Private Communion

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

Was every battle this chaotic? Or did it just feel that way to her? Those were questions Reverence did not have time to ponder. All she could was try to stay alive and shepherd the captives. Where to? Wherever there was cover. "Move, on me!" she yelled. Hopefully she sounded more in charge than she felt. Scarlet salvoes emanated from her Blackblade Modular Rifle as she delivered suppressive fire. Shikoba had produced a bowcaster and fired a 2m bolt at one of the stormtroopers.

His armour blocked the bolt, but the impact was enough to hurl him backwards, with the quarrel bursting into flames. "Togruta, come on!" she called out. Impeded by her injury, Sano was slower. She did not have the training to blot out the pain and the wound in her shoulder made it more difficult to use her sword. As the blasterfire heated up, she cast a shimmering barrier to absorb the worst of it.

"Kardok," Reverence spoke into the comm, using the call sign as she hailed Elpsis. "Pulling out with the slaves. Some help would be great." She swung her rifle in the direction from where she heard movement, firing a short burst. It might not hit the Stormtroopers, but it would keep them at bay. Fierce counterfire came the trio's way as they retreated.

Then the Stormtroopers started lobbing in grenades. One landed at Reverence's feet. In a blur, she picked it up and flung it away with all her strength. The grenade exploded in mid-air. She felt sharp pain as hot shards of shrapnel rained upon them. She grit her teeth, and saw yellowish clouds of gas escape into the air. Her suit was sealed. So was that of her comrades...but the slaves had no such protection.

Immediately, frantic coughing could be heard. "Push it away!" she called out to her comrades. Sano was already at it, and Reverence joined, with both delivering a Force Push. In their moment of distraction, they could not respond when bolts zipped through the air. Shikoba let out a cry of pain and dropped to her knee, as bolts connected with her suit, but kept firing. Hard-sound smashed into Reverence's skull and she staggered, feeling dazed. Sano was still pushing the gas away, but getting overwhelmed.

Then the air around them started to cool - a lot. A cold mist descended upon them. Directed by Zhaleh, the curtain of white surrounded them in thick gloom and momentarily shielded them from sight. The slaves, emaciated and dressed in rags, shivered but it was better than getting shot or being gassed. "It will not last long," Zhaleh warned them. Behind her helmet's faceplate, her eyes were an icy blue and there was evident strain on her face.

It was only a momentary reprieve. The Stormtroopers were canny enough to switch to infrared. The trio pulled back, firing as they went and tried to keep themselves between their foes and the captives. Then the cold suddenly receded and the trio saw fire. A lot of fire.

xxx

Blasterfire flashed across the hall. It was close, loud and vicious. The air was filled with scarlet beams, flashes of destruction and the spray of guts. Elpsis felt impacts along her torso. Rounds flattened across her armoured body. Her heart thumped in her chest. Her shield was depleted. There was no time to wait for it to recharge. Tutaminis would have to do.

The scent of death was strong in the air. So powerful that it would have been choking without her helmet on. Moreover, there was a thunderous psychic wail - one born of pain, hatred and anger. Each soldier who died or was wounded added to the near-deafening chorus that thundered against her skull. Elpsis did not have the time or focus to blot it out. So she let the screams be.

And she felt fine. There was just her, her squad, the enemy, the slaves, gunfire, cover and moving forward. And there was fire. A lot of fire. Boots hammered the ground as her team swept acros the hall, moving from cover to cover, firing, lobbing grenades and burning. In situations like this, there was no time for complex strategic thinking. Every movement had to be muscle. It had to be relentlessly drummed into one's skull until it became as natural as breathing.

Where her keen ears picked up on hostile movement or where the Force directed her senses, she and Celaena projected fire. Jets of scorching, cleansing heat erupted from their hands. Where the enemy was better dug in or better armoured, they hurled a thermic lance at close distance. Nuroch followed them swiftly, alerting them of danger when he was not distracting foes or putting rounds in fallen Stormtroopers just to be sure they were dead. Elpsis' Shotgun cut through ignited Stormtroopers.

Heavy bolter fire and shouts came from the flank. There was the tell-tale hum of a lightsabre. Then she saw two Stormtroopers being frozen dead in their tracks before being hurled against a container with great force. "Tu'kata, status?" Nyssa had wanted to have the call sign Leviathan and been a bit peeved about not getting it. But it was not the Pureblood who answered, but Diona in her somewhat accented Basic.
"Approaching you from the other side. Tu'kata was frozen. I have unfrozen her."
"I did not need assistance," the indignant shout had to come from Nyssa. It produced an enraged roar that blossomed into a Force Scream, slamming into enemies. The ceiling shook a bit.
Elpsis rolled her eyes. "Secure access to the hangar. Don't let anyone get to the hostages. Anyone got eyes on the bots?" She hit Vagt's frequency as she spotted movement, spun, and fired, producing a spray of blood. "Vagt?" There was static for a while. Then she heard a loud thud, caused by a First Order heavy weapons trooper being hurled from a walkaway and crashing into the floor. "He chose express," Vagt responded over the comm. Then there was a yell. The mining droids had been unleashed.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan

Sirens were blaring, the loudspeaker droned, everywhere was the crash and blast of weapons. Near Rhea though there was a strange quiet, as though the battle had forgotten her.

Cradling the shotgun in her arms she headed alone through empty rooms and down a set of stairs. Soon she came to a choice. A blast door in front of her, and to the side a set of stairs which ran up to a service door. Through the blast door came the sound of battle.

Rhea paused, first heading for the big door, but then the strange current of the Force fuelling her impelled her to turn and run up the stairs, coming to the service door. It was unlocked, so taking a deep breath, she entered.



The scene before her was one of carnage. She was on a walkway looking down at a courtyard mess area. Troopers lined the railing with its thick walls and were firing down at their enemies; the Qadiri and slaves who had taken improvised cover behind walls, overturned tables and trolleys. Several unfortunate ragged slaves lay dead, whilst a couple of the Qadiri were slumped in cover, but Rhea could not tell if they were alive or dead.



