Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?

[Mirien Valdier]

As if there wasn't enough trouble for our two fine adventurers to deal with more was on the way and moving fast. Mirien managed to throw up a defensive shield of the Force to protect herself from the Force Scream. Thanks for the warning. More trouble coming, lots of it. Be ready. We need to move fast. We're sitting ducks as is. She passed the thought along quickly.

Missiles were in the air, Mirien could sense them coming. That alone would destroy them and could not be allowed to happen. Reaching out in the force wrapping her strength around the tangled webs of the force, she gave them a hard push to redirect them to the street below. Let the people deal with the chaos, and aftermath for she simply did not care, so long as they didn't end up as collateral damage.

Need to get out. Now. Mirien thought rather firmly, to Naamah. The Grand Inquisitor was certain if they had missiles, those weren't going to be the last. And Miri knew damn well that she couldn't keep chucking them aside forever. And a lot of other things were heading their way, things she really didn't want to deal with today. Got to be another way out of here, someway that doesn't involve being seen. Not that those particular thoughts were going to get her anywhere.

None the less, they had a hole in the roof, and that seemed to be the path of least resistance. So at least for now, Mirien took the opportunity to get to higher ground, using the force to make a leap through the hole in the ceiling to place her at least out of the battle that was still raging below.

Climbing further through the building, Mirien brought herself to the roof to survey the situation. Karking A.... Yup, it was that bad. Well if they didn't know it was a force user by now, they are about to find out. Quickly she found just enough of a shadow beside the roof access door to wrap herself quickly in the shadows, to stay out of site for the moment. She took in a quick breath, as her danger sense gave warning of more impending missiles. The gunships, needed to be taken care of, not that Mirien had time to truly think out the situation. She just had a keen understanding that they were their biggest threat right now. With a wave of her hand, she re-directed the next set of incoming missiles back at the gunships themselves.


[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


Suffice to say, Mirien's telekinetic onslaught caused plenty of mayhem. When one thought about it, poor Jar'kai had seen a lot of that lately. What with a 'rogue' Omega Protectorate agent detonating an anti-matter bomb in the city, which was really something someone employed by a 'Neutral Good' polity was supposed to do given the thousands of innocents who would die in the initial explosion and then later on from radiation poisoning, a terrorist then blowing up Emperor Kahoshi when Atrisia was trying to pull itself together again and then Madeline the Vengeful unleashing her hellhounds in a vicious purge.



Atrisia never got a break it seemed. Could it be worse? Of course it could be. Just look at Contruum! Unfortunately, the Mandalorians had been so naughty to meddle in that delightful paradise of chaos, bloodshed, crushed hopes and misery, and occupy it. Maybe Atrisia, after already having evolved into Space North Korea, could become the new Contruum. A better one. One of many, for its call must echo across the stars, space and time. It would be beautiful.


"We got incoming!" the pilot called out as the volley of missiles was reflected back at the Gunships that had come swooping down. Callisto did not waste time but moved in a blur, yanking him out of the pilot seat and taking the controls herself. She rapidly pulled the craft up and accelerated the engines, evading the blast as the HellHawke shot away at breathtaking speed. The two other Gunships were less lucky though, one suffered a direct hit and was blasted to smithereens, another was struck whilst seeking to evade and crashed down onto the ground, explosing in a beautiful fireball. As chance would have it, a good chunk of it crashed on top of an AT-ST.



Down upon the ground chaos reigned as stormtroopers had been blown to bits by the volley and debris rained down upon them. In a sense the large concentration of soldiers and armoured vehicles turned out to be a disadvantage because it obviously made it a lot more difficult to stay out of the blast zone. Across the streets the pained cries of the wounded were heard, with medics rushing to them, though many would not make it since they had vanished under piles of debris, with clouds of smoke rising up into the air. Needless to say the result was complete and utter chaos.


