver. Or their heart. The intersection between the culinary habits of the Chaosspawn and their religious rites was truly an interesting subject. Unfortunately our heroines - oh, wait, Valeska was most certainly not good - did not have superpowers, but they had nice guns. That should suffice.


As out of the shadows the Reavers pounced the cryoban rifle of Amelia sprang to life. BANG BANG BANG BANG went the black market grade gun, whose original owner would not need it anymore, as it discharged cryoban rounds that swept the path before them. The tableau of rotten, mutilated flesh froze almost instantly in three seconds flat. It certainly improved the smell. Unfortunately, while Reavers excelled at things such as torture, mutilation and the recycling of human body parts, as evidenced by the necklaces made of human teeth, their personal hygiene was not the best. In a blur Valeska brought up her gauntlet and pressed a button upon her gauntlet, activating her miniaturised grenade launcher. Through the corrupted air a deady ball of explosives shot and a moment later every frozen Reaver in sight shattered into bits. It could have been considered a waste of good blood, but the Chaosspawn were the opposite of gourmet.


Looking dispassionately at the grisly sight Valeska grabbed a flame rifle from her leg and brought it up, activating the weapon. From its nozzle a blast of flame and heat shot out as she whirled around to cover another corridor from which beasts were charging, casting the altar room into the bright light of a blazing inferno. Screeches were heard along with demented prayers to the Dark Gods. The smell of burnt, charred flesh assaulted her nostrils, but she had gotten used to that a few centuries ago.


However, not all fiends were so easily cowed and through the inferno a Wookiee True Reaver charged. Yes, a Wookiee one! You see, there's nothing that says that Reaver narcotics only work on humans. To assume such would be terribly racist. His mad, sulfuric eyes were ablaze with such fury he would have seemed like a Madclaw to his kin on Kashyyyk. The maddened beast let out a guttural roar that seemed to come from the depths of the Shadowlands as it swung a massive, alchemically hardened axe. Flames whipped at his fur and melted it, burning pain shooting through him but still the Wookiee charged with reckless abandon, the pain seemingly only spurring him one.


Valeska dodged and in the same motion grabbed her disruptor pistol from her hip but suddenly she was grabbed by an invisible force that wrapped around her body, invisible chains wrapping around her limbs with force to make bones snap and trying to choke her. She struggled to breathe as she was thrown through the air against a wall, but managed to get a shot off with her gun. She missed the head or torso of the raging Wookiee, but his furry left arm disintegrated into a pile of ash, making him howl in pain. As the telekinetic bonds weakened she managed to kick herself off the wall, thereby lessening the impact, though her gun fell out of her hand. The reaverised Wookiee gave her no reprieve for he charged at her, swinging his massive hammer to turn her head to paste and leave her brain matter scrambled across the ground. Valeska rolled quickly under the overhead blow so that he caught her shoulder with a powerful slam, numbing it. But with adrenaline shooting through her she soldiered through it and tried to sweep his legs out from under him in a rapid motion, using his own momentum against him.


Caught by surprise the Wookiee fell to the ground as his balance was swept away. Quickly Valeska grabbed his mighty hammer but as she did that the Wookiee surged up and swung a brutal punch at her face, sending her flying. But as she was thrown she gripped the hammer tight and threw it through the air, using it as an improvised projectile that crashed into his head, crushing it. Still reeling under the fight Valeska got to her feet, trying to get a sense of things. Vision hazy and feeling thirsty now that her bloodlust had been awakened, she saw that Amelia was being cornered by two Reavers and a Scutarii mercenary, whom she tried to hold off with a vibroblade. One could hear her blade clash with their maces, then Valeska heard a cry of pain heard a cry of pain as the pet went down.


Valeska did not like when other people hit her pets. Quickly she surged to her feet, moving almost too fast to track. One of the Reaver beasts was seized by the throat and in a vicious pull she grabbed his neck, before tossing him aside. The Scutarii corsair tried to spin around but as he brought his blade down upon her she grabbed his arm and broke it. Before he could respond her elbow rammed into his belly. He was struck by pain and tumbling but the vampiress would not let him go so easily and, as Amelia ran through the last Reaver engaging her, she tore off his helmet before doing the same with her own. Eyes red with thirst, she sunk her fangs into the side of his neck, greedily drinking his blood and draining him.


There were many popular holomovies that depicted Garhoon, Energy Vampires, Anzati and the like. Oftentimes they were romanticised and shown as brooding, dark and handsome people who attracted and seduced their prey. In many such tales the act of being fed on by a vampire was displayed as being very erotic and pleasurable for the victim. Indeed in some stories they even sparkled. One popular series of holovids had been called My Summer Blood, which somehow managed to turn Anzati into brooding antiheroes adored by teenage fangirls. However, in reality it was like any predator and prey relationship. Thus the unfortunate mercenary cried out in intense agony as the vampiress' fangs tore through his flesh, for she was not in the mood to make her penetration the least bit merciful for him. He was cruelly brutalised, drained and frankly eaten alive as he struggled and kicked in vain to escape his fate. Amelia watched on as if this sort of thing was normal, tossing a frag grenade after fleeing beasts, before the Scutarii was discarded and tossed to the ground like an empty can.


"That felllow was fond of spice. How unhealthy," Valeska said commented, grimacing slightly in disgust though she licked her blood-covered lips. Apparently that was the most relevant thing to say after having just eaten someone. Admittedly the Scutarii were nasty people, but it's not like she cared.