At first her presence was not noticed as the troopers poured in fire with blasters…and more disturbingly…Mk2 bolters. However, they’d not had everything their own way. Part of the railing had been blown away, others scorched, and white armoured bodies lay scattered here and there.



Her presence was first noticed by a corporal, who turned, bolter raised. With almost casual moves she raised her shotgun and fired, evaporating her enemy’s chest plate and sending him sprawling. Now she was noticed, and troopers turned towards her but Rhea knew she had to get close. If she let them surround her or catch her at range she was doomed. She fired the shotgun as she kept pressing closer. A blaster bolt splashed off her armour, scorching her flesh, but she pressed on, eventually drawing her blade and dropping the empty weapon. In close quarters she had the edge and her imbued blade pierced armour joints like paper. When one tried to get around her side she called on the Force and ripped the weapon from his hands, following up with a decapitating blow.



Surprised, the troopers pulled back and she took cover. Below, the Qadiri formed a fire team to suppress and troopers who showed their heads whilst the slaves and wounded who could walk made for the blast door. This done, they pulled back, as did Rhea.



Limping downstairs she called at the doorway a phrase in Zandri she’d learned. “Enemy of the oppressors!” Shen she appeared at the head of the stairs no one shot her, and they relaxed slightly.

“Enemy indeed. Well done, Rhea!” Hasana said, clapping her on the shoulder. “They had us in there like zavi in a barrel. We lost a few of the prisoners too,” she said, her mood turning more vengeful.

“What about your people?”

“Darana, status?”

“Narseha’s hurt bad, Captain. We have managed to staunch the bleeding, but she needs help soon. Ochus’ helmet is broken. Kavadh’s arm is bad.”

“Just my right, I can still summon fire with my left!” he protested.

“Save it, soldier. Rhea, we can’t go back that way easily. What’s the layout ahead?” She took the Ratataki aside.

“There’s a branch just ahead. Straight takes you to the airlock and where our ship is. Right is a barracks, but we’ve dealt with them. Not sure where further down there goes. Left takes you to where the Lieutenant is fighting.”

“And why are you here alone?”

“I…something told me I was needed.”

Hasana gave her a curious look. The Force was a mystery to her, but she nodded. “Brave and foolish, but welcome. We need to act. Kavdh, take Narseha back to the Firemane ship with Cyrana. No arguing. Get her stabilised and be ready to take off if our friends need it. Ochus and Phrana, scout to the right at the junction ahead. We need to find a different way back to our ship.” Hasana glanced around at the thirty or so slaves she had. Some were hurt, many looked frightened, but most looked determined.



“Rhea, I want you to take Darana with you, go left until you link up with Lieutenant Alcori and then come back. We will hold position here and cover your retreat if needed, or we will find a way back to our ship.”

Rhea nodded, looked to Darana. “We’d best hurry.”

The Qadiri nodded. “Follow me.” She produced her lightsabre, but did not ignite it.

The last Rhea saw of the Qadiri was Hasana distributing whatever weapons she could to the slaves and getting into cover whilst some of her command headed off in each direction.



XXX



Meanwhile Natalie and Sienn had reached the battle in the factory. As the Twi’lek had been about to enter the final corridor Natalie pulled her back, putting a finger to her lips.

A pair of white armoured stormtroopers was sneaking around, trying to get behind Elpsis’ unit.

Natalie indicated the Twi’lek and then one of the troopers. She took careful aim at the other. Holding up three fingers, then two, then one. Blam.

The two troopers fell almost as one.



As she approached Natalie called out, “Kardok, Rancor in your rear with Lylek!” Lylek being a fearsome predator from Ryloth.

They were above Elpsis, but from there could see the battle unfolding. Natalie took out a trooper who leaned out of cover to shoot. Straight through the eye. Natalie OP, please nerf.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

"Where's Maalraas?" Reverence called out in response. That was Rhea's call sign. Elpsis had been wondering the same thing. "Heard voices. Went to help the Qadiri," Natalie replied nonchalantly. And you just let her run off? Elpsis felt like shouting, but there were more pressing matters. Within seconds, Elpsis heard the whirring of chainsaw blades. Amidst the thrum, she heard their loud footsteps. In spite of their large droids, they were quite fast on their feet.

Heavy blaster and bolter fire splashed against their huge chassis, but they pressed on. "Kardok, fall back, get the hostages away. Take Ronk with you. Rancor, help her." Inwardly, she cursed herself. She had not imagined them being this...big. That was on her. As the bots advanced, she fell back, making sure she kept pace with the group. Flames rippled from her hands and surged towards the big droids. "We gotta them lure the some place where we can box them in. Anyone see a place? Somewhere with industrial stuff."

"Gutkuur here," Vagt grunted. "I spy a vat. Couple clicks away from you, at the construction line. Feel the heat?" The Bothan knew that as a pyromancer, Elpsis would be able to feel the heat inside the molten vat if she focused enough. Quickly expelling the magazine of standard bolts, Vagt chambered ion rounds and put a droid under fire as he retreated.

Elpsis reached out with the Force and felt it. "Gotcha. Everyone, we're luring it to the vat."
"That means we are bait," Zhaleh could not resist throwing in.
"Just move."
The Qadiri ice mage did so, narrowly evading a huge chainsaw as it thrummed across the ground. Guided by her Zari, she lobbed an ion grenade at the huge droid's feet. Sparks flew as it detonated, but it pressed on. Fire and ice blasts hit the machines, unleashed by Celaena, Elpsis and Zhaleh as they ran. They would not destroy the droids, but damage them to some extent. Heavy weapons fire came from other squad members.