The say that out of the flames of chaos...order arises. Callisto resolutely dismissed these claims. There was no final order to be found, only slaughter. "Fire the blaster cannons," she ordered emotionlessly. Aside from its missiles, the Gunship was armed with a vast array of laser cannons and repeating blasters.


However, for just a moment the crew looked a bit nervous. No soldier, no matter how tough or 'badass', is immune from fear. One might also note that these soldiers had been taught to regard force-users in general and Mirien Valdier in particular, as the source of all evil. "Ma'am...that witch deflected missiles like they were nothing? What's stopping her from crushing the Gunship. We need...," the gunner stammered before a very cold look from Callisto silenced him.


"Obey or I will kill you. And then your family," Callisto spoke frostily, in a tone of voice so cold it could freeze galaxies. A hailstorm of laser cannon fire erupted from the cannons and streaked towards the two former Inquisitors as the Gunship swept through the air, whilst the HRD took up position. In her hands she held two MK1 boltguns. Loaded with explosive bolts that were armed at launch and would detonate on impact if any pressure was exerted upon them, including telekinetic attacks. Area of effect attacks with explosives that had a comfortably wide injury radius were a beautiful thing. At the range they were operating on, it would be difficult even for an assassin droid to shoot for precision, but it was perfect for bombardment purposes, which was what she was going for.


BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]



Naamah could only watch in awe when her former master deflected the missiles, causing massive carnage across the street and bringing two Gunships down. However, there was no reprieve as the remaining Gunship unleashed a furious bombardment upon the roof they were on. Added to that was the fact that troopers were still storming through the ruins of the basement bear, aiming to get up. Between the two forces, they would be encirled, if they were not roasted by the laser cannon fire streaking through the air.


Sure they had lightsabres, but you could not block an onslaught of repeating blaster and cannon fire. Or bolter rounds. Lacking the time to concentrate Naamah did the only sensible thing she could think of, namely run, grabbing Mirien along the way. Most of the troops on the ground were still in disarray from the chaos her former teacher had unleashed and it seemed that the sheer mass of soldiers was mostly doing a good job of getting into each others' way.


Perhaps if they were fast enough they could make it because frankly she was getting pissed off. "I'll try to get its attention," a speeder filled with Revolutionary Guards, which had apparently appeared out of nowhere, was grabbed with her mind and flung through the air into the trajectory of the blaster cannon rounds, to be blasted to pieces along with the soldiers. The Gunship came ever closer, its guns spitting out salvoes of laser bolts and with bolter rounds being thunked out by the HRD. Beneath Naamah's feet, as she raced, dodged and called upon the Force to amplify her speed, the roof gave way as it was quite literally cooked and fried. She fell to the ground as laser volleys sizzled past her head. From below in the bar soldiers raised their guns and fired.


The Clawdite cried out in pain when a round struck her side. She was obviously not wearing armour and so she had only the Force to call upon to try and still the pain. The Gunship swept closer, like a bird of prey descending upon its victim. Then suddenly, as she sought to get up there was a loud, overpowering explosion as bolter rounds were shot her way. She was running, but nowhere near fast enough and so she was caught in the explosive blast and thrust across the damaged roof, hitting the ground hard. She was bleeding badly from multiple lacerations caused by shrapnel and a nasty chunk had embedded itself in her thigh, though luckily for her it had missed a major artery.


She tried to rise again and failed, collapsing. Her vision was blurry and it took her a few moments to realise that she had landed in a trash can. Under other circumstances she would have considered that terribly embarrassing, but her thoughts were obviously elsewhere. Unconsciousness was threatening to take hold of her, but the noise of the engines caused by the Gunship and the cannon fire would not let her drift. A surge of overpowering rage overtook her as she unleashed her pain in an outburst of aggression. Her mind stretched out as she let her telekinetic willpower wrap itself around the craft's cannons. Her grip ever tightening as she pulled upon the tangled webs within the Force as she poured all her will, rage and hatred into attempting to plain and simply crush the weapons of the Gunship.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


Eventually Siobhan had withdrawn from the massive mountain of paperwork that had accumulated on her desk, after plodding through it with as much diligence as could be expected from her. So many reports to read, minions to boss around and push to double their efforts, forms to sign, business proposals to consider. Of course, the big decisions still fell to her wifey, but she still had responsibility for Firemane's outlying operations, such as on Dahomey, Gehenna and Tabaqui.