Amelia seemed unphased by the display. "I thought the process of knowledge seeking was one of patience and research. All these tales of dramatic fights with archvillains are the stuff of holovids," she teased. Apparently even the thralls of vampires were cheeky and misbehaved these days.


Valeska sniffed a bit. Occasionally you had to indulge your toys to make them feel relevant. "Hmmph. It is! Unless Force Plot dictates the contrary. Or if you're on a death world." In the distance blood-curdling screams and animalistic roars could be heard, echoing through the corridors. "Get moving!"

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth was not the type to ever be on the front lines, well ... not unless she specifically chose to be there, or some prophetic vision drew her to the front lines. It was just not a pleasant place for the little redheaded empath. She'd sealed her helmet only moments before the ramp opened, depositing her upon the hellish surface. Now Cory understood why they'd insisted she wear boots..... The heat was oppressive even in her armor. "Okay, so ... maybe they had a point. Soooo not telling them that, though. No need to let them know they were right. It'd just get in their heads, give them an ego ... No, no we can't have that." She mumbled to herself, after making certain she wasn't broadcasting to the entire party.

As she stepped out and most the troopers scurried into battle, leaving the little redhead in a mostly cleared area. As she started to jog a bit to catch up with the others a screech broke out from just ahead of a grouping of soldiers. "I see someone had an extra scoop of queen flakes this morning." The Bando Gora altered monstrosity of an Acklay quickly advanced, promptly crushing through one of the soldier's chests as the man had tried to line up a shot. The monster seem mostly annoyed as others shot it's way, mostly bouncing off it's hard exoskeleton. The monster soon turned, and snatched up an arachnid that was racing by, biting it in half and quickly devoured the body. "Mmm, make two scoops of queen flakes." It seemed, it really didn't care who's side you were on... If you were in the way, you were food or just pissing it off.

Coryth was needless to say, not pleased with the advancing creature, but it seemed little weaponry was doing much good, and frankly she knew well enough that to get close enough for her, to use anything that might help, would likely end in tears. After making sure she was in a relatively safe area, a couple other soldiers at her side, the little Jedi finally felt safe enough to weave her magic. With eyes closed, she drew upon the force, pulling at it's fragile tendrils as she worked into the mind of the beast. Once there, with the alien nature of the monster's thoughts, (They were oddly slippery to Coryth, making it difficult to grasp and follow a linear path) it took a few moments to find the most soothing thoughts for the being. From there, Coryth simply did as she did with many beings, and pressed into that calmness, which already was having an effect on the creature, as it seemingly slowed down, and grew less ravenous and angry at the world which gave birth to it.

With her eyes now open, she advanced upon the field, daring to get closer to the beast. It turned to her, as nearly all other sentient creatures gave the monster a most wide berth, not wanting any part of the voodoo Coryth was working. Another screech was let out, but not nearly as grouchy. Oddly enough, there seemed to be an understanding forming between the Jedi and the crab like creature. But still it took a step forward, threatening her with two of it's massive claws. The redhead was not deterred in the least, starring it down as it took a few more steps in her direction, screeching a third time, just feet from the little woman, and still she did not move. The Acklay took one more step, closing the distance completely between it and the Jedi. But it was just then, that it seemed to stop. It's eyes fluttered before they groggily closed. The monster collapsed at her feet without so much as another sound.

Coryth cocked her head to the side, and watched for a moment as the beast seemed to have just fallen asleep. It wasn't a very time efficient method, but it had worked so well. "Just nap little gal ... sleep off the bitchiness. We'll all thank you for it." She said as she stepped around the creature and headed onward. "Wake the Acklay at your own risk." She radioed back to the others around her. "Also, wake the Acklay, and you'll have to deal with redhead rage, just fair warning."


[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Tempest"]

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Space:

Far away from the nightmarish battlefield of Gehenna, Reavers and soldiers clashed, where acidic, frosty elves conjured up devastating whirlwinds and redheads put monsters to sleep - it would be terribly hilarious if [member="Coryth Elaris"] ended up gathering several beasts as pets since she would probably treat them a hell of a lot better than their Dark Masters - work was continuing in space. Needless to say it was far less dramatic than what was taking place on the ground and far less suited for a holofilm.


Come to think of it, the Battle of Gehenna and Firemane's clean-up operation would make a nice movie, though presumably any holovid would get most of the facts wrong. It was doubtless many a medal would be won by participating in savalge work in space, yet it was important. From her position up on the bridge of the Valora's Blade, posture as perfect and controlled as ever, hands clasped behind her back as she projected an air of authority and aristocratic haughtiness, Tarissa could study the progress of the salvage and utility ships as they went about their vital task of cannibalising the shattered ships of the Bando Gora. There would be damage, there would be mess, there was the chance that here and there some might lose their lives if against all odds monsters were still there, but they would get the job done.


Like a swarm of hungry locusts they descended upon the floating wrecks that had once been the bane of worlds. Likewise they would fall upon the derelict vessels of the Protectorate. The key points were recorded, plasma torches were activated and began severing structural elements, pulling out valuable components out of the wrecks. Cannibalistic, opportunistic and terribly practical. It would be a very long and tedious process.The Kaeshana Confederation's resources had its limits, but the tractor beams of the Eldorai frigates and corvettes would help out where needed and send shivers through the nearest sections of the warships that were in the process of being stripped of their components. In time the concerted tractor pulls would start to pay off. Combined with the lasers and plasma cutters, loose bits would be pulled out of the old warships. A few bits of debris would start to drift off, but another tractor beam would blaze to gather it up.