Meanwhile, Reverence, Sano and the captives were falling back. Owing to her injuries, Sano was unsteady on her legs. The emaciated slaves were not doing much better, though desperation kept them going. From a hidden mechanism inside it, one of the droids unleashed a bright scarlet beam - a mining laser. Then the huge chainsaw thrummed towards them, getting closer and closer. Before it suddenly stopped, mere metres away from the group. Sweat dripped down Diona's face. Even with Nyssa helping her, keeping up the shield was a strain.

"Move. It will drop soon!" she yelled. Then Nyssa suddenly triggered her jump pack and soared upward into the air, amidst calls for her to return to formation. When she landed on its mighty back, she almost lost her footing as the bot tried to throw her off. But she triggered the magnetised soles of her boots. Grimly, she drew her lightsabre, igniting it with the trademark snap-hiss. She felt a strong sense of vertigo, but called upon the Force to maintain her balance. Holding her lightsabre with both hands, she rammed its crimson blade into the back of the bot's skull.

The machine started to shake. Its mining laser fired wildly, while its huge chainsaws lashed out against anything in their path. Then it collapsed, and Nyssa fell with it. She triggered her jump pack but by chance or design a laser struck it and she fell, trying to use the Force to control her descent. As she landed hard, a chainsaw thrummed towards her.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan

Through all this a message, crackly and distorted came through.

“Maalraas here, returning. Assisted our friends with their operation.”

Rhea knew as she moved that she might have just thrown away all the progress she had made so far. Depending on what Elpsis decided she might be booted right back down to private again if she was lucky. When she had been a servant – or slave – of the Dominion that might have frightened her into showing no initiative.

Now though she was resolved to do what was necessary but also do what was right. Besides, she was sure Hasana would put in a word for her.



Regardless, she hurried back, stepping over the bodies of the two troopers recently cut down by Natalie and Sienn, she reached the doorway. She beheld a scene of utter chaos below her. The giant mining droid was battling with her comrades. Troopers still contested the battle in places.



However, just as Rhea was about to announce herself and join the battle she saw something, a flash of movement which drew her eye. There, at the end of the catwalk overseeing the battle was a figure. They seemed to her eyes to be a thin, black armoured individual. At first glance it reminded her of a Vaderite, or the ‘Ren’ she had heard about. Curiously though, this person was armed not with a lightsabre or sword, but with a long rifle. She was aiming at a crouch down at the Firemane crew, seemingly unnoticed.



Rhea brought up her shotgun and fired. The range wasn’t great for the weapon, and the target was crouched. Thus, the shards skipped wide, one gouged a hole above their head, another tore through the railing.



It had something of the desired effect though, for the black clad figure turned and fired their rifle right at Rhea. The Force screamed at her, but she could not get aside in time as the plasma bolt hit her shotgun, blasting it to pieces and knocking her backwards. Rhea must have blacked out a second because when she came to the figure, whoever they were, had gone.



“Sniper…sighted. Retreating. Shall I pursue?” she contacted Elpsis. She looked down at the Reaper. It had served her well…if briefly.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

Nyssa's landing was hard. Her back and her spine erupted in pain. When she tried to rise, pain shot through her. Her lightsabre was out of her hand, having landed a few metres away. The enormous bot loomed large above her. Its chainsaw whirred loudly. It was so close that she could see the blood that had already accumulated on it.

As it came towards her with lethal intent, her heart thumped loudly in her chest. The Pureblood did the only thing she could think of. One of her arms was flesh and blood, but her other was made of Phrik. So she flung her robotic arm towards the huge chainsaw, using it as an improvides shield. The saw tore into her metallic joints, sending sparks flying.

Her arm might be made of a nigh-indestructible metal, but the joints were still vulnerable. Moreover, the shoulder it was attached to was still mostly organic. The saw rend through her armour. Sweat dripped down her face. Her arm was shorn off. With an enraged roar, she reached into the pit of rage buried deep inside her, and will the Force to hurl her lightsabre at the saw. The burning hot, scarlet blade hit the saw, and the weapon exploded. Fragments and shards showered Nyssa. Some of them struck the vulnerable gaps inside her armour, digging into flesh.

The second chainsaw blade came crashing down upon her, and an invisible grip yanked her back. The bleeding, cursing Pureblood found herself staring at Diona. "Don't frakking say it," Nyssa cursed. Wordlessly Diona helped her up, but Nyssa struggled to stand from her fall, let alone move without keeling over. Diona staggered when a laser bolt impacted upon her shoulder, sending a burn across her flesh. "Need medic." Shikoba came bolting to them, while laser beams lanced through the air. Together they sought cover.

xxx

"Nyssa!" Elpsis uncharacteristically cried out as the Pureblood fell and then a huge saw came her way. Owing to the injuries sustained on Tephrike, she could not raise her voice without it hurting and hurt it did. But she did not care. Pure rage and anxiety were intermixed in it. Amidst the chaos, she heard Rhea's voice through her comm. She took a breath.

"No, rejoin squad. Try to lightning the bot." Was it irresponsible that she was telling her to come back while there was a sharpshooter at large? Frak it. She advanced towards the bot. "Celaena, with me." As the huge mining droid loomed over them, they manifested thermic lances and threw them at its legs. That got its attention as the blazing heat cut through it.

The mining laser rippled towards them and she bolted. The injury in her leg flared up, but she ran nonetheless. Celaena followed, targeting the huge mining droid's arm with a blazing jet of flame. Supporting fire came from Vagt as he hammered its head with ion bolts. "Go for the optics, if you can," he grunted over the comm, but then had to change position as blaster fire came his way. Moving slower than before, the big droid gave pursuit as the squad moved closer and closer to the industrial area.

Amidst the chaos, Reverence and the wounded Sano had been able to herd the slaves, with the mining droid having been distracted. "Come on," Reverence urged them. They could not get to the ship without sealed suits, for which they would have to help themselves to the stormtroopers' armour, but she could at least get them to a corridor outside of the line of fire.