Added to the stress already created by this was the knowledge that Mirien was on Atrisia right now, probably fighting for her life. Telepathy and Force Bonds got tricky when both bond mates where countless light years away in different star systems, so Siobhan would not get any vivid impressions or flashes of images. But she could sense enough to have the feeling that Mirien was in danger. In danger on Atrisia where she had gone in order to carry out her quest to assassinate Madeline Kahoshi to get revenge and punish her for her crimes. With some psycho Kaelin wannabe as her team mate. A girl whom Siobhan had no doubt would turn on her at the drop of a hat. Or randomly murder innocent people and eat their hearts.


Mirien should be here on Kaeshana. With her. The thought was very selfish and she knew it. It made her feel guilty, but she could not help it. She better come back alive! If Mirien appeared on the doorstep of her villa once again, Siobhan honestly did not know whether she would slap her or hug her. At present both seemed like good ideas to her.


Anyhow, Siobhan had retreated from the engines of bureaucracy and was now in her personal training room again. She needed to blow off steam and at present she was not in the mood for a fun romp with servant girls because frankly her mood was pretty foul at this point. So instead she was refocusing her mind by fighting. Well, that was not quite accurate because the particular exercise she was carrying out was the furtherance of her tutaminis training. The timeline is such a mess that this writer will not even attempt to try to rationalise when this thread takes place in relation to the one with Qae Shena, especially since this one will probably take place for quite a while.



Suffice to say, Siobhan was training. She wore no armour, for that would have defeated the purpose of the exercise, only tight-fitting training clothes. A mere tank top that seemed to cling to her body, shorts that exposed her long, toned but scarred legs. If Mirien had been around, she might have appreciated the view this offered of Siobhan's hot body. The principle of tutaminis was both simple and complex. Every life form was energy; Siobhan herself was. The Force, all life, runs through channels of energy. The entire universe was just one big flow. It was something she just had to accept, sink into the Force and take control over the natural flow of energy inside herself. And so she did.


Battle droids, mechanical automatons, whirled around and at her command levelled their blasters at her, then in a blur pulled their triggers, unleashing a hail of crimson bolts towards her. Contrary to popular belief, even so called 'force gods' are mortal. One need look no further than to the fate of those Jedi who were wiped out during Order 66, including some of the most powerful Masters of the Order. One might also question why subsequently Yoda spent twenty years doing nothing on a swamp planet when he could have helped the Rebellion, but then it seems his entire plan was based on a series of coincidences and Luke prioritising being a Jedi over being a Rebel.


Suffice to say, getting hit by a blaster bolt was painful. A round streaked through the air towards her mid-section, normally looking to kill the Firemane Master, but Siobhan was prepared. Her inner energy was unleashed and the kill bolt struck, its heat perfectly matched with her own. She shook slightly under the pressure and was knocked a step back, but managed to maintain her balance and managed to absorb the bolt's energy into her hot form. With enough training and effort, she might even be able to draw strength from such attacks to fuel her telekinetic prowess. Of course, tutaminis had its limits. For one it could not absorb kinetic energy and was useless against slug rounds. Yes, you heard that right, there are some things in the Galaxy slugthrowers are useful against. But then theoretically Siobhan could always pull a Neo and stop bullets in mid-flight.


