Private Cold Vengeance

[Maeve Linahan]

Ziost was an ugly world. Blanketed in frost and snow, trapped in an eternal winter, the planet was host to everything Maeve despised: cold weather and the Dark Side. There was only one reason why she had chosen to come to this tundra wasteland, and one reason alone.

Justice.

His name was Nils, and he was a Jedi fallen, a traitor. Rumored to be in league with a Sith Lord, Darth Soteria, Maeve had resolved to track the man down, retrieve what information she could, and keep him from spreading his corruption. Permanently.

She had no intention of allowing Nils to leave Ziost alive. She had seen what the Sith were capable of, and she had long learned that they did not deserve her kindness or her mercy. Call it ruthless, call it cruel, but she was a Jedi Shadow, and it was her duty to extinguish all traces of the Dark Side from the galaxy, no matter the cost.

And she would not rest until that deed was done.

Wandering the frozen landscape, Maeve had spent the last day scouting the remains of an ancient Sith shrine, a great tomb that looked to have been abandoned for centuries. But she knew better. Like rust, she could taste the Dark Side here, how heavy it was in the air, more alive than ever. Nils was here. She was almost certain of it.

What she didn't expect, though, was who else was watching.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Vengeance is wrong. Such was the saying of fools and knaves. Hypocritical peaceniks, well-off Core Worldists who lived in their ivory towers far from danger. Jedi more concerned about their delusional notions of purity than actually standing up for the oppressed. Hypocrites who had never witnessed or experienced suffering. They hadn't seen labour camps full of starving, emaciated slaves dressed in rags and being worked to death. They hadn't seen cities being turned to rubble. Or be forced to climb over dead bodies, storming a trench.

Vengeance didn't bring back the dead. But it prevented their tormentors from hurting others. Elpsis' expression was grim as the guards dragged their prisoner to the airlock. Once Manilia Praetexta had been an officer in Firemane, then a senior executive. Now she was clad in a prisoner outfit, struggling and begging. Elpsis was deaf to her whining. The prisoner's hands had been cuffed and her feet shackled.

Being blind, Elpsis could not see her expression. But through the Force she could perceive the whirlwind of fear, anger, desperation and terror raging inside her. But feeling the woman's terror did not rouse her heart to sympathy. She was a slaver, a traitor and a corrupt swine. One of the many who had been executed.

But not nearly enough, she thought grimly. The rot ran deep in Firemane. Her jaw tightened as they reached their destination, and so the viciously scarred soldier turned and did her duty. "Citizen Praetexta," she said sharply, deliberately foregoing any titles the former bigwig had once had. "You've been sentenced to death for treason, corruption and slavery. May your sentence go down as a warning to anyone in Firemane who would bring harm to the innocent, regardless of rank or position." That part had been improvised by her. "May you choose better in your next life." If the Lifeweb was just, she should experience the lowest form of rebirth. "Any last words?" Fiery cracks flared and pulsated in Elpsis' face with burning intensity.

"This is a farce, a travesty of justice," the woman sputtered. "I'm just a small fish...in a big pond. The true criminals are on top. They threw me under the bus...let me help you."
"I don't need your help," Elpsis stated icily, gripping the airlock door.
Utter terror roiled inside her prisoner. "I'm an officer of Firemane. If I am to die, I deserve a firing squad..." Then she cried out in pain when Elpsis grabbed by the shoulder with her cybernetic hand. She was not gentle in the least, for the grip was crushing.
"You're scum, you die as scum."
"You'll be next on the chopping block, you'll see. The board will use you and..." Elpsis flung the prisoner into the airlock. The airlock blew out, sucking the prisoner into the cold vacum of space. Elpsis stood there as the door sealed shut, while the former executive would slowly suffocate and freeze to death. Her agony resonated through the Force. It felt like justice. But it was not enough.

A humanoid feline woman in an olive green uniform with the rank bars of a general stepped out of the small crowd that had watched Praetexta get spaced, walking over to her. "Good work," Leonina Varkathras said crisply. "Our work for today is done."
"The purge isn't," Elpsis stated flatly, "ma'am."
"The investigation proceeds. In the meantime, we have a situation."
"What could be more important than ridding Firemane of scum?"
"We have a lead on Soteria."
Only now did Elpsis turn to face her superior. Her dead, white eyes narrowed. "How reliable?"
"Verified by GRU...and your friend Natalie."

"So the board's not trying to get me out of the way?" Scepticism was evident in Elpsis' tone. The Cathar Master's expression was stone-faced, like it had been carved out of granite. "Where is she?"
"Not her, but one of her lieutenants. An Ashlanite Jedi Lord and his minions have apparently decided now's a good time to drop the act and declare himself a Sith Lord. His name is Nils. We've intercepted communications between them," she paused. "We know Soteria had someone inside Firemane."
"She didn't make Firemane executives enslave people in company towns. They did it all themselves," Elpsis commented caustically.
"Yes. I won't mince words, Captain. There's a power struggle going on in Firemane. I back your actions...but it would be best for you to remove yourself from the situation for a while. Understood?" It was more a statement, than a question.
"She almost killed mother. She might as well have, since mother's still chained to her bed for Force knows how long. I know my duty, ma'am. To put holes in enemies foreign...and domestic."
"Organise your team as you see fit. My ADC will fill you in on our intel. May the Force be with you, Captain."