However, one of the slaves grabbed her by the arm. "Stop, come with," she said in bad Basic. "Humans have device. It anchor metal golem."
"Something that can damage it?"
"Me show." Reverence wanted to turn her away, but the young woman pulled her by the arm, so she relented. Gesturing to the others to find cover, she followed her to the parts locker they had just passed. Inside was a magnetic clamp. "Device good?"
"Very, very good."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan

Rhea hesitated, but then realised she was probably in enough trouble without adding another disobedience to her list. Instead she locked the connecting door and blasted the controls. It wasn't much, but it might help.

Below was utter bedlam as the giant droids ran amok and the team tried to deal with them. Rhea looked for a way to help out, and then saw a couple of stormtroopers sneaking around, using the smoke and the machines to cover their bright white armour.
"Gutkuur, watch your seven, two white-hats coming in."
The Sergeant would doubtless be able to turn with Nuroch and Sano and deal with them. Rhea would also head down, hoping to add her assistance to the battle.

Sienn meanwhile had no more targets to snipe and so had gone to a console. She was able to slice in even through the lockdown for some basic information. She wasn't the equal of Natalie, but she could get some visibility access. She also had the big Enlightenment Mk2 communicator as it had been put aside before battle had started. It had a message.
Cyrana - reached your shuttle. Wounded secured. Captain beginning move.
"Boss, looks like our friends have reached our shuttle with the wounded. The Captain is also beginning their final assault. Any message you want to send?"

The clamp meanwhile was a heavy piece of hardware, designed mainly for lifting the large vats or spare parts it was an electromagnet. That is, it was just a heavy piece of metal until it received power at which time it became an intensely powerful magnet. The Qadiri slave hauled it out, barely able to manage the weight. She was thin, her body covered in burns and scars from both industrial injuries and maltreatment. However, she seemed determined.
She pointed to any of those nearby. "The control. Emerald is strong grip. Amber is the...uhh...attacking, no charging. Ruby is not grip." Currently the status light was red.
The stomping monster was close to their target. Someone would have to get in close however to lock it in place, then someone would have to drop the vat's contents on it without it splashing fatally on everyone.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

"Acknowledged," Vagt grunted. "Whiteheads, on our seven," he called over the comm to Nuroch and Sano. The Stormtroopers unleashed a volley of fire - not blasters, but high-calibre slugthrowers. These were presumably Firemane knockoffs. Heavy slugthrower fire cut past the trio, as the Stormtroopers unleashed a fusillade. Return fire came from Nuroch and Vagt, but Sano was not good at blocking rounds with her injury.

APEB rounds came from the Bothan's boltgun, ripping through a Stormtrooper's plastoid armour. But Vagt's energy shields flashed from the hits and he let out a cry of pain. His shields were better at withstanding blaster fire. Blood leaked out of his grey armour, but he fired his bolter and hurled a smoke grenade, reaching cover. Heavy fire came from the Stormtroopers, aiming to box the Firemane soldiers in.

"I'll live," he replied when Sano and Nuroch crouched next to him. He eyed the blade Sano was carrying, as well as the injury to her shoulder. "You still any good with that?" Before she could respond, he cut her off. "Don't brag."
"Not much," the Togruta admittedly reluctantly.
Without further ado, he removed a disruptor pistol from his holster and passed it to her. "An inelegant weapon for an uncivilised age." Glancing at Nuroch he said, "draw their attention."
The Nautolan reached out with the Force as he touched the minds of the Stormtroopers. His forehead and tendrils were sweating, but he persevered. Suddenly, the Firsties head the trademark snap-hiss of a lightsabre. The phantom of a Jedi manifested behind them, dressed in brown robes and holding a blue lightsabre. For no apparent reason, it said: "Hello there."

Immediately, the Stormtroopers riddled it with rounds. The illusion dissipated, Nuroch fell to the ground hard, and Sano and Vagt emerged. The Bothan threw a plasma grenade into their midst, then his bolter let loose a burst of APEB rounds. Meanwhile, Sano's disruptor unleashed a beam of light, blasting a hole right through the helmet of a Stormtrooper and, by extension, his skull.

xxx

Amidst all the chaos, Elpsis got Sienn's message. "Lil busy," she called. "Secured prisoners. Killing big bot." Then she cut the connection. In between the pyromantic assault, ion rounds and a burst of lightning that had just come from Rhea, the bot was weakening, but it was still in play and getting close. Elpsis pulled strength into her muscles, trying to keep running even as her leg gave her grief.

The ground shook beneath each massive step the bot took and the whirling of its saw was never far. "Kardok here, got a magnet," Reverence reported in. This was good, but also meant more decisions. Elpsis' first instinct was clear. She should be the one to run to the bot and drop the clamp. If something went wrong and the vat splashed on her, she was best equipped to handle it. It was her duty.

Do you just wanna play hero? It was easy to sacrifice yourself. Harder to make make a call and order others to do something that might result in their deaths. "Chracai..." that was the name of a fierce feline native to Kaeshana, "deploy the magnet. Lylek, once the bot's immobile, rain fire. I'll shield. Rest of you throw everything you got at the bot."

She got pings of affirmation. Celaena looked doubtful for a hot second. "If I get burnt, you're going to pay." Then she grabbed the magnet and ran. Time seemed to slow as the stomping bot reached the target area. Elpsis took a deep breath, projecting a thermic lance towards its skull, blasting its optics.
Further away, Shikoba had been tending to a badly injured Nyssa when some of the slaves reached. One of them being the slave who had found the magnet. "Take over," the Vashyada ordered her without preamble. "Contain the bleeding." Strain was written across her features as she focused, ignoring any protestations from the Qadiri or Nyssa. Her attention was on the saw. The whirring ceased.