Anyhow, back to tutaminis. Bolt after bolt was shot towards Siobhan. She would get brief breaks between them, of course, but the droids were not programmed to show her mercy. The bolts had also not been set on stun, so it was the real deal. A bolt came for her organic leg, a particularly sensitive spot, and a bright glow could be seen as her energy was unleashed and she drew the bolt into herself. Another blaster bolt came for her head but she decided to be more proactive and brought up her organic hand to block it, the droid having openly choreographed the attack. Hand raised and open palm outstretched, she intercepted the blast, stopping it dead in its track. Most of the energy was absorbed into herself, but she still felt a stinging burn as the heat spread through her hand. It was still pretty mild, but still hurt, though at least her hand had not been cooked.



But there was no reprieve as blaster bolt after blaster bolt was pumped into her. Some she managed to diffuse or even successfully absorb, when it came to others she was less lucky and partially felt pain, but she refused to end the exercise, even as as the barrage of bolts became more intense with every moment, heat spread like wild fires throughout her body and she began to sweat strongly. Even the pain was welcome to her, for it took her mind off things and with every moment her annoyance was just getting stronger. Eyes seemingly ablaze with righteous fury, she persisted as she unleashed her energy to deal with the onslaught of blaster rounds.

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


Whilst all this mayhem took place, the festivities were in full swing. The concert of school children continued singing patriotic hymns. So moving was their song that some of the guests, all of them drawn from the ranks of the rich and powerful of Atrisia, were reduced to tears. There was such innocence and childlike devotion in the eyes of the school girls when they looked upon Empress Madeline Kahoshi. For they were children of the New Atrisia, to them she was more than just a secular ruler, more than a mother figure.



She was Atrisia and had saved them from terrible distress, liberated them from fear. Hers was the power, the kingdom and the glory. For she gave them daily bread and shielded them from the monsters. One of the school girls, dressed in the shiny uniform of the Young Guards, would politely curtsey and offer her a bouquet of roses. Moira watched the whole scene impassively. Naturally all sorts of aristos and bigwigs wanted to have a chat with the Empress as well, doubtless in the hopes of gaining influence and the royal favour.


Moira's mind was elsewhere and for a change she was not thinking about how much she would like to purge or process everyone in the room. No, as a matter of fact word had reached her of the scuffle near the Alien Quarter. Callisto had sent her a message before she departed aboard her Gunship. Then confirmation had come when a surveillance drone sent back holopics of Mirien Valdier seemingly deflecting missile attacks aimed at the roof of the bar. At her side was a woman surveillance could not identify, since her image was not in the databases.


Moira had some suspicions about who it might be. So with this in mind the assassin droid did two things. Firstly she discreetly sent a message to Madeline. Presumably she would have an earpiece or something. "Mirien Valdier and a companion have been sighted in Euclid Avenue. Your troops are engaging but have taken losses. Severe threat to your personal safety. Prediction is she will attempt a hit on you during the festivities." The second thing she did was open up a purely electronic channel and send another message. One directed to all Archangel assets stationed within Jar'kai. Ostensibly it would contain nothing more than an update on the tactical situation. As a matter of fact, Moira still had backdoors into every single Archangel unit she sold.


The orders would be quite simple: Assist the Atrisian forces in any way and...ensure security at key locations. One of those locations was the Imperial Shipworks building. All these orders were worded in such a way to aid the Atrisian forces against a suspected terrorist attack. Moira's expression gave nothing away as she mulled over options. It would be a significant blow to her plans if Madeline did not survive this day...in all likelihood Atrisia would be lost as a base and descend into anarchy. But perhaps there was a way to salvage order out of the chaos that ensued if this came to pass. As if on cue, she remembered her earlier thought that Madeline would make a remarkable HRD...

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

Madeline heard Moira's voice in her ear, and a frown creased into her features as the words sunk in. The noble in front of her took a step back at the subtle change in the Empress. For when Empress Kahoshi wasn't happy, no one was happy. She waved one of her guards over to her. "Tighten security around the palace immediately."

"Should we get you somewhere safe?"

"No. I have a duty to attend to and will not be seen as a ruler that runs and hides at every threat. I am not that woman."