Waste not want. Here and there clearing teams would be landed upon the disabled vessels. They would surgically move through section after section, heavily armed, for one could never be too careful, and systematically strip them of anything that could be of use. Weapons, munitions, starfighters, anything that could be transported. Tedious as well, but potentially rewarding. Even the dead, rotten bodies of Reavers could be recycled, for they might be useful for study.


Tarissa studied the progress being made on the tactical map, holographic projections feeding her reports while she drank a cup of starcaf. No, she was not an addict at all. She could stop any time she wanted! However, the old argument of tea vs. coffee aside, one vessel in particular caught her eye, located at the far edge. The gigantic warship was undoubtedly of the Bando Gora, emblazoned as it was with the massive ungodly symbols of the Cult upon its side, the foul Marks of Chaos.


Scans from starfighters that had been dispatched reported that they picked up life signs. Even with her at present weak Force connection Tarissa could pick up a sense of evil and malice from the space hulk. The vessel plain and simply felt evil, like it was a nexus of darkness, a black leviathan that had prowled the stars for time uncounted....Messages were sent to the Firemane ships...


Ground:


The battle showed no sign of ending, as the discipline and firepower of the Kaeshana Confederation forces clashed with the primal ferocity of the Reavers and their beasts. Even now heavy dropships were still descending upon the war-ravaged ground of the hellish battlefield, gourging out platoons of soldiers as the deafening whirlwind raged, sucking in those beasts unlucky enough to be caught in the vortex of a wind. It seemed that everywhere there was death and destruction, its hanging in the air so much that it was like a pall.


As a Silaqui-class dropship landed upon the ground in an area that seemed free of fighting, out of nowhere suddenly a giant, vaguely arachnid-like beast emerged. Massive fangs bared and with a primal hiss it quickly advanced with almost blinding speed, far greater than what might have been expected from a creature this size. Upon the back of the beast sat a Bando Gora Priestess, one of the few true devotees still left of the once powerful cult. Her face was hidden by a skull-like mask and her eyes were whitish blue that showed the depth of her immersion in the dark side. The Eldorai soldiers scattered at the sight of the monstrosity, trying to move out of its path and bombard it with their bolters and bolters, but luck was not with them. Those that were lucky were sent flying as the beast rammed them with the force of a truck, the unlucky ones were run through by its claws and, as they screamed in agony, propelled into its mouth. The sound of them being torn apart by its teeth, which seemed more like tusks, would have echoed across the plains if it had not been drowned out by the sounds of battle that formed such a twisted symphony.


The foul beast hissed loudly as it advanced further, blaster shots bouncing off its hardened shell as it sliced and diced its way through. Those not slain immediately writhed in agony as the sorceress unleashed tendrils of orange energy to drain them of their life force, vampirically feeding upon them. "Destroy the infidels! Feast upon their flesh and drink their souls. From here, the Bando Gora will be reborn!" she screamed, her rage such that her voice was amplified to a powerful Force Scream, letting loose a shockwave of rage of such force to burst eardrums and send soldiers flying.


Then rumbles were heard across the ground after a dropship took off. The origin of the rumble became clear as a Reaver-class battle tank from the Ariane's Fist Battalion came into view. Soldiers were gripped by the bellow and tossed through the air, though some were caught by Eldorai telekineticists and pulled to safety into the protective formation. The powerful mass driver cannon of the mechanical behemoth was affixed upon the rampaging monster and the insane banshee riding it.


"Rally, in the name of the Dark Gods! Kill, slaughter, burn for their glory. Our techniques will tear the infidels apart. Their technological terrors are no match for true..." The great beast charged, surging across the ground with reckless abandon as it advanced forward. A pair of speeder bikes were crushed beneath it.


Then there was incredibly loud cannon fire, causing a powerful boom, and the beast blew into foul smelling pieces, likewise the sorceress, for while the Force itself is limitless, one's ability to use it is not and today it did in fact bend to technological terrors forged by mundanes. Body parts, ichor and organs splattered across the ground. "Our Goddess is stronger," the Eldorai driver of the tank felt the need to quip as the armoured behemoth advanced, eager to crush Reavers beneath its tracts or roast them into charred chunks of rotten flesh with its flamethrower. Step by step this world would be cleansed, all evil would be burnt out and then it would be reborn under a new banner.

 

[Delila Castillon]

So, Delila was on the ground now, nestled in her tank. Brrtyrr was circling in his cage, the pull of fluff eager to escape his confined. Opening the hatch, the little Jester circled in delight and instantly went over and bit the navigator of the tank. Cursing and a mild yelp caused the navigator to swerve slightly, crunching over some debris that was on the ground.


Brrtyrr Hungry!


Delila dug into her bag and fed the Jester some jerky that she had lying around in her pack. The thing was a noisy eater, making all sorts of sounds as the food was devoured. The tank continued on, occasionally rolling over the half-dead Reaver. That was extremely fun, especially while hearing the sickening crunch of their bodies under the tracks as they plowed on.


Where Orcface?


"[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] is busy in space or some nonsense. You just want to bite her anyways." Delila had to admit she was amused with Brrtyrr's nickname for Sio. Siobhan was a beautiful woman but apparently the Jester found her extremely hideous. The navigator suddenly started to gun the engine. A crowd of Reavers where milling about over head.