As the bot came under heavy fire from all sides, Celaena dashed forward. The clamp was heavy, even for a trained soldier. She drew upon her Sciia to strengthen herself as she ran. The mining droid fired its blaster wildly. Many shots went wide or ricochetted off the walls. Some skipped past her head or hammered the ground she traversed, so she zig-zagged. She could feel Elpsis' shield wrap around her, absorbing bolts she could not evade. She was close, so close. Then the bot swung its remaining, massive saw like a club.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan

Sienn transmitted the message, receiving a ping of reply from the Qadiri.



Rhea meanwhile looked over the scene. She could see what the group was going to do, but the droid was nowhere near finished either. The vat of molten metal loomed over everything. It would need to be moved into position before it could be poured.



“Lylek, slice the system, we need to move the vat over a little,” she communicated.

Sienn acknowledged, but soon replied. “Maalraas, it’s not letting me shift it over, there’s a failsafe in the way.”

Rhea cursed slightly, and looking up she saw that there was a metal wedge inserted in the track to stop the vat going down a certain path on the roof crane. It’d need to be removed, and she was the only one currently able to handle it.



A quick glance around showed her the path up, a ladder leading from the catwalk to a narrow maintenance gantry. From there she could either reach or use the Force to pull out the block. As the drama unfolded below she had to focus her mind, concentrate. Heights had never been her favourite thing, something which her last Master on Tephrike had used to ‘harden’ her ruthlessly.



Tephrike had not had many skyscrapers, especially compared to the cities she had witnessed since leaving her old home, but it did have plenty of cliffs and mountains.

She remembered her Master and his cruel games to break her spirit, especially after she had attempted to rebel against him.

“You are full of fear, Padawan. A true Jedi does not show fear. Instead they should trust their comrades, trust their Master. Do you trust me, Padawan?”

He held her with the Force in mid air atop the Jedi Temple. All that was below her was a hundred metres of open air and the concrete of the plaza below.

“Yes, Master,” she said, trying to control her breathing, tried not to show her panic.

He knew, and with a gesture rotated her so she was facing down. “Good. Then we shall continue this education every day until you have controlled your fear. As the great Master Yoda once said, ‘fear is the path to the Dark Side’, and we will keep you from that shadowed path….”

He’d been as good as his word, and eventually she had controlled her fear…or at least the appearance of it, hidden and concealed it deep within herself.



Now in this infernal foundry she was faced by this ladder and the steep fall, but she was not afraid. It was not Antonius that had ‘cured’ her, it was her growing confidence and strength in the Force, her resolution to be strong and not show weakness.

And so up the ladder she went, hauling herself up rung by rung to the top, and then across the gantry. It was poorly maintained and the railings were barely there, but Rhea walked on with gaze fixed on the block.

Reaching out her hand, it was just out of her grasp…but not of the Force. Remembering all she had gone to she reached out with her feelings, an invisible fist seizing the lump of metal and tearing it free so it fell to the ground below.

“Lylek, it’s clear, get it in position!”

She’d have a great view of the show when it went down…though she prudently backed off so that the heat did not overwhelm her.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

((Hasie needs an on-screen action scene))

The bot swung its enormous saw, wielding it like a club. Owing to Shikoba's terramantic manipulations, it also felt like one when it crashed down upon Celaena. There was no whirring. Her body was not ripped apart by the saw. But it bloody hurt. Bones shattered, among other things. She crashed to the ground. Her body was a mass of pain. Menacingly, the bot raised its huge foot. The magnet had fallen out of her hand.

Kaeshana remembers. I am no craven, or coward. I am an Eldorai. Desperation and anger fuelled her. Breathing heavily and deeply in pain, Celaena pushed as powerfully as she could, drawing upon her Sciia to propel the magnet towards the bot. Its foot thundered down onto it, and the bot froze. She struggled to get up and failed.

Blaster bolts streaked towards her, fired by whatever Stormtroopers had managed to survive the melee. Then a sword of light soared through the air, cutting through bolts and shredding limbs, and a scarlet-maned inferno in human form stood above. A bolt slipped past her guard and slammed into the human's shoulder, another went through her helmet, grazing her skull. But she kept dragging her. Her flaming shield became a protective cocoon, refusing to let Celaena slip from its fiery embrace as molten lava poured onto the bot.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan

Sienn didn't need to be told twice, she hit the controls and slowly the vat turned, pouring the golden-red liquid onto the droid. Almost like a curtain it draped over the massive machine and for a moment nothing...but then there was a loud squeal, sparks and the weight and heat crushed the droid down with a thunderous smash to the ground. Layering over it like golden syrup, the metal first roasted and then started to harden. With a final grinding noise as the saw cut into the floor before its power died, the massive droid lay still.

Rhea had a front row view of the bot as the molten metal poured down. She shielded herself from the heat, then pulled out her rifle and took pot shots at the surviving troopers. It was time to go. She looked down to see what had become of Celaena and Elpsis. She had seen that fiery phoenix burst forth and close around the Eldorai, but could not see if they had survived the inferno. She'd only seen her boss go nova once - when she'd destroyed the Grand Inquisitor - but it was a site to behold.

The remaining First Order troopers had pulled back, leaving the factory clear. It was time to carry out their mission, relink with Hasana and leave....

(Soon!)

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

Molten metal poured down from above, flooding the droid. At long last, the enormous behemoth was crushed down and finally stood still. There was, however, no time for cheering. The squad members still in a position to fight unleashed bursts towards the remaining First Order troopers. Upon seeing the huge droid fall, Stormtroopers started to pull out. Though holomovies often depicted the contrary, few battles were fought until one side had been totally annihilated. Excluding the most extreme of circumstances that left no room for surrender or escape, armies tended not to fight to the last man. In many ways, battle was a contest of morale.

In this moment, Vagt took control. The Bothan could not tell whether the Lieutenant and the Eldorai fire girl had survived the inferno, but either way the mission continued. "Gutkuur here. Let them run. Azul, get the captives away. Tu'kata, you should go with her. Team, prepare explosive charges. Anyone who's still combat-capable, secure the path to the hangar," he barked. "Rancor, Lylek, see what can you salvage from the databanks, then wipe them. Partuz, you're on medic duty. Maalraas, confirm status of Cylix and Chracai."