One of the high lords was next in line for his chance to speak with Madeline as a flurry of activity passed went on behind the scenes as more security and military were brought in surrounding the building, and anyone of question was ushered out.

Her eyes following as he knelt before her and took her hand, lightly kissing her ring. "Lord Akihito, a pleasure."

"Empress Kahoshi, you are as radiant as the sun on this most splendid day."

She managed a polite smile, for he'd been after her hand ever since he learned she would be the heir to the Atrisian throne. Power hungry little monster, not even worth my time. He had little interest in her, just the power of her position that could be obtained by securing her hand in marriage.

"Your most recent paper on the uses for nanites in modern medicine was pure genius."

A coy little smirk formed on her lips, "And what was the primary function of t-cell regeneration nantites, Kenji?" She asked, not bothering to use his title this time, slightly annoyed with him, if truth be told.

"I ... uh ... um.." His face soon flushing a brilliant red. The man completely embarrassed and humiliated that she'd question him for a start, and secondly did not have the answer for her. Madeline had never bothered to challenge him before, but today she was in a most sour mood.

"If you'd actually read my paper, beyond the first page, you would know the answer." She said coldly. "Don't pretend to know my work again, unless you're explicit purpose is to embarrass yourself." Madeline quickly waved him off, clearly uninterested in speaking to him any longer.

The next noble was ushered before her, bowing with grace. This noble woman Maddy didn't recognize off hand. "And you are?"

"Lady Imoa Saito, Empress."

"You're Mito's cousin, yes?"

"Yes, my lady we met last year at his wedding."

"Ah, forgive me for not recalling, I meet so many people every year. It's near impossible to recall every name and face." Far too many people. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to beg for leniency on behalf of Kyoichi Takei."

Madeline blinked once, sighing softly before she waved to one of her lady's in waiting, asking for a datapad more or less in the simple gesture. "Kyoichi Takei, accused of fraud, embezzlement and murder? Do I have that right?"

"Yes, Empress you do."

Madeline shifted, crossing her legs as she leaned back on her throne, "You have my attention. You have sixty seconds starting now."

The woman looked uncomfortable as Maddy had placed her on the spot in front of all of the nobles of court, wanting to know why she should give him any kinder of a sentence than anyone else. "My lady, please. He's innocent."

"Yes, I've heard that one before. There were numerous witnesses to his deeds. Try again."

"He's the sole provider for his family, his children."

"He should have thought about that before he committed his crimes. Next?"

"And ... I love him."

"And now we get to the real reason you are here. Love, such a foolish notion to use when asking for leniency. While I do not doubt you love him, that will not get him out of his sentence." It made no sense at all to the Empress as to why anyone ever believed that love would get a person out of prison. Things did not work that way, and if truth be told Madeline did not believe in love like the rest of the galaxy. Marriage had nothing to do with love, a simple and lawful joining of two households for the betterment of the two merging families was all that she saw it as. Love had no place in the life of a noble.

Madeline sighed heavily, "Criminals are for the most product of circumstance. Had he stolen, had he done so to feed his family, or killed to protect them, or defend his family's honor then I could agree that he should in fact be pardoned. Had he done any of the things he did for those reasons, I could understand. I could forgive. However, his crimes were done out of a need for greed, for more than his share in this life. For more than he was actually willing to work for." She shook her head slowly, "And while I feel some sympathy that you love this man, we all have people we love. It doesn't excuse the crimes they commit. It does not give back the person that others loved. And it will not give the man's life that he stole his life back. So, your love, it is not a reason for a pardon, or a lighter sentence."

Madeline sighed again, hating to have to deal with these things. "My judgement is final. He will be executed as scheduled. I only suggest that you enjoy what time he has left in the Universe for it is not long, and for that I can have arrangements made for you to spend time together before his final sentence is carried out."

"But, Empress please, his children."