"Plow straight into them. Fire as we get into range."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

“Lady Alcori, we got her!” the communications officer called.
Internally, Tegaea breathed a sigh of relief. “Is she hurt?”
“A bit out of breath, but nothing serious reported. Medics on the corvette are going to see to her when she’s safely aboard.”
“Send them my thanks.” She consulted the tactical map and frowned. “They’re near the hulk. Is [member="Mirien Valdier"] aboard that corvette?”
“I believe so, Lady.”
“Excellent. The Reavers won’t know what hit them. I’m guessing they’ll board the ship and try and salvage it. Order all ships to hold fire against the hulk unless Lady Kerrigan directs otherwise. Command of everything to do with that sector is now under her control.”

Meanwhile the salvage operations were continuing, as did the battle below, but Tegaea temporarily had nothing productive to do. So she just stood and stared at the yellow globe, and hoping Siobhan had taken her allotted share of bad luck for this mission.
[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Eyrecae Alzari]

[member="Kaida Taldir"], [member="Delila Castillon"]

Whilst Kaida and Delila were fighting their battles, and Brrtyrr was being totally adorable, Eyrecae was fighting.

Some people might have gotten more cautious, waited for support, rested a bit. Eyrecae was not most people. She was to war what Aurelia Saelari was to politics…except this time she was more in love with war than her own voice.

Regardless, she’d dispatched another reaper when the ground burst forth beneath her and a spider attacked. Its spines stabbed at her, but her armour was proof against them. The impacts though were still severe, and she was at one stage crushed beneath it as it tried to get at her throat. Unable to use her hammer, Eyrecae managed to reach her blaster and fired repeatedly through its underbelly until the thing finally died.

Getting up and retrieving her hammer, Eyrecae ducked as Delila’s tanks opened fire, blasting gaps in the disintegrating Bando Gora lines.

“All units, attack! Attack!” she ordered, setting off again.

An orgy of violence far too violent and bloody for the kiddies to be safe. Suffice it to say, she was the tip of the spear which broke the Reaver lines.

Covered in steaming, sometimes boiling blood and gore, she held up her hammer and called.

“Is there nothing to challenge me?”

The Gods liked to play games, because with true dramatic timing the ground before her suddenly erupted to reveal a gigantic thresher maw like creature howling and screaming, fully ten metres tall.

Eyrecae looked up, paused, then laughed. “This is more like it! Finally a challenge!”

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Eyrecae Alzari"], [member="Coryth Elaris"]

Ground:

Thresher maws were fearsome, terrifying creatures that inspired awe and dread. Or, if one was a hammer-wielding maniac or a mentally unstable battering ram, they were a good mark to charge at and slay. Way back in the early days of Omega Pyre - simpler, in a way more innocent days - Cira, Tegaea and Siobhan had faced one such beast on Vandelhelm, which had been the only remotely interesting thing about that otherwise thoroughly unimpressive mining world come to think of it. Cira had leapt into the massive beast and rode it while stabbing at it with her shivs, Siobhan had proved her death charging capabilities by tossing big rocks at it and hacking at its tentacles with her lightsabre. Tegaea had called an air strike courtesy of Allaine Mare, whose Inimica had ended the beast in a beautiful firestorm.

You see, there were several ways to annihilate monsters like that. You could charge them if you were a war-crazed supersoldier with the plan to tear the beast's head off or something like that. You could overdramatically fly around and try to throw the beast - or throw all the other beasts at it - if you were a telekinetic psychosoldier. Or you could, if you belonged to the 99. 99% of the Galaxy's population that were not endowed with superpowers, just stay at a distance and bomb the damn thing.


Not particularly 'heroic'? Perhaps, but it kept significant casualties down on your part by preveting you from becoming the beast's meal and getting torn to pieces by its enormous teeth, was very practical and, besides, explosions were beautiful. Everyone loved explosions! Well, there were some people who did not. From the massive mouth of the gigantic sandworm a blast of...something, burning acid that was sprayed through the air and across the ground, strong enough to melt the armour of soldiers unlucky enough to have joined Eyrecae on her charge. Their agonised screams were heard as they were exposed to the merciless sun even as the acid ate through their flesh.


In the far distance, protected from the hurly-burly of the brutal melee, there was a vehicle. A Typhoon-class self-propelled multiple rocket launcher to be precise. This type of weapon was also called a grid square remover, which was a nice summation of the function this form of weapon played on the battlefield. Dug-in infantry emplacements and lighter armoured vehicles guarded it, for though the 'forces of order' seemed to have the upper hand, chaos reigned upon the battlefield and one could never be sure about ambushes. After all, not so long ago some soldiers had been eaten by spiders.


"We are in range, ma'am. Targeting computer has the thresher maw locked. Sector seven-three. Ready for barrage."


"Wait...is someone really....charging that thing? It's like ten metres tall!"


"Who'd be mad enough to death charge a beast that big? I thought Kerrigan was in space. Firemane is nuts. Anyhow, enough chatter. Arm HEAT turrets," Host Leader Tydiana spoke. A big bang was always the best solution! The crew knew what this meant: Unleash some missile pain on a giant sandworm that seemed awfully intent on turning lots of Firemane troopers and elves into its chew toys.


"Ready to fire, Host Leader."


"Fire." And so Kerrigan's Organ fired.

The weapon had earned this particular sobriquet because Exarch Siobhan had pushed its development during her term in office. Moreover, the sound the weapon's rocket motors made upon firing, as they did now, was like that of a church organ. As everyone knew, Siobhan was very religious...in her devotion to the Great Goddess Ardarvia. The artillery system had four pods available for rockets utilising high-explosive anti tank warheads, and, with the sound of a church organ being played, they fired, shooting through the air they shot towards the sandworm, seeking their target with unerring accuracy. With sixteen high-explosive missiles a battery it could blanket a square kilometre in high explosives. Use of shaped charges and of the Munroe Effect would create excellent penetration power even against the solid armour of tanks.