Ziost was an uninviting, frozen hellscape. How appropriate. Clad from head to toe in imposing armour, Elpsis moved cautiously. Snow crunched beneath her boots. Somewhere out there was the Sith Lord. An ally of the woman who had all but slain her mother. Siobhan Kerrigan aroused...complicated emotions in Elpsis. She had saved her and given her a purpose, but treated her like a tool. Someone to be moulded in her image, but forever judged for her inability to measure up to her. Once Elpsis had looked up to her.

Tephrike and what came after had stripped her of all illusions. And she could not separate the beast Firemane had turned into from its founders. Nonetheless...Siobhan was her mother. Elpsis would still die for her, though she doubted she'd get thanks from her...or her other, even unworthier adoptive mother. In the meantime, she had Sith blood to spill.

Her teammates advanced alongside her. "Can you hear the spectres' wail?" the melodic, eerie voice of one of them broke the silence. Elpsis made no comment, having grown used to Shikoba's...oddities. She would never understand the Vashyada druidess, but she was strong, loyal and honest. Qualities that were in short supply. "The air is foul. 'Tis a sickness. This place reeks - of greed, rot and evil. Like your typical human city," the druidess continued.

Elpsis nodded grimly. Though too flowery for her tastes, the Vashyada was right. The planet was tainted. Centuries of evil had left their mark...but there was the dark side, and there was the mundane, bureaucratic evil of the great mega-cities of the 'civilised' world. There, corruption were hidden behind smiles. One could spend decades there, and ignore the rancid smell of scurrying slime-mouds in good suits. Here it was so palpable that it felt like the planet was oozing evil and it was seeping into her skin.

"Keep me posted if the ghosts say something useful," she stated.
"They sing many songs, but they are discordant. I shall tell you which notes will aid your cause." Shikoba's manner of speech alternated between flowery and verbose or just plain laconic and dismissive. She'd grown used to it.

Looking back, she saw Vagt Bwi'kat, Rhea, Zhaleh, and Celaena Eilris exiting the shuttle behind her. Rhea's aura in the Force resembled that of a Cylix on the prowl, alert and ready to sink her teeth into something that screamed Sith. Whereas Elpsis hated the cold, even with her armour and the elevated body heat, Zhaleh unsurprisingly thrived in it. The Qadiri cryomancer moved quickly and gracefully through the frozen landscape.

All business, Vagt, the Bothan Sergeant and only Non-Force-User of the group, imposed order on the team with a handful of words. Efficient, precise, strict. "Open formation. Stay alert. Rhea, you're on point. Shikoba, watch out for any weirndess. Celaena, Zhaleh, cover and watch our back" The squad fell into formation immediately at his command. Elpsis' dead eyes fell on the aura of Celaena, the Eldorai pyromancer. Her aura and demeanour were troubled...but by the setting or by just the cold?

"Celaena, stop fussing around and look sharp! Don't lose your focus!" Vagt barked.
"Yes, Sergeant," the Eldorai grit her teeth. "It's just...it looks like home."
"Meaning it's the last place you want to get distracted on. It's a cursed hellhole full of evil things that want to kill you," Elpsis stated seriously.
"Yes, ma'am."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Wind lashed at Maeve's hair and she winced. The closer she got to the tomb site, the stronger the presence of the Dark Side. She knew Nils was close, but why she found no sign of him or his minions, she'd no idea. There were no footprints in the snow, or guards posted around the ruins, or tracks for her to follow. Just silence and the dead.

Chances were, the Sith Lord and his men had traveled deep into the crypt, underground, where no wind or trace of sunlight would disturb them. And who knew how far they might've gone? Maeve had heard stories about the tombs of Ziost: sprawling monuments to the dead, city-sized catacombs and mausoleums that could put a king's palace to shame. She could as well spend a lifetime searching for Nils here.

But if that was what it would take, then so be it.

Maeve continued wandering the ruins, careful not to make a sound. She couldn't risk exposure. When she had told the Jedi Council of her plans to chase him down, they had given their fair share of warning.

"He was once the best of the Jedi Lords," they'd told her back on Coruscant. "He knows what to expect from us. Knows our weaknesses and our strengths. You will not survive him in a duel on your own. That is why you must strike him when he least expects it, when he doesn't know what's coming. You must be a Shadow, Knight Linahan. A knife in the dark."

She drew in a chilled breath. The Order was counting on her to succeed and she would not fail them. She would not fail herself, either. For Master Severin, killed on Tython. For her family, murdered by cultists. She'd taken a vow to cleanse the Sith from the galaxy, and once she was done with Nils, she'd make certain to bury this tomb in rock and snow.

Or so, until she heard them. Voices.

Maeve pressed her back against the nearest column. Hand instinctively reaching for her lightsaber, she listened to their footsteps—four, maybe five pairs—and waited in silence. As they came closer, she checked around the corner, surveying what she believed were the guards she'd been missing. But they didn't look like minions of the Dark Side. Just soldiers.

Between them, she caught a red-haired girl, scarred, her eyes clouded white. She exuded a strength in the Force that made Maeve's pale in comparison, and it troubled her. This was no simple patrol or company of lookouts.