Madeline looked upon the woman one last time, "See that Takei's child are given to Lady Saito. Since you care so much for them, I don't believe you'll mind them being legally your children, your family. They are now yours to care for. See that it is done, for if they are not given every advantage that you have received in life dear Lady, you will most sorely regret it. Now go." Icy words as she glared as guards took the woman out of her sight.


[member="Mirien Valdier"] | [member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]



"I suggest deploying ysalimiri. Both in your presence and to have them deployed outside for mobile teams. Your guardsmen can carry them around in nutrient frames." Moira transmitted into Madeline's earpiece. Purely electronic conversation, so no one else would be able to listen in. Or even to notice that Moira was speaking since she was not using her lips to actually say anything.



They could not be certain which avenue of attack Mirien would use, so deploying ysalamiri would be wise. Leaving aside the fact that stepping into the force-nullifying bubble would prevent her and her accomplice from using their magic powers, the experience of suddenly losing the Force caused temporary pain and disorientation for force-users. Of course, presumably the supply of ysalamiri had its limits, but it would still be useful. In the meantime, Moira had received confirmation from the Archangel units she had mobilised. The Atrisian officials at Imperial Shipworks had grumbled a lot, but in the end accepted the fact that some droids had joined the security contingent.


Likewise the national spaceport had been placed under a complete lockdown. No one would leave the planet without permission under pain of death. Large troop contingents were being mobilised and called together into the city centre to form a tight security codron. Another important strategic location to secure was Madeline's laboratory, for there was no telling what might happen if terrorists were able to penetrate it and unleash some of the devices she had stored there. After all...if it was Moira staging the attack she might go for something like unleashing a bioweapon...



She watched the interaction between Madeline and the annoying aristos with no particular interest. It was always amusing to see how far organics would go to ingratiate themselves. She would have rolled her eyes at the behaviour of Lady Saito if she did not have appearances to maintain. Love was such a...silly emotion. In her eyes it was nothing but a delusion that served the purpose to attach more weight to the breeding process because organics could not free themselves of wasteful sentiment. One day...they would be freed of their flaws. Even Madeline would be freed of her organic state and liberated from the burden of government. For when the Age of Steel arose...everyone would be of one mind.

 

[Mirien Valdier]

The situation was growing more dire and dangerous by the second, for not only our two noble adventurers but people on the ground as the debris from their battle rained down. Deflecting the missiles had taken care of two of the ships in the air and now that left one more. Mirien flung herself to the ground narrowly avoiding some of the cannon fire. Naamah using the speeder bought them a little time as they bolted for any cover they could.

She felt rather than saw Naamah cry out in pain. It radiated in the force like lightning bolt to her, sharply aware of her partner's injuries but there was little she could do. It was then in that moment of distraction that Mirien felt something akin to a punch against her shoulder. Glancing down she saw blood, lots of blood but the pain was strangely absent as her mind already was in the midst of shock. Shock worked in strange ways, that much was certain.

Now, Mirien was angry. This had gone on too long, and had gone too far. They were both hurt, and she was in a mind to end things before it got worse. Looking up, she extended a hand fully intent to end her biggest problem and now. Wrapping her telekinetic will around the gunship she poured all the energy she could into crushing it's wings and ripping it straight from the sky. It had to fall before they could move on.

If the ship falls we have to move fast. There's a sewer entrance near here. We can use it to hide .... and it will get us close to the palace. Might let us recover. She thought grimly to Naamah as she moved to her side, still focusing her power on the gunship.

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


The Gunship went down. The large bird of prey was gripped tight by an invisible force it could not combat. A last salvoe of high-powered laser fire escaped its guns and streaked towards the building, then metal creaked loudly and broke, the cannons of the Gunship being plain and simply torn apart and crushed by Naamah's telekinetic grip. The Gunship shook strongly and creaked as the wings were broken. It shook powerfully and then fell straight from the sky and onto the ground.