Well, maybe the bang would not be quite that big, but sort of. This writer is not quite certain. Anyhow, unless the Force miraculously intervened, the second the missiles impacted upon the gigantic worm they would detonate in a fiery blossom of explosive beauty, probably obliterating a good portion of the upper half of the beast and of what remained underground, spraying guts and worm bits everywhere.


Space:

Tarissa did not have much to do beyond receive reports about salvage efforts, direct the deployment of reinforcements to the planet and drink starcaf. In other words, not much. So she ought to be able to sympathise with Tegaea's position...but then the elf was a bit of a witch. She had heard about Siobhan's space walk and could only shake her head with a feeling of exasperated annoyance. When would the silly woman finally settle down and act like a proper lady? Well, she did have her good qualities. Like there was that thing she did...and that other one...this writer cannot elaborate further because kiddies might be harmed. Tarissa still felt that she needed to stop acting like a grunt and acquire some class.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Aboard the Radiant meanwhile Siobhan had been checked out by the medics, something she endured with a certain measure of annoyance, before being finally released. Still feeling a bit wobbly on her legs and somewhat shocked but no worse for wear she had stalked onto the bridge of the corvette. "What's the situation on the ground, Commander?" she demanded, apparently wanting to take charge of things again.



"Firemane strike teams and the Ariane's Fist have landed and engaged the enemy. Initial reports indicate the Reavers are being driven back. There was some chatter about a...giant worm, but armoured support has arrived," the Commander of the corvette responded, passing her a datapad with reports over.


"Thresher maw? Eyrecae should take care of that. Or our tanks," Siobhan did not seem that concerned about it. Go down, [member="Tempest"], if you're not there already. Show them who's the mistress of storms! "Shame we don't have nerve gas like last time. Space?"


"I was just getting to that. Significantly less exciting, but less bloody I believe," the officer said very dryly. "Salvaging operations are proceeding apace, no complications. Except...the Eldorai have discovered a space hulk floating near the Golgotha moon. Scans from their fighters have picked up life signs. Lady Alcori has devolved command in that sector to you."


Surprisingly enough Siobhan did not seem particularly interested in this fascinating, ancient leviathan. "We have plenty of warships. Might as well give them something to do beyond salvage debris. We can blow it up, can't we? Last couple of boarding operations did not go well."


"If you give the order, we can blow it to pieces, but I think you'd like to look at this first," at that the Commander pressed a button on the datapad and the image shifted to show a holographic depiction of the massive wreck of a battleship. Siobhan cocked her head to the side slightly to get a better view, which ironically enough was a gesture similar to that of two death machines she really hated, but then her look seemed to change, indeed her entire attitude.


"The Revenant," she said knowingly, recognition evident in her voice. "The flagship of the Cult of Nergal. Treasure trove of Bando Gora relics...and filled with beasts. Hold fire upon the hulk unless I order the contrary, but don't let that ship leave the system. I want boarding teams prepared. Contact the Grand Seraph and request support. Make sure the troops are armed to the teeth. We will probably face abominations worse than Reavers on it. And call Colonel [member="Mirien Valdier"] if she has not been informed already," she barked out a series of commands.


"Yes, ma'am!" There would be heavy risks involved, undoubtedly, but the priiiize should be considerable!

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien had been in the corvette silently working through a pile of datapads coming in. Out of sight from everyone else, the Intelligence head, hadn't been interested in joining the troops on the ground, and instead hung back in space and worked through numerous reports keeping up with all the happenings on the field and in space.

One of her team members entered her room, passing off a new datapad, with two reports ready for her to read. One gave her pause, "Why was I not informed of Kerrigan's situation?" She asked coldly, more than a little ticked off by that detail.

"You asked not to be disturbed, and she did return relatively unharmed, though a bit worse for wear."

"Not exactly helping your case."

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"The other report, requires your immediate attention, as they are requesting for your presence on the bridge."

The frigid woman, lofted a brow. "Couldn't have led with that, could you?"

Without a word further, she waved off the aid, and glanced to the datapad in her hand. Taking a seat once more, she skimmed through it quickly. "Well now, it seems my day is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Seems we'll be going duck hunting." She said with a smirk as she headed out the door and down to the bridge. Upon entering, she gave no glance or mind to anyone else and headed straight for Kerrigan. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly, keeping her voice low. "I only just heard." The little brunette had to check after all, had to know. "On another note, I've heard there might be work for us, with the possibility of breaking a sweat."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


Siobhan certainy appreciated being the centre of attention of the cold Inquisitor! Orders had been sent out to the rest of the fleet. While the Firemane task force was small, the Eldorai had come in considerable strength, so she expected sufficient support.


"You're so sweet when you're being all concerned, you know that?" Yes, that was the first words Siobhan said to Mirien. Probably not the height of professionalism. Perhaps the Inquisitor would disapprove, but then that might be an incentive. Ahem, on with the actual plot that revolves around a great deal of violence, blood and gore and is perfectly kiddy-friendly. "I'm fine. Not eager to get spaced again, but fine. And, yes, we got work to do," at that she passed over the 'pad that displayed a holographic depiction of the space hulk and what information they had on the vessel.


"The Revenant. Rumour says it's pre-Gulag Virus. Flagship of a Bando Gora Warlord heavily into mad science and darkside sorcercy, one of their 'God's' favourites. I expect it to be crawling with alchemised Chaosspawn and have plenty of artefacts worth salvaging on it." Capturing some of the beasts for study might be useful as well, though Siobhan was more inclined to purge them. She gestured to Mirien to follow her as she departed from the bridge, heading for the turbolift, with her destination being in the hangar.