She felt for one of her thermal detonators. A safeguard, in case her suspicions were truth.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

There was a mass of silver-grey clouds in the sky, blotting out the warmth of the sun. Snowflakes fell upon her armour. An icy wind whipped and slashed at them. It gnawed at her skin. Even sealed inside her armour and with her pyromancy warming her body, Elpsis hated it. She envied Zhaleh, who was naturally unbothered since she had grown up in the arctic wastes of Tygara's far north. Nonetheless, they made decent enough progress. But there was no sign of their quarry.

The soldiers' armour had adaptive camouflage, and as such blended in well among the snowy, white landscape. At regular intervals Rhea would signal the group to halt. The Rattaki and Zhaleh would search for prints in the snow, and scout. Shikoba would stare off into the ether trying to sense...something. But all they saw was the snow and the broken ruins. That, and the strong sensation of the Dark Side that permeated this tainted world. It clogged the air.

Until they approached the broken ruins, with Rhea taking the lead. Suddenly Shikoba stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes staring off into space. "Ghost girl, no time for visions," Vagt growled.
"I am communing, Sergeant, I will not be long," the Vashyada said placidly. A moment later she blinked and looked to Elpsis. "Captain, the spirit of a lost soul has a message for you. 'One of the shadows seeks to find the darkness in this realm. They are near, their movements hidden, their intent concealed. They may be an ally or a foe, but choose wisely for their quest is bound to yours, and through them is your success or failure measured'." The Vash's head cocked to the side slightly. "'Tis the message I was bidden to tell you." She did not explain further.
Elpsis ground her teeth slightly, the glowing cracks in her face flaring. "So does that mean there's someone nearby who might help?"
Shikoba regarded her curiously, as though this was obvious. "Yes, Captain. The spirits of this place are many, and they see all, but what they share is for them alone to say."

Celaena sighed and facepalmed slightly. "Better make sure it's none of the bad spirits," the Eldorai stated in annoyance. The Force, or Sciia as her people called it, flowed through her as she gathered her power. Not only to keep herself warm, but make sure she could unleash the flame inside her should hostiles ambush them. Her pointed ears remained alert for any noise.

"We must heed the word of the spirits. Those who disregard it put themselves in peril," Zhaleh said calmly in heavily accented Basic. She wore a tribal necklace made of animal teeth. One of those had belonged to a kraken. Blessed by a priestess, it was a good-luck-charm. The snow Qadiri had fallen into a crouch to present a smaller target. Her bright green eyes scanned the ruins ahead of them, looking through the sights of the long-ranged rifle in her hands.
"Specialist, if you want to espouse anything else right now can you do it without poetry?" Vagt grumbled. As the sole Non-Force-User on the team, he had little patience for mystical purple prose. Boltgun firmly in his hands, he stood ready should hostiles appear from hiding places in the ruins.
"Yes, Sergeant." Shikoba smiled slightly. "Many of them say unkind things, for they think us Jedi or their allies."
"Rude," Rhea opined sourly, looking around anxiously, enchanted blade held in a guard stance in case the spirits wanted to attempt a possession.
Shikoba gave her a look. "Do not fear, Rhea, they have not the strength to steal your body...not unless you venture into the deeper tombs and disturb the greater eidolons which dwell within."
"It's always a dark tomb with Sith. Or something equally terrible," the Rattataki countered. "But if that is what it takes, I shall slay them there," she added fervently.
How reassuring, Elpsis thought to herself. There was a shotgun slung over her armoured shoulder and she had a pistol holstered on her thigh. Alone among the group, she carried a lightsabre. "Enough chatter. We're here to kill Sith, so hold your fire unless we run into someone Sithy. If we do, splatter their blood over the ruins. Shikoba, if you sense any bad spirits, make sure to warn us and end them. Got it? Good. Let's investigate the ruins." Shikoba felt like pointing out how difficult it was to tell good from bad spirits, but decided against it. She didn't particularly care about annoying her boss or anyone really, but she knew there were limits.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve's fingers brushed against the detonator, split between readying a charge or leaving it on her waist. The longer she studied the crew, the more uncertain she became. A tattooed Rattataki, a pointy-eared Vashyada, an Eldorai, a Bothan and a powerful Force-sensitive human? It was like the punchline to a bar joke. An odd collection of peoples.

She noticed their equipment, too. Slung-over shotguns and unholstered rifles. Weapons so very unlike those of a Sith cult.

Only the strange red-haired girl had a lightsaber on her, which no doubt explained her heavy presence in the Force. But it was not the same as what she felt around the ruins, the corruption, festering in each crack and crevice in the walls. The girl stood out from it like a beacon. Not pure Light like the Jedi, nor Dark like the Sith, but a rare between.

If one thing was true, these people were not with Nils.

Her hand eased away from the detonator. Maeve had no reason to attack them. Still, that didn't mean she could trust them, or risk the trouble of joining with them. She'd come alone for a reason and she felt comfortable enough keeping it that way.

At least, until she saw it. A shadow twitching over their heads. Something nesting against one of the columns, hidden under ice and snow.

Maeve's breath hitched as she realized what it was, and that it was ready to strike.