"I am fully combat capable," Nyssa protested irritably, feeling angered about the Bothan 'recommending' she be excluded. It was an insult to her honour. The injuries the massive saw had inflicted on her told a different story. "Cylix, stop being dramatic and come over here," she added. Clearly Elpsis was fine and was just holding them in suspense to annoy her.

Meanwhile, Celaena looked up and saw that the bot had ground to a halt. It was coated in liquid. Its massive saw had cut into the floor. Her body ached, but she was alive. "Lieutenant," she spoke quietly. "Ma'am," she called out after she got no response.
"Here." Elpsis sounded out of breath. Her face was cracking with burning lines that glowed even through her helmet's visor.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan
The team snapped into action as only the barkings of an experienced NCO can occasion. Rhea looked down at the rapidly cooling mess below. To her amazement she saw Celaena and Elpsis standing there, apparently alive and unharmed by the molten metal. They were however somewhat stuck in a circle of cooling but still red hot metal which was slowly flowing into towards them. Knowing her comrades might be able to get clear, but also knowing that the effort might have temporarily exhausted Elpsis, Rhea decided to help.
"Cylix, heads up!" she called. From her gantry she let down a cable they could hold on long enough to be swung clear and deposited on the safe deck out of the splash zone.

Natalie meanwhile worked with Sienn. "They've made some improvements to the stolen designs, and I say that loosely. Downloading and then deleting all records. They might have offsite backups, or a copy with their leader, we should probably 'have a word with them'," Natalie said, tapping away.
"Ready to delete," Sienn said from her side.
"Purge it, I've got everything we need," Natalie confirmed.

Elpsis' comms would suddenly ping. "Lieutenant, we are ready to make our final assault on the hanger, care to join us? If you come from the south we'll trap them between us." It was Hasana. She sounded as confident as ever.

The rest of the team started planting their charges and getting ready to move on their leader's orders.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

They were in the clear, but burning hot metal was flowing towards Elpsis and Celaena. The Eldorai could not see the cracks inside Elpsis' face, but the glow emanating from her visor looked more than a bit unsettling. "Ma'am, let's go," she said, having heard the cable fall down from above.
"Can you walk?" Elpsis asked, getting up. She stood shakily.

"Fine," Celaena insisted implausibly. Her body had not been ripped apart by the saw, but it had hit her like a huge club. She tried and failed to walk properly. Wordlessly Elpsis helped her up.
"You did good today."
"It's not over yet," Celaena retorted, uncertain how to respond to that.
"No." Elpsis caught the cable as the burning liquid got closer. "You first." With their comrades presumably pulling the cable up, the pair ascended. "Chracai needs help," Elpsis declared once they were in the clear. She took a deep breath. Sweat was dripping down her face.
"Just something for the pain," the Eldorai grumbled.
In this moment Elpsis' comm beeped. The squad had switched off the no-shows at the start of the fight, so using comlinks was no longer impeded. "Acknowledged. Will be there," the Lieutenant replied simply. Meanwhile, the team had been rigging the facility to blow. Vagt provided direction, ensuring they laid their det packs at key points.

"Get ready to move. We're taking the hangar. If you need ammo, grab it from the dead or the wounded. Stock up on grenades," she ordered. Her head hurt but, as Celaena had said, it was not over yet.
And it seemed that some wanted to add to her headache. "I should be at your side," Nyssa insisted.
Elpsis could not physically see the Pureblood's nasty wounds, but she could perceive them through the Force. Nyssa was lucky that the saw had not ripped her apart. "Lieutenant, return to the shuttle."
"I am fully combat capable. Far more than any trainee."
"It's a long way back to the ship. I need someone who can protect the Qadiri and make sure we're ready for takeoff."
Nyssa huffed and made an indignant face. "I see what you're doing. It's awfully transparent. Fine, whatever."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan

The hanger bay was a large series of interconnected cavernous rooms. Crates and boxes often stood against the walls ready for loading or unloading. Of the three hangers only one was currently occupied by a ship, the centre one. This looked like a battered First Order transport, the paint and hull badly scuffed. The fighter squadron bay was located further down, near the bottom of the asteroid.

Hasana took stock of the situation. It was relatively grim as her troops squatted down in cover near the entrance. She had just five of her unit left with her, each in various states of fatigue and injury. Ochus had managed to find a new helmet by re-purposing a First Order suit but the fit was bad, though he wasn't complaining. It was sealed enough to be useful.

Hasana gave hand signals. Her squad knew what to do. Ochus took up position with his rifle. He'd carved six more marks into it today. Xyral took up position near a terminal and was busily using it to ensure the First Order did not pull any tricks like opening the hanger doors. Phrana and Darana worked together, the former with the Reaper shotgun, the latter with her lightsabre ready at hand. Then there was Hasana with a bolter.

First Order troopers were heading towards the transport. Pulling out, she supposed. They needed to stop the transport otherwise there would be nothing to stop them from simply blasting their own station or activating a self destruct sequence. Hasana leaned over to Xyral. "Make sure they don't open the doors." She got a nod. "Officer there, drop them," she said quietly to Ochus.