"Take the heaviest equipment you have. We should have ultrachrome armour available. I called the Eldorai for support. They'll deploy alongside us and the Grand Seraph of the Angelii may come as well. I want to grab and salvage what we can. Fleet will be holding fire on the craft for now. They'll be ready to send it to Chaos once we give the word."

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien lofted a brow in a most disapproving manner. "No... I was not aware." She said coolly as her lips twisted into a most displeased frown. The woman had her preferences to keep work stuff work, and more personal fun things, in their own separate boxes with no cross over. The two mixing, just weirded the former Inquisitor out. The two just didn't belong together in her eyes! "But none the less I'm glad to find you alright."

Reaching out she took the datapad in hand and scanned it over. "Looks like ... fun." She sighed a little. "The oh god, oh god we're all going to die variety." An amused chuckle followed. "Not that I find the prospect deterring in the least. It'll make a good challenge, and at least prove more interesting than keeping up with the battle details from my room."

Following right along side Siobhan, she stepped into the turbolift, no doubt they would be headed to the hangar. "Pre-Gulag? The relic of a ship, should be quite interesting to see after all this time has passed by. Makes one wonder about the origins of the Bando Gora." The woman lofted a brow, "Mad science and sorcercy? That's a rather lethal combination. I'm certain you are right about the creatures. It's going to be a long day, I think."

She nodded, "Ultrachrome? Didn't think many folks outside the Inquisition had it." It seemed odd to her that the Empire wasn't the only one with the stuff, but then again she'd been trained in a rather secluded environment. "None the less, it will be a comfort to have now, considering what we are up against."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


"You're so cute when you're being all cold and disapproving, you know? It's so sweet," Siobhan could not resist snarking. As Mirien had no doubt learned by now, her friend was a terrible troll. She was also not particularly good at separating work stuff from personal fun things. But at least she not jumped her and tried to make out with her, so that counted as progress.


In any case she gave Mirien a nod as the doors of the turbolift closed and it took them down on a long descent. Well, probably not that long since the ship was only a small corvette. "Indeed it is. Bando Gora were heavily into both. I'm no expert on it, but they used all sorts of twisted alchemy to create monstrosities, both biological like the Reavers and mechanical - technobeasts, there was an entire cult of acolytes devoted to a 'Machine God', a Mechanical Dragon HK and I killed at the original invasion."


Since this thread takes place after the whole memory recovery thing, Siobhan would know when Mirien meant when she said Inquisition! "Fun fact: it's the Inquisitor variant of the Imperial Stormtrooper X-1 Series. Very dramatically named. Was made by the old Sith Empire, I managed to acquire a number of suits when I was part of a Rebel raid on the Sith research facility on Styx when the Empire was collapsing like a house of cards." No worries, Mirien was still the cutest Inquisitor Siobhan knew! As for the Rebels, they had been disbanded after the Sith 'returned to the shadows', though it seems another group of plucky insurgents was running around claiming the name. Siobhan had yet to see them do anything of relevance though.


"Anyway, come on, darlin', let's get going," she winked at her as the turbolift doors opened with a hiss and Siobhan stepped into the hangar. The small hangar of the corvette was already abuzz with activity and the few dropships inside were filled with soldiers. Many of them were Eldorai though Firemane mercenaries were among them as well. Most of them kitted out in the duraplast armour that was Firemane standard now, armed with bolters, shatterbolters, flamethrowers, blasters and many other weapons. Likewise an Illyria-class frigate had appeared alongside the corvette and the contingent of soldiers aboard it was likewise preparing for a boarding action, with the dropships being filled to the brim. It was best not to leave anything to chance after all or if possible minimise risk.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Coryth Elaris"]


Meanwhile back on the ground things were still being explosive! Brrtyrr was being adorable and biting people, Dells was using her tank to plow through Reavers and reduce them to bits and gore, Eyrecae was charging a gigantic sandworm that was being bombarded by heavy artillery fire and Coryth was befriending alchemical monsters, which may or may not eventually lead to her acquiring an army of adorable pets. Oh, and Kaida was summoning an enormous whirlwind.


So, yes, it was all as it should be on the Chaos Express: Firemane Edition. The battle continued with brutal ferocity and even as the Firemane and the Eldorai seemed to be gaining the upper hand, there were losses along the way. An armoured troop transporter was thrown through the air as a True Reaver gripped it with his telekinetic might, sending it flying into piles of debris. A giant spider suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere and, with blaster bolts seemingly being batted away by its armour, pounced upon the vehicle, tearing open the hatch as it grabbed the wounded soldiers to devour them. Before a powerful blast of fire from Angelii ignited the abomation and it was consumed by a merciless fireball. Blaster bolts streaked through the air to roast tissue and burn off limbs, explosions echoed across the war-ravaged desert and massive craters were blown into the already badly abused ground by artillery fire and the mass driver cannons of the Reaver-class tanks. Firemane still enjoyed air superiority and so the bombers and gunships did their part to drive the enemy back.


Kaida was still standing at the location she had last been in, with soldiers dug into cover by using the wrecks and debris that lined the way. She felt the ripples in the Force, felt the deaths that were taking place across the hellish battlefield and could see her side advancing, but she was in a state of almost full immersion, focused upon her task and the Force that was giving her the power to cause devastation across the field of death. Or of glory, at least so many an Angelii would say.