Whether out of instinct or panic, she yanked out her blaster pistol and fired two shots into the shadow. Although it'd grab the attention of the crew and expose her position, she didn't care. More than likely they would see her as a threat, all guns aimed her way—up until the shadow on the column groaned, ice cracking, and fell right to the ground, two steaming holes in its head.

A camouflaged Ziost reptavian.

Maeve locked eyes with the white-eyed girl. If she couldn't see her, she'd at least feel her will in the Force, the sound of her thoughts warning, almost shouting: Ambush.

Then, a dozen more human-sized reptavians burst from their hiding places, dark wings spreading, and shrieking murder.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

And so the ruins exploded in violence. The first thing Elpsis heard was the whine of two blaster shots. Immediately rifles and pistols were levelled towards the source of the disturbance. Then there was a groan, a crack of ice and a reptoavian beast collapsed onto the ground, smoke billowing from two holes in its skulls. Elpsis could not see the interloper. At least not in the traditional manner. But she did perceive her presence in the Force. "Ambush" she shouted. "Contact!" she heard Rhea yell as a dozen beasts suddenly burst from their hiding spots.

Old instincts and training took over, as muscle memory set in. "Cordon!" Vagt bellowed amidst the shrieks of the reptavians. As the creatures swooped down upon them with murderous intent, their dark wings whipping against the air, the soldiers formed a circle to cover their angles. A mental nod passed between Elpsis and Celaena.

That was all it took for intense blasts of flame to burst from their hands. Beasts engufled by the blazing heat shrieked in agony, others took to flight. It provided a brief interval, allowing the soldiers to open fire. Vagt raised his bolter and opened fire at the enemy with explosive bolts. The sharp crack of the gun firing was matched only by the percussive crump of the explosion a second later. Blood, guts and flesh rained down upon the snowy ground. Zhaleh joined him with precise fire from her magnetic repeater and spikes of ice that burst from the ground. Telekinetically seizing one of the wings to slow down a beast, Rhea sliced through it with her imbued blade, howling a war cry.

But amidst the fierce melee, a winged beast that had remained hidden swooped from its hiding place. Moving with blinding speed, it collided with Elpsis as she was preparing another fireball, knocking her to the ground. As she fell into the snow, the beast viciously clawed at her. Grunting, she rammed it with her robotic leg. Not only was there the sweet snap of broken bone, the beast screeched when it was set aflame. Pushing it off, she drove her lightsabre through its eye into its brain. Shikoba was standing in the middle of the cordon, with a look of concentration written over her face. As Rhea was assailed by a beast, the Vash chanted and invisible mental tendrils ensared one of the creature's fellows, causing it to pounce upon its brethren and strike it with its beak.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Chaos fell over the ruins like a sudden icestorm. Dragon-like creatures lunged from their hiding places, out of dark corners and piles of snow, circling and descending on the squad with terrifying hunger. Beaks snapped and talons clawed at them, trying to find purchase on whoever was too weak or exposed enough to attack. But none of them were. All of them stood their ground.

Maeve watched in astonishment as the crew reacted in tandem. Fire exploded out towards the swarm, driving them farther out while those armed with rifles shot them down. Some were caught in invisible hands, others pierced by massive spikes of ice. Cyro and pyromancers? It was a rare sight, and beyond impressive. There was the Vashyada, too, engaged in some deep, spiritual ritual. Possession? She couldn't tell.

Most peculiar, though, of course, was the other girl. Their commanding officer, perhaps. She carried a lightsaber unlike what Maeve was used to: fiery orange, with plasma crossguards and a blade that radiated especially strong with the Force, as if by imbuement. She wielded fire as well like it was second nature.

Blasts continued to rock the tomb site. If Nils wasn't already aware of their arrival, he certainly was now, which was enough cause for hesitation. The element of surprise was officially lost on Maeve. Maybe she never had it to begin with, but striking out alone was no longer much an option. She had to make a choice. Proceed and leave the crew out as a distraction, or join them and fight together?

She chose to fight.

As another reptavian swooped down towards the red-haired girl, Maeve leapt from her vantage point and activated her lightsaber. Blue light cut through the dark, wintry cold, just before she beheaded the creature in a single slash. She landed on the icy ground. Then, the reptavian collapsed in a broken heap, its cauterized neck steaming with smoke and the smell of burnt skin.

Maeve pushed her hair back and offered the girl a thin smile. "Hello there."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

A beast swooped down towards Elpsis from one high. But no sooner had the reptavian descended than the unknown woman sprang into action and cleaved off the creature's skull with one blow. Snow crunched beneath her as she landed on the ground. The guns had fallen silent, but immediately the soldiers reorientated themselves to face the unknown woman. Their weapons stood at the ready...if need be. "Hold fire," Vagt barked. Rhea's eyes never left the interloper. Her stance and aura was that of a leashed predator.

Elpsis held her lightsabre in her metallic hand. Maeve would no doubt feel the energies of the Force that coalesced around said hand. As if it were enchanted in the manner of an imbued weapon. "Thanks. Since you're not trying to stab me, I'm guessing you're no Sith. Name's Captain Elpsis Kerrigan. Who are you?"