The sniper waited as the First Order Lieutenant gave their orders. Patience was the hallmark of shooting. Then, the crack of the hypervelocity slug and the trooper fell, the bolt piercing his brain.
"Hostiles, open fire! Cover the loading!" an FO corporal shouted. Some crates and boxes, presumably with weapons, were being loaded in the background. The troopers took cover where they could, but not before one got an explosive bolt to the chest and was splattered across the deck.
Blaster bolts flew and splashed around. The troopers were not exactly accurate, but the weight of fire meant advancing was difficult. Further, Phrana and Darana's weapons were not effective at this range.
Hasana decided to even the odds. "Smoke!" she called in Zandri. The First Order would have no idea what she said, and that was how she liked it. She loaded a blind round into her bolter and fired it, whilst her squad threw regular smoke bombs. It wouldn't last long, but it was good enough. Hasana sprinted forward, diving and rolling to reach some crates as blaster bolts tore around her. She could hear Darana's lightsabre ignite and set to work. Distraction. Setting down her rifle she drew her Cylix bolt pistol. A breath, and then she appeared over the boxes. The trooper a mere five metres away from her had no chance other than to look half around before the bolt blasted him. A second turned and fired wildly, the bolt searing into Hasana's side. The armour turned it...mostly, but pain still filled her. She emptied two bolts into the man in anger and dropped down. Darana had cut down another while Phrana blasted a fourth.

It was as Hasana was assessing her wound that she heard the engines start to power up on the transport. They were running out of time. However, they well and truly had the troopers attention if Elpsis came from the rear unexpectedly....

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

After the departures of the heavily wounded, Elpsis' squad was kind of depleted. Those that remained were in varying stages of fatigue and injury. Spare ammunition and grenades had been salvaged from the wounded or the dead. By the time they arrived inside the hangar, the battle was already in full swing. First Order troopers had apparently been in the process of pulling out, but been ambushed by the 'sand babies'. The air was thick with smoke, shrapnel and the whine of blasters. And engines were powering up. On the bright side, the Stormtroopers seemed preoccupied, meaning the team did not need to use no-shows to slip in unnoticed.

"Sonics?" Elpsis wondered.
Vagt shook his head. "Too close. Elf ears don't like 'em," he reminded her. He could not assess how much protection the helmets worn by the Qadiri would provide.
"Right. They're loading up their chit. Where's the damn walker?"
"Rhea and I are quick. We could sneak to the ship," Sienn suggested.
Elpsis seriously considered this. "Too many Firsties between it and you." Her eyes homed in on some troopers putting Hasana's crew under heavy fire. "Start there, roll up their flank." Quickly she passed out instructions, using hand signals. They needed to stop the transport, but for that they needed to break through the Firsties' lines first.

Responding to a gesture she had made, Rhea and Sienn snuck forward. Both of them vanished from her Force Sight as they wrapped themselves in a cloak of the Force. With their no-shows active, they were also invisible to sensors. They reappeared moment later. Too late for the two Stormtroopers manning the e-web to respond. One fell when Rhea decloaked and impaled him upon her sword. The other was shot by Sienn at close distance when she fired a hypervelocity projectile through the back of his skull.

"Go, go," she ordered crisply. Vagt had discarded his bolter and instead held giant hunk of metal in his arms. It happened to be the plasma cannon he had taken from a First Order heavy weapons trooper earlier. The large weapon was now fully powered up. When he pulled the trigger, the side panels glowed orange, ere a huge bolt that hit a Stormtrooper with enough force to throw him back. Squeezing the trigger again, he unleashed a barrage of bolts to cover Sienn and Rhea.

Now the Stormtroopers found themselves under fire from two sides. They risked being encircled. Shouts emerged from their lines and the soldiers scrambled to redeploy and face the new threat in their midst. One Stormtrooper prepared a frag grenade and reached to throw it. However, Diona homed in on him. Rather than shoot him, she telekinetically gripped and yanked his arm hard, causing him to drop the grenade at his feet. He shouted a warning, just before the grenade went off with a resounding blast. The trooper was shredded by the impact as he fell on it.

Taking the initiative, Elpsis moved forward. A chill ran down her spine when a blast of ice burst from Zhaleh's hands. That damned leg injury from Tephrike kept Elpsis from running fast, but she gave her jump pack a short burst to close the distance. She could hear Rhea and Diona setting to work with their blades, while Natalie and Zhaleh were advancing by fire and manoeuvre as they made their way through the maze of crates. In her hands Elpsis held a Reaper Shotgun. As she came down, blaster bolts splashed against her shield. It gave way, and she fired.

Shards tore through the chestplate of a Stormtrooper, smearing it with blood. A Stormtrooper aiming at her suddenly found himself disarmed as the blaster in his hands glowed red-hot, then blew up. Elpsis squeezed the trigger. But then she heard a loud noise. She heard someone shout 'grenade', but it was too late for her to dodge or push it away. An explosion sounded nearby and her ears rang. Staggering from the explosion, she braced against the wall, bloodied and bruised. Struggling to her feet, she heard the roar of engines. The hangar bay doors were closed, but the transport had turned and was firing its guns.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan

Elpsis and the Champions' arrival was just in time. The Qadiri could not endure the attention of the attackers for much longer, but fortunately they were relieved to see the Firemane troops coming in.
The surviving First Order troopers pulled back towards the transport. The ship had its two ground buzzer laser guns firing. These were not exactly turbolasers, but as Han Solo showed all those centuries ago they could punch through personal armour well enough.

The hail of fire forced Hasana to duck down again as bolts flew overhead.
"Thanks for the assist, Lieutenant. They're getting set to leave. Darana's got some det-packs still. If she can get close enough she can lob it inside before they close up. Can you cover us?"
She ducked up and fired a bolt which detonated in the entrance of the transport, causing several injuries or deaths amongst the troopers trying to board. She had to get down and move as the crate she was behind was shredded by concentrated fire.

Darana meanwhile had managed to get into a decent position. Her lightsabre was not active just now, but she had maybe ten metres of open space to the transport. Not far, but it felt like a kilometre with all the firepower that might be turned her way.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

Many First Order troopers had been dropped. Their blood flowed from their corpses, staining the ground. They were just more casualties in a war that had ended years ago, and yet continued to be fought. However, the shuttle was still in play and its guns unleashed a hailstorm of laser fire. Bolts flew overhead and past Elpsis. Her shoulder hurt and her shield was down. She had to duck to avoid being struck. "Can do," she replied, sounding a bit out of breath.