"Tell Second Company to advance over the left flank and link up with the Firemane armoured forces. I want artillery fire on the beasts. Terramancers, make the ground swallow them up!" she had to shout to make herself heard over the cacophony of sound, the symphony of death and destruction that was being played across this deathworld. Beads of sweat were dripping down her forehead and back, she was uncharacteristically becoming drenched inside it, despite the natural cold and frost she usually, felt. Such was the exertion that was demanded from not only maintaining but controlling the whirlwind as the raging vortex of a wind swept across the plains. As a matter of fact it was more than maintaining it, for it had to be controlled as well.


The strain would have been evident for all to see upon her features if she had not been wearing a helmet obscuring her features. At this point the strain was becoming physically painful, as was announced by a headache that refused to go. Still she refused to yield, though her breath was by now more like panting, she was rewarded with the terrified screams of the savages and arachnids as the spinning stormwind engulfed them. The earth shook powerfully as if struck by violent tremors and quakes as the Eldorai terramancers worked their magic. Beasts were thrown into the air where the vortex gladly accepted them or simply sunk into a pit as the earth split beneath them. The whirlwind hungered and Kaida put all her energy into feeding it, giving it more of her energy as she directed it to claim Reavers and those like them. Pieces of debris and dust were picked up by the wind as it raged, further disorientating hostile forces. The turbulences would be immense and those Reavers gripped by the wind would be spun through the with great intensity and at immense altitudes.

It was a queen to maintain but it also felt glorious. As if she were tasting real power for the first time. Perhaps these were the whispers of the dark side, the Dashdae Sciia, as her people called it, for she knew the planet to be a nexus of its vile energies, but regardless she could not deny the feeling as she sought to wreck terror and destruction. If she had still been a believer, she would have felt like unleashing the wrath of the Goddess. She could not keep the big whirlwind up for that much longer alone. Perhaps one day she would be able to summon hurricanes...Now would be a good chance for [member="Tempest"] to jump in and help her turn it into one!

 

[Qual'Zyanya]

Beneath the mountains,
Bando Gora ruins


It was a bit surprising but after the dramatic fight with a bunch of savage Reavers Valeska's trip beneath the earth was a good deal less dramatic. Perhaps this was because the hordes of Reavers and their war beasts were a bit distracted by Firemane and the Eldorai showing up. Anyhow, the vampiress was most certainly not complaining about this.


Still her travels were not without risk, for the dark tunnels were vast and foreboding, a layer just above rivers and lakes of molten metals and stones. She and Amelia traversed narrow paths that were flanked by rivers of lava, past small monuments made out of human skulls and bones. "Yes, we get it. The Bando Gora have a fetish for interior decoration made out of their slaves. As if this really needs to be emphasised at every opportunity," Valeska grumbled to herself, clearly seeing this as the best chance to break the fourth wall. "Hmmph. Reminds of home, come to think of it. Well, the smell was better," she added randomly, which was something she did a great deal.


"Your family was like that? That's just sick." Amelia commented before she caught herself and realised what she had said. "I mean..."


"Oh, don't fret, dear, I'm not the sort of mistress to eat a good minion for disapproving of their taste in decoration. They were terribly narrow-minded. And got bossed around by annoying aristos. Eating the baronness was good times." Nonchalantly the vampiress trode over a couple dead bodies. One of them had apparently been an Omega Pyre soldier, who was now pretty dead. Suddenly rubble and dust began to fall down from the dark ceiling above them as it collapsed, then as the pair started to run a hole was torn into the ground, exposing a large pit filled with hungry, alchemised nexu. Amelia stumbled as a section beneath her seemed to give way and one of the large nexu leapt up, trying to seize her and drag her down into the abyss for a good meal. The girl managed to grab ahold of part of the wall and gave the beast a hard kick, though it tried to bite her leg. Struggling she grabbed her blaster pistol and fired, laser shots hitting the beast...but then suddenly more of the ground seemed to give way and collapse from under them.


But then Valeska grabbed ahold of her hand and in a superhuman leap jumped over the over the pit as the entire floor under them gave way and collapsed. "Shoddy masonry," Valeska commented disapprovingly, not at all sounding like a snooty aristo disgruntled with the plebeian efforts of her lessers.


"Thanks...we got incoming," Amelia quickly brought up her scatter gun to blast a shrieking shyrak that suddenly came flying by with a blast of buckshot. Through the wrecked ceiling a large spider leapt down at her. Valeska was beaten back and almost crushed by its spines, but vampire strength and constitution paid off and were proof against them. Rather than trying to dodge as the beast came at her like an organic battering ram she simply grabbed several of its spines in a crushing grip, twisting them. The spider crashing into her threw her back hard but as she pulled the spider flew with her, a snap being heard as one of its legs was broken. Grabbing her disruptor pistol in mid-fall she rolled and fired at the beast, holding the gun in one hand while she seized one its spines and rammed it through its mouth. "I never liked spiders," she said just as randomly as she walked on, gesturing to Amelia to follow.


A massive door greeted them. Well, actually it was not really a door in the conventional sense but rather the gigantic maw of a dragon, shaped like a metal skull. It might as well be the actual mouth of a krayt dragon, for the Bando Gora liked to have the real thing when it came to that sort of thing. "Spiders, giant bugs, dragons. Sometimes likes using all the tropes here," Amelia snarked. If she was being sarcastic or not particularly unenthusiastic since Valeska did not seem to pay her any mind but then she was a minion. Corpses upon corpses awaited them. It seemed like the long tunnel was littered with bodies, broken demonic statues and droids and a ground coated in old, dried blood.