"The spirits spoke true," Shikoba spoke in a melodic voice. Her eyes darted across the Jedi. Her gaze was piercing, staring off into a space beyond the sight of most. "She is surrounded by shadows, and in those shadows I see eyes dripping with blood. Red eyes, yellow eyes. Eyes she has shut; eyes she will shut."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve kept her blade low, but her guard up. Much as she didn't trust outsiders or strangers, especially those with guns trained on her, she could understand their suspicions as well as their unease. First time introductions never were so simple. Fortunately, their captain, Elpsis, and the Bothan seemed generous enough not to riddle her body with blaster bolts.

"I'm far from Sith," she told Elpsis. "My name is Maeve. Maeve Linahan. Jedi Knight. I'm with the Galactic Alliance." She kept her lightsaber active, just in case the revelation might change their minds. She was on a hostile world and these people were closer to Rim mercenaries than they were soldiers to the Alliance Defense Force. Just because the red-haired girl didn't wield a red lightsaber didn't mean she was not an enemy.

But it did leave the possibility that they could be allies.

Maeve turned to the Vashyada woman, her eyes like pits. "You are a spirit-walker?" she said, a more loose term for those who communed with the dead or dreamt in the Netherworld. She never met one in person, but heard whispers of some among the Jedi. "A cyromancer. Pyromancers." She looked over the group, including Rhea, not unaware of her piercing, yellow eyes and tattooed face. "You've quite the crew here, Captain Kerrigan."

"Just who are you people?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Shikoba cocked her head to the side. "That is a term which could be used, yes. There are many paths closed to our sight. But the spirits walk them and some can..follow their footprints."
Celaena scrutinised the Jedi closely. Besides Rhea and Diona from Tephrike, Laira Darkhold and Phylis Alince she knew few Jedi. She had heard much of them, most of it unfavourable. This Jedi though looked like a warrior, indeed there was something almost of an Angelii in her looks. It was curious indeed. She said nothing, but stayed ready just in case this one was a threat.
"You're a long way from Coruscant, Jedi," Rhea remarked coolly. The Rattaki's guard remained up, and she held her enchanted blade firmly in hand, as her yellow eyes scrutinised the Shadow.

"Easy, Corporal," Elpsis said softly, but firmly. The voice of someone used to command. "She has a point though - you are a long way from GA space. Thought you lot were all at the Maw front, when your senate's not screwing you over. "I'm with...Firemane." There was a note of hesitation before she said the name. "And I'm here to burn Sith."

"You're also a Mirza, ma'am. Would you like me to announce you?" Zhaleh asked 'innocently'. Mirza was a Qadiri title of nobility.
Elpsis gave the snow Qadiri an irritated look. She wondered whether she could find an excuse to send Zhaleh to a nice desert, and make run a lot. "No, Corporal," she said tersely. "That's Zhaleh Jai Bijana, Celaena Eilris, Sergeant Vagt Bwi'kat," she indicated the Eldorai, then the Bothan, and finally the Vash "Shikoba, and Rhea."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

The Rattaki's obvious distrust might've bothered Maeve, but she understood. More importantly, she could sense her shared hatred for the Dark Side, further proof that she was looking at a crew diametrically opposed to Nils and his little cult of minions. No doubt they'd come to Ziost for the same reason she had. But would that be enough for them to band together against him?

"Many of the Jedi are busy fighting with the Maw, carving a path to Exegol, but the Brotherhood are not the only Sith the galaxy has to worry about." There were pockets of Dark Side organizations checkered throughout the Rim. Arcanists, alchemists, and abominations from bygone eras. The Sith Order, too, had risen like a storm over the southernmost edge of the galaxy, becoming more of a threat with each passing day.

"I'm a Jedi Shadow, and we work in the dark. Not at the frontlines, but behind them. Where we are least expected."

She looked out to the group, committing their names to memory. She offered a short, introductory bow in place of greeting each and every one of them. "Firemane Industries, hm?" she said. "I'm aware of the company. Has a location back on Alderaan. They've done a great deal for the Alliance by assisting with the refugee crisis since the Maw's attacks. You have my gratitude."

Maeve lifted an eyebrow. "But what does a military contract company want with the Sith now? You are about as far from home as I am."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"You're well-informed for an outsider," Celaena commented. The Eldorai spoke Basic, though with a distinct accent. "But we had the shorter journey. Tygara's not that far."
"Firemane is good at helping refugees...when it suits them." There was a trace of cynicism to Zhaleh's words. However, she brightened soon. "But the Mirz...Captain is honest and brave," she added.
"What we want with the Sith...is them dead. Along with anyone who serves them," Elpsis stated seriously.

Shikoba meanwhile was staring at a broken obelisk. "The tides of darkness flow over the stars. Now ebbing, now waxing. One can never defeat the tide, but one can hold it back for a time. This world has seen many ebbs and flows, I see many generations of dark and terrible warriors...now lost to time, their memory only on their ghostly breath."

Vagt cleared his throat. "Ma'am, we're exposed out here among the ruins. I doubt the commotion earlier went unheard. I've got no truck with ghosts, but if the Jedi wants to put her lightsabre to good use, we've got good reason to take her along."
Rhea studied Maeve curiously, expression guarded. "She reminds me more of the Shadows I know from home, not the mewling pacifists of the galaxy Jedi. Or the fanatics of the Dominion Inquisition."

Elpsis seemed to consider their words for a moment or two, then gave the Bothan Sergeant a curt nod. "Time's a wasting. There's a Sith Lord called Nils or whatever cringey Darth name he gave himself. I want his head. You in, Jedi?"

 

[Maeve Linahan]

So many people speaking at once might've overwhelmed Maeve, but in her time since serving as a Jedi Knight, she had learned to be more than a lone wolf. Amani, Alexander, Valery. They all had taught her the meaning in camaraderie, and instead of glowering at Elpsis' crew, she actually smiled. These were people she could trust. They clearly knew what they were doing and what they'd gotten into, and it made for good company.

Shikoba though, the Vashyada druidess, was a bit strange. She spoke in riddles and poetry, but Maeve knew there was wisdom in her words. Prophecy, even. The spirits rarely lied and in a place as dark and twisted as this, they might've very well needed their guidance.

At Elpsis' final question, Maeve offered a curt nod. "Of course," she answered. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If you'll have me."

Friend, perhaps, was bit of an exaggeration, but for now, it was the truth. They'd forged an alliance against Nils, and until the man and his cult were buried in the frozen ground, then they were in this together. Maeve only had to wonder just where she fit between the five of them. A Jedi Shadow among a crew of company-sponsored special forces.

Then again, seeing as how bizarrely unique each squad-mate was, Maeve was probably the least surprising addition to Elpsis' crew.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"Good. Welcome aboard. Since we'll be working together, this team's chain of command is me, then Vagt if something happens to me. Let's move out. You're with me, Jedi," Elpsis stated. Celaena and Zhaleh looked at each other a bit bemused. They were used to their boss' somewhat brusque mannerisms.

"So...if something happens to the Captain and the Sergeant...," Zhaleh said to her Eldorai sister in arms in a low voice as they cautiously advanced through the snow-covered ruins.
Celaena frowned, looked at Zhaleh, then glanced in Shikoba's direction. "Ashira helps us, little sister" she muttered under her breath.

Fortunately, Elpsis' attention seemed to be elsewhere, so their chatter went unnoticed by her. "So since you were here first, you got any leads on where Nils might be lurking?" she asked the Jedi Shadow.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"My name is Maeve, by the way," she added at Elpsis' command, and while she was sure the girl already knew, Maeve wasn't exactly keen on the idea of being called 'Jedi' for the remainder of the mission. She had a name. Best to use it.

Still, despite Captain Kerrigan's curt attitude, her crew seemed a bit more relaxed. Their conversation brought a short smile to Maeve's lips, and it was obvious they'd worked together for a long time and followed their captain with the utmost devotion. Unlike your typical mercenary group, this crew was not one that would break apart out of fear or for profit.

At Elpsis' question, Maeve nodded, hands on her hips. "No location yet. But Nils and his cult must be hiding underground. These catacombs can stretch on for miles, so there's no telling where he might be, but I'm willing to bet it's not far from the tombs of the more… notorious Sith buried here. Men like Marka Ragnos or Naga Sadow. Dark Lords with the highest records for genocide. The Sith do love to revere their old masters."

She grimaced. "Are you familiar with the Sith Lords who have been put to rest here? I find them all equally terrible, so they're not easy to distinguish."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Elpsis looked at the Jedi. "Maeve, yeah," she said. "I know it's a Sith world from their ancient empire, I know it's totally tainted and we'd be better off if it was space dust. From what I heard, way back a Sith Emperor drained the planet off life because folks weren't worshipping him enough." She looked across the ancient ruins. "Guess people didn't get the hint and came back. Idiots." At some point Adasta had been repopulated. The city had been a battleground during both GA invasions. She couldn't being herself to feel much sympathy for its people. Only the Sith's slaves and other oppressed deserved that.

If Nyssa had been there, there would've doubtless been a lecture about how Vitiate had been a pretender unworthy to be even considered a Pureblood. But she was not, and Elpsis lacked an interest in ancient history. One Sith Lord was like the other - evil and deserving of death. "I fought here when GA attacked. Getting spaced wasn't fun times." That was a tremendous understatement. She suppressed a shudder. "Anyways, you got any maps or scanners for the tunnels?" she asked pragmatically.

As before, Rhea had taken point, while the ghost girl watched out for mystical hazards. Scouting ahead slightly of the group, the Rattataki tried to make as little noise as possible. Periodically, she came to a halt, examining the snow. For a long time, there was naught but silence, only broken by the howl of the wind and the wails of the dead. This place made her uncomfortable. It felt and reeked evil.

Why do you let this humie chain you? a voice whispered. You escaped one master, and now you let another lead you along, fighting in wars you have no stake in. She promises you one day she'll liberate your homeworld with you, but she lies.
Shut up, she thought angrily. I'm not a mewling weakling. You're just a dead Sith. She studied the ground. There were prints in the snow. But just as she wanted to signal the team, her tongue felt like it had gone limp and her limbs felt like lead.
But the voices tried to dig deeper, flooding her mind with alluring visions of righteous retribution and conquest. Slaves liberated, Sith temples and towns put to the torch, herself ascendant upon a throne built from their skulls. She knows you can surpass her. Embrace your true potential. We can guide you to get revenge.
Get out, she snarled inside her mind. It took all her mental focus and strain was etched across her features, but the pale warrior pushed back, furiously. The vision of glory was ripped away like a curtain. The spirit hissed in anger, and suddenly Rhea grimaced in pain when mental shards of pure, burning hatred struck her. Pain surged through her.