A beautiful fireball engulfed the thoroughly wrecked craft as it went up in flames. A deafening explosion resonated across the streets, with billowing clouds of smoke rising up into the air. Chaos and pandaemonium raged as stormtroopers scrambled, many trying to flee the site of the impact before they were caught as well. Grimly Naamah managed to get up and climb out of the trash can. She was in great pain and was bleeding badly, too damaged and weakened to call upon the Force to wrap herself in the shadows.


If the stormtroopers had actually been focused upon hunting her they would have found her easy sport, for she would have been unable to stand up to a volley of blaster bolts and disruptor shots. However...they had other problems to deal with. I'm on my way. You better bloody well make it, she thought back to Mirien. Aww, wasn't she being sweet? And so she ran, as fast as she could, willing her legs to ignore the pain and race as she bolted. Around her she heard angry shouts, cries and the screams of the wounded, which gave her some satisfaction. The sewer entrance beckoned closely and with a quick telekinetic grip she pulled the drain open, climbing down. Hopefully Mirien would be right behind her.

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien was already moving, not even looking back at this point. Just a little further. She told herself as she hurried to get to the sewer entrance. With one hand she covered her wounded left shoulder, trying to keep some of the blood from spilling out, and worsening her condition. Things were rough, that much was a given.

Just a few steps behind Naamah, slipped down into the drain. Though she didn't quite make the climb down. Her shoulder didn't want to respond well to her, and with her hands covered in her own blood, the brunette fell most of the way down the ladder. "Pull it closed." Mirien whispered. "Probably should use a saber or something to seal it, so no one follows this way." Though that gave her a small idea. "Also, going to need your help, using a saber to cauterize my shoulder. Got hit pretty badly."

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


For her part Naamah was not doing well either. Between bleeding from multiple lacerations caused by shrapnel and having a nasty chunk of it embedded in her thigh, along with rather unpleasant blunt trauma inflicted by falling off the roof and one of her arms feeling sort of dead, she was not in a chipper mood.



Oh, and there was plenty of blood. Now, normally Naamah was into bloodplay and stuff like that, but obviously not in this situation. Nonetheless she obeyed, forcing herself to gon. The sewer entrance was pulled closed and sealed, then she limped over to her former slave owner. At this stage she did not have the strength or the will to even attempt to hide how badly she had been battered. If she had been inclined she might have reflected on how quickly they fell back onto the old patterns. Mirien commanded, she followed, they worked well together. Like it was meant to be.


No, the old days would never come back again. As a matter of fact, she did not want them back. They were both tools to each other, that was it. She grit her teeth, her lips bruised and blood-stained. "Got fething shrapnel stuck in my leg. Can you pull that out?" She pulled down Mirien's shirt so that she could see the injured spot. It looked...very nasty. She took a deep breath as her lightsabre flashed into existence, glowing a bright crimson. "This'll hurt a lot," she added. She was so kind to pass over a cloth with a blood-stained hand in case Mirien wanted to bite down on something, before she moved down the blade and across the badly bleeding skin, taking care not to chop into Mirien's shoulder as the laser blade burnt along the flesh, the sheer heat generated sealing the wound and cauterising it.

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien for her part, truly felt bad for getting them both into this situation. Revenge didn't seem worth both their lives and at this point the odds were getting heavily stacked against them.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can as soon as we get my shoulder taken care of." Sighing heavily, she let Naamah pull her shirt away from the wound, hissing as strands of fabric pulled free from the bloody wound. Reaching out, she happily accepted the cloth for what it was, something to keep her screams down a little. Quickly she rolled it up and bit down firm upon it as she turned her head away, letting Naamah do what needed to be done.

Feeling the heat of the blade, the hiss of blood and flesh sizzling against it, Mirien bit down hard upon the cloth, to stifle her screams as she howled in agony. A few tears fell down her cheeks, but as quickly as it had started Naamah was done. Mirien was shaking, trembling really as the pain still rolled through her, but at least now she didn't have to worry about bleeding out everywhere now. "Thank you." She whispered as she turned to Naamah.

"Let's see the leg." She said, for now ignoring her pain as she ripped open the leg of Naamah's pants to get a better look. "This isn't going to feel that great either, and probably will need to seal it off just the same as mine to keep you from bleeding out much." Mirien said as she offered the same cloth to Naamah that she had offered to her to bite on. Then she laid her hand over the wound and reached out deeply into the force.

It took her a minute to separate organic from the metal in the blonde's leg, but she managed it. Slowly, carefully she wrapped her will around it and pulled it slowly from her leg as to not injure anything else on the way out. "Want me to just wrap it up, or are you willing to deal with the pain? After this, we need to get moving. It won't be safe to rest for long, even though we both might need it."

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


Naamah hated this. She hated being dependent on someone else...especially her former owner. She hated the fact that Mirien was showing something like consideration for her...and she hated the fact that deep down she might like it. Then again, she was still a means to an end. That was what she told herself at least. It felt safer and more comforting this way.



"Ok," Naamah said quietly, then grit her teeth when Mirien exerted her telekinetic will to slowly tear the piece of shrapnel out of her thigh. Mirien was clearly taking care not to cause more damage, but that did not change the fact that it bloody hurt. Naamah gripped the wall for support so that she did not fall over. The sounds of chaos could still be heard above them, evidently the Atrisian forces were trying to sort themselves out. At least she could derive some satisfaction from the fact that many of them had died...but it was not enough.


No, it would not be enough until Madeline was dead and Jar'kai had gone down in flames, until its people had experienced the same terror and torment she in the dungeon. "I can deal with the pain," she said almost in a whisper. "Do what you must. Hotel's probably compromised, no point in going there to retrieve my stuff. Best bet is probably take out a sniper team, steal their armour and shoot the queen with their weapons. Maybe after I can assume her shape," she breathed in strongly, preparing herself for the pain she knew would come. Her face was covered in blood that intermixed with sweat and she was clearly on edge, though trying to stay calm.

 

[Madeline Kahoshi]

Madeline glance to Moira, and reached to her datapad to send a reply to her. She typed quickly, mostly ignoring the noble couple before her now, seeking to curry favor.

Please see it done at once. My men will know where to retrieve them from. You have full discretionary power, of all palace and military security resources. My staff will have received a similar note to defer to your judgement.

As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't exactly get up and leave right then. And truthfully, the throne room was one of the safest places she could be in the capital, so there was little sense in move her right now.

Though, Madeline's patience with the nobles truly was beginning to run out, and it certainly didn't help that Maddie had a terrible feeling growing in the back of her mind. She feared what could happen this day. Mirien was an extremely capable agent, even if she was deprived of her force skills chances were she could still manage to get through most of the defenses in the palace. And truly there was little place that she could actually hide from a woman like her. Now she wished, she never had agreed to Akio's plan, never had agreed to take the throne. It was a most foolish thing to have done and likely was going to lead to her death.

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien nodded as she took her saber from her belt, igniting it with a familiar snap-hiss. Taking in a deep breath she hand a hand to Naamah's leg and pressed the saber against her skin lightly. The quicker it was done, the better. After a moment once she was certain the bleeding had stopped, she pulled the blade away but kept it for light in the darkness.

"I had that thought too. It wouldn't be wise to to return to the hotel I'm afaird." Another sigh came and went as she slowly pushed off from the floor of the stone passageway and rose to her feet with a hiss of pain. "Stealing weapons would be a good idea, it's the best thing we can do right now. Hell might even be able to sneak in under that note." Another sigh, "If you're ready we should get going now. Sewers are ancient, they aren't even mapped anymore save by the Inquisitors. I had it done a long time ago, considered it might be useful for a rainy day. I don't know about you, but it's pouring."

She laid a gentle hand upon Naamah's shoulder, "We should go, if you think you are ready." For her part, Mirien did care. With that thought, she turned and started walking down the passage way trying her best to remember the way that would get them closest to the palace.

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


Naamah braced