In the large chamber they finally reached one could behold the sight of what had once been a pyramid, now turned into a large pile of rubble, along with a broken altar. Likewise one could see the dead bodies of Bando Gora cultists, crushed, sliced, decapacitated, shot through the heads or roasted with fire. Valeska passed the burnt bodies of Omega Pyre soldiers before she bent down before the body of an HK droid. It was almost black in colour, as dark as the night sky, its metal body covered in the arcanic runes of the Bando Gora and the symbols of the Machine Cult. "The Champion of the Machine God. I imagine these fellows are Iron Knights. This is very good," Valeska spoke, her eyes seemed alight with something close to excitement. She picked up the head of the fallen Champion and tossed it into her backpack. "Then where is..."


"Over here, Mistress!" Amelia was apparently a bit faster and now pointed her to a very beautiful sight indeed. The figure was long and large, almost serpentine, but broken beyond repair and devoid of life. It was the Mechanical Dragon, Mag'ladroth, the Void Dragon. Once it had been a symbol of terror and destruction whose mere name inspired dread...now it was a broken mess. Hole upon hole had been blown into the massive beast, its metallic body was badly cracked in more places than could be counted. Fangs had been broken off its massive mouth, while its jaw was broken. Indeed, the head was some distance away from the rest of the body, a trail of oil and cooling liquid leading back to the main of the body from a portion of its long, slender severed neck. It looked like someone had severed it by brutally cutting through the neck with buzzsaws. The body itself resembled strongly a roadkill, smashed and torn into pieces, blue and black from liquid and other oils in the creature, its limbs thrown aside and the torso almost flat from being smashed and pounded. As for the gigantic wings of the beast...they looked like someone had grabbed and cruelly pulled them off the body with brute force. Indeed, judging by their placement and how badly the creature had been beaten one could get the impression that it had been beaten to death its own wings.


As if this was not enough, two large statues had been placed above the broken corpse. One was that of a large HK droid, wearing battle armour covered in blood and grime, holding two dark chainswords with the runes of the Bando Gora emblazoned upon them, with demonic eyes red as flame. His body was covered in the symbols of Omega Pyre and Abregado-Rae. The other statue, considerably larger, was that of a long-haired woman, beautiful and terrible to behold in her glory, a creature of power and depravity, holding a bolter and a sword. She was depicted as crushing the head of the Mechanical Dragon beneath her foot, with a feral, sadistic smile written across her features. Beneath them the defeated, broken dragon cowered. Valeska approached the carcass and reached out with her hand to trace across the skull, finding that words had been written in the dark tongue she knew so well now. "'Here lies Magla'droth, the Machine God. Broken by The Kerrigan, Goddess of Destruction and Creation, and her Champion Iron Knight [member="HK-36"] the Witch-King. Look upon the Great Annihilator and worship her image. All shall love Her and despair,'" she read out aloud, then shook her head. "Dramatic. Bit of a shame. He was not half bad. Just a bit obsessed with conquest, subjugation and such."

This is what the Mechanical Dragon looked like before he got the crap beaten out of him!


"You knew him?" Amelia exclaimed surprised and confused.


Valeska shrugged at that as she got up and took a step back. "Only socially. A bit. We never discussed politics. I'm true neutral on that. I find this overblown personality cult terribly hilarious. Just a few months after Gehenna...the 'great' Kerrigan fell. And I hear she almost died a couple times. Sic transit gloaria. Anyway, step back, girl. Got to take pictures." And she quickly got out her holocamera and began making holopics of the scene. "Wait...is that [member="Mia Monroe"]?" she wondered as she spied another statue, a bit further away, though flanking The Kerrigan. And lo behold, it was a statue made in the likeness of the Liberator, the most photogenic Mandalore ever, showing her as she had been before death at the hands of the Sith on Coruscant, strong and fierce. Words had been inscribed in the ancient tongue. "'The Liberator. Champion of The Kerrigan. Keeper of the memories of the heretic Velok. Martyred at Coruscant. She shall rise again in glory'. Honour them with the skulls of Sith hereitcs.'"

 

[Eyrecae Alzari]

[member="Kaida Taldir"], [member="Delila Castillon"]

Eyrecae had learned a valuable lesson.

Just because you’re supernaturally strong and have a big hammer doesn’t mean you can beat up ten metre tall sand wurms!

It was a lesson which had taken a bit to learn, but after repeatedly striking the creature with her hammer, to little effect, she had backed off, glaring.

“Hmmph, going to have to take the battle to it!” she said.

The beast tried to swallow her, and Eyrecae let it come before delivering a half ton of kinetic energy to small area of the creature’s head.
The screaming roar made her laugh. “Didn’t like that, did you!”

It didn’t, and came again. This time she swung again, but the Maw was smarter this time, and moved aside so its armour took the strike. Then it swallowed the insane hammer wielding woman!

It was at this moment, fortunately, that the artillery strike called down by the soldiers, hit. The Thresher Maw was blown to pieces and fell in an earthshaking collapse of burnt and mangled flesh.

And then, out of the gullet of the creature there burst a (mostly) silver armoured figure. Eyrecae held her hammer aloft.

“I had it covered!” she shouted petulantly, then slowly sank to her knees. “Might…need a rest,” she muttered to herself.
Her head raised and she saw the mountain before her and she shook her head. “No…I am not weak. I am strong. I will not stop!” she said, forcing herself upright and heading off towards more targets. Perhaps she should acquire a thunder hammer….