But then she suddenly felt another presence join her mind. This was cold and resolute. She felt Shikoba's hand on her shoulder. And with that touch, she beheld a ghostly Pureblood like smoke in the air, waiting to grasp her. It was rare to see Shikoba angry. Even in battle she usually acted with detached and serene calm. Now though her fair face was concentrated into a grim line. "Zagrash the Betrayer, I see you. Return to your ancient crypt and trouble us no more, I command you! Be gone to deathless rest or we will purge thee. I will not warn you again." As if to emphasise her words, energy coiled around her staff as she slammed it into the ground. With a snarl, the spirit dissipated.

Further back, Elpsis grimaced as she heard the commotion. "Rhea, Shikoba, status?!" she shouted, though that caused a stab of pain inside her sensitive throat, causing her to cough, and rushed forward to the front of the line.
At last Rhea had found her voice. "A spirit, ma'am. I am...fine," she looked at Shikoba, then at her feet. "I found footprints." If they followed them, they would come across a sinkhole.

Zhaleh's eyes were sharp in the freezing cold, though the sky was grey and cloudy, snowflakes fell from the heavens in droves and visibility was low. Linking up with Rhea, she scanned the horizon, frowning. "Ma'am, I see no more of the flying beasts...but I think I see smoke rising up. I cannot tell where it is from yet."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"No maps," Maeve answered. "Just gut instinct and the Force."

It wasn't very helpful, she knew. Perhaps it was even stupid of her—coming to Ziost without a concrete idea on how to find Nils' exact location. Honestly, she'd just hoped to find him through intuition, to let it guide her through the tunnels until she stumbled upon his den. That avenue of thinking had never failed her before. The Force worked in mysterious ways, didn't it?

She considered Elpsis for a moment. The girl had clearly come more prepared than she, armed with a skilled crew and plenty of weapons. No doubt she knew what to expect from Nils. She just had to wonder how.

Maeve raised her brow. "Nils," she said. "How long have you been after him?"

It was a harmless question. Maeve herself had been investigating the man's tracks over the last month. Since abandoning his role as a Jedi Lord, Nils had traveled between multiple systems, picking up fellow Dark Siders, growing his power base and leaving a trail of dead innocents in his wake.

What else could've the man done to attract the attention of Firemane Industries and Captain Kerrigan and her crew?

Maeve glanced up to the sky. Snow began to fall in drifts, growing more dense by the minute. The grand statues of the old Sith Order started to fade away behind the curtain of frost, almost blinding her vision. The Dark Side seemed to grow stronger, too. Shadows circling around them like starving beasts. Maeve could've sworn she heard whispers behind her shoulder, spirits beckoning.

The sensation disappeared at the sound of Shikoba's staff slamming into the frozen ground. Only slightly, the darkness seemed to lift, and it wasn't long before they found themselves at the mouth of a deep sinkhole.

Maeve leaned over, surveying its depths. "Forget the smoke," she said. "These footprints seem to lead directly into this hollow. We should follow them." She cast a glance over to Elpsis, waiting to see what she might say instead. Although Maeve was still a Jedi on her own mission, when it came to this crew, she knew she wasn't the one in command here.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

So you're just winging it, Elpsis thought. "Him? Not long. His boss? A long time," she answered caustically. "She stabbed my mother. Well, one of 'em. Not that I liked the tyrannical control freak much. But, hey, still better than the fools who took the corpo state's reins after her." Should've shot more of them, she thought. I still might.

Further conversation on her part was halted by Rhea's and Shikoba's encounter with a malevolent spirit and the discovery of the trail. Elpsis scrutinised the Rattataki. "You alright?" there was something close to concern in her words, momentarily softening the hard edges.
"Yes. Just angry, ma'am," Rhea responded firmly.

The energies of the Dark Side were strong here. Though the spirit that had assaulted Rhea was banished, Elpsis was certain she still heard whispers, and had the unshakeable feeling that they were being watched. Her dead eyes fell upon the sinkhole Rhea had found the path to. "Ma'am, that tunnel must be very narrow. I could take Rhea for some reconnaissance further along the path of the tunnel top side. The smoke may be coming from another section. We can stay in touch via BC-11s," Vagt suggested.

Elpsis furrowed her brow, considering his words. "We'll probably get more intel that way, but it'll be easier for the Sithies to pick us off. Let's stick together. Come on, into the hollow." Surreptitiously, the team began to climb down into the sinkhole, using ropes and grappling hooks. Down in the tunnel, it was dark, cold and damp. The walls were made of stone, with the occasional noxious looking spiny plant sticking out. Long faded messages or arcane looking runes lined it.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Darth Soteria?" Maeve said at her initial reply, gaze darkening.

She was not alone in the rumors, then, of who Nils had been consorting with: a warlord, a woman so vile and cruel it made even the Sith lords of old pale in comparison. Like Nils, she'd once been a paragon of the Light Side, only to fall into corruption, or so the archives on Coruscant said.

Maeve was not familiar with every atrocity Soteria had committed, not when the list was as long as it was, so she wasn't sure whether to put much stock into Elpsis' story. A mother impaled. A world overthrown. It left a lot of questions, some of which left Maeve wondering just what kind of insane life this girl might've lived, but she kept them to herself.

She could ask more about the captain later. Right now, they had a tunnel to explore and a disgraced Jedi Lord to kill.

Descending into the sinkhole, Maeve made no sound as her feet touched the stony earth. Silence greeted her, heavier than she would've liked, and for a cavern deep underground, it almost felt colder than outside, a sensation she immediately blamed on the twisted runes chiseled into the walls.

Maeve's palm hovered over them. She dared not to touch it, feeling the dark energies radiating from each carved letter. "This script was made a long time ago, and yet it still burns with the Dark Side. This passage is no secret."

She squinted into the shadows ahead. As sharp as her vision was, enough even to gaze into the ultraviolet, her eyes could not quite pierce the darkness at the tunnel's end.

She turned back to the runes, then to Elpsis. "Can you read them?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Insane was one way to describe Elpsis' short life. She was still a few years short of thirty, and yet it had been...very eventful. And it had left her deeply scarred, both mentally and physically. Each trial had made her stronger and harder, but she'd always lost something. It didn't have to be this way. Ever since being adopted by two incredibly rich and deeply neglectful mothers, she could've had an easy life of luxury and leisure. It would've been comfortable...and decadent and in her eyes pointless. Just another aristo faildaughter.

The whirr of servos was evident when she walked after they finished their descent. Down here in the darkness it was cold. Indeed it felt colder than on the outside. The twisted runes and glyphs inscribed upon the walls immediately drew her attention. They had left an imprint within the Force that was unmistakeable for her dead white eyes. Elpsis frowned as she stared at them. "No," she shook her head. "I can see them...but not read. Figure it's old Sith. Should've brought Nyssa," she muttered. Though that would've likely led to...issues with the Jedi. "Anyone have ideas?" she looked at the crew.

Shikoba stood staring at the glyphs. "Oh an ancient tongue these are. Mayhap the spirits might aid us." Raising her staff she intoned soft words and soon a spirit appeared before her.
"Why do you seek, little seer," it hissed. Even though it was not heard or visible to any others in the party they would feel a deathly chill overtake them. "I seek knowledge, Antarak the Cruel. We journey here to seek a living fallen Jedi. These glyphs, what is their meaning?"
"And what would you give for them, child?"
"Nothing more than that we will leave you in peace and neither hinder nor banish you to the Nether."
"You offer me nothing, so why should I aid you? I will take one of you to live again. It need not be you, seer, which of your companions do you disdain? The hairless ashen one? The darkness roils in her, she would be suitable. Or perhaps the pale Eldorai? The fire within her would blaze brightly." The spectral gaze fell upon Zhaleh and turned away. "Urgh, not that one. So sickeningly good willed. The Jedi would be acceptable. So full of judgement and self-righteous fire. She's not your comrade anyway."
"None of them are for trade. If you will not aid me, then begone."
"Or I will just take you...you summoned me, so I will tell you what it says, then claim my reward."
"There is no bargain."
"It says 'You are all going to die'." A sneering laugh and then it leapt at Shikoba, a cold and dark shadow speeding towards her. The Vash held up her staff, undaunted.
"Avaunt, spirit! You shall not have me or anyone!" she called aloud, speaking so her companions could hear her for the first time. Her staff flashed forward and struck the spirit. There was a blast of energy and the Vash was thrown back...but Antarak had vanished. Gingerly Shikoba got to her feet, with help from a sighing Vagt, and looked at Elpsis. "The...umm...spirit was not cooperative," she said, a little embarrassed.

"Told you before, Specialist, don't go talking to unknown ghosts! But since your supernatural hocus-pocus can't find the answer, lucky I brought this," the Bothan Sergeant reproached her. With that Vagt reached into his belt pouch and produced a datapad complete with scanner. "Loaded it up with ancient Sith languages before we left. Figure we might need it."
"What is dead should cross over. Ghosts who linger must be purged. Maybe you'll realise that. Before one possesses you next time," Celaena commented caustically.
Shikoba looked at her sternly. "Spirits, like the living, Celaena, are good and evil in equal measure. They do not deserve destruction any more than you or I."
"Cel, she knows she made a mistake, don't rub it in. Not all spirits are evil, but we can't trust them on this cursed world," Zhaleh said diplomatically.
"Enough chatter, watch our back. What does it say, Sergeant?" Elpsis asked impatiently.
"Just a moment, ma'am. It's processing," Vagt said as he held the scanner near a section of the wall. '"Here lies Ahmose the Conqueror, King of Ziost, Dragonlord, Incarnate of Typhojem, Favoured of the Gods'," he paused. "It goes on like this for a while."
Elpsis sighed in annoyance. "Fuck, it's as bad as mother. Anything that's actually important?"
Vagt was quiet for a bit as he moved the scanner further down and checked the datapad. "'Wielder of Dark Sister, Forger of the Bane of Ashla.'"
"Those must be weapons the traitor is here for. We must find him and take his head," Rhea surmised.