"Team, focus fire on the shuttle. Squid, can you mess with their minds?"
"Too many. I can give them something else to shoot at."
"Do it. Bear, mist at my signal."

Elpsis took a breath. The distance was too great for her Reaper Shotgun to be of real use. She had a lightsabre, so the most obvious approach would be to ignite it. However, those ground buzzers had a high rate of fire and she knew her sabreplay was not great. She felt the ripples in the Force. For just brief moment, an apparition of a Qadiri soldier could be seen charging towards the shuttle from another direction. It dissipated the moment laser bolts passed through it.

But in that moment she had arisen, and a jet of flame burst from her bruised, bloodied hands towards the shuttle entrance. A barrage of heavy bolts came from Vagt's plasma cannon, while Natalie, Diona, Rhea and Sienn provided supporting fire. Elpsis had to duck quickly and crouch away as a barrage of bolts came her way to destroy her cover. "Mist!" Once the curtain descended, it would provide Darana with some minor cover for the last steps of the road. However, noise could be heard coming from the other side of the hangar doors.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan

"Give her fire!" Hasana shouted in Zandri as she and her surviving squadmates gave as much suppressing fire as they could. Troopers were distracted and overcome, and then the mist descended and there was a moment of alarm as they switched to their night vision goggles.

Darana meanwhile had taken as much cover as she could, then sprinted forward, dodging rather than deflecting blasts. However, despite all the cover and support the open area was still a killing field. Using the Force she tried to shroud her movements and move even faster as she ran. As the mist descended she was nearly to the target when a blaster bolt hit her side. She stumbled, almost falling to the deck.
Hasana rose up with a cry, firing desperately to give a bit of cover through the mist, bolts flicking past her. Darana meanwhile managed to get to her feet enough to stagger the last few feet, priming the charges to explode and hurled them into the maw of the transport, staggering away.

The charges impacted and exploded, tearing apart the shuttle's interior and tearing out the sides. Flame and shrapnel scattered everywhere. The explosion had knocked Darana flat and unmoving to the deck.
As the fires burned Hasana ran forward. The last troopers were dead, so she was not impeded as she stumbled over to her Lieutenant.
"Darana, Darana!" she said, shaking her.
The battered Qadiri let out a choked breath. "Reporting...ma'am."
"Is it bad?"
"I've had worse," Darana said with a chuckle which became a cough.
"Don't lie, tell me," Hasana demanded firmly.
"I...will live...I don't think I can walk though."
"I'll carry you. We don't leave each other behind. Not after all we've been through. It should have been me," she said after a moment.
"Had to...be me." She drifted off.
After checking she was still alive Hasana produced a kolto patch and applied it, then a few more injections to help stabilise her.
"Lieutenant, anything else? We can call in the ships I think," she said, either on the comm or in person if Elpsis had come forward.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Tegaea Alcori

With a loud, dramatic boom, the charges detonated. The shuttle was shredded from the inside ans set flame. The explosion knocked Darana back, though she was alive. Seeing her fall, Elpsis emerged from cover and moved forward. She heard Hasana call out to her. "My team's got a medic." Shikoba's healing powers were creepy, but they worked. Then she frowned. "Wait...the walker...where is it? Did your girls face it? It wasn't in the factory."
"Listen," Zhaleh called out to them in alarm. Her sensitive ears meant that she heard the noise more acutely.

Then the hangar doors exploded. Choking clouds of acrid smoke rose up into the air. "Incoming! Cover! Champions, barrier!" Shouting hurt her throat badly, though in this moment it did not matter. The droid walker's shape could be made out inside the thick cloud. Then its cannon belched, unleashing a searing, scarlet laser beam.

There was no time to run. Elpsis had summoned a shield. Would it be enough? She had to try. She could feel Diona joining her. The explosion knocked her back far and she was smashed into the ground. It also shredded most of the cover around them. Elpsis lay unmoving on the ground. She felt her body was burning.

There was noise going on all around her. With heavy footfalls, the droid walker entered the hangar. However, amidst all the chaos, she struggled to hear anything. The thunderous noise inside her skull blotted everything out. Her ears were ringing. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Then finally she was pulled from her daze as yelling Natalie grabbed her and hauled her into cover. However, then the Essionian cried out and fell as a crimson bolt seared her.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

Elpsis Kerrigan

It appeared as though the battle was at last over. However, Hasana heard a strange noise too, and just then the inward wall shattered apart. Looming outward from a hidden storage area was a large machine, approximately of the AT-ST chicken walker variety.
Hasana hauled her friend up and fled, taking advantage of Elpsis drawing its attention. She was able to reach some cover and laid Darana down.
"Soldier, the launcher. You got it?" she demanded of Phrana.
"Yes, ma'am, got to assemble it," the Qadiri said frantically. It'd take a moment or so to do that as it had not been used so far.
In the background Ochus fired his rifle at the walker, but the armoured box shielding the drivers easily resisted it. However, it did draw attention away from Elpsis as the walker turned and sent blasts at him, forcing the sniper back.

Hasana looked around. Her own weapons would not do anything. But...she had seen reports on how to deal with these machines. Looking down she saw Darana's lightsabre. Now, she did not have the Force, she could not deflect bolts or do crazy throws, but it was just like a weightless sword.
"Apologies, Lieutenant," she said to the unconscious woman as she snatched it off her belt. "Get that missile launcher ready and fire when it's set," she ordered.

"Elpsis, we've got the missile launcher, but it's not ready yet. I'll draw its attention. Give me some cover if you can."
With the distraction afforded by the human and her squad she ran forward. The walker turned and fired, but too slow as she was able to keep just out of sight whilst it wheeled around.
The lightsabre was indeed weightless and weird to use, and her attacks were not well focussed, but in between avoiding being stepped on she hacked at the legs, not in the hope of bringing it down, but of drawing its attention long enough for Phrana and Elpsis to strike the critical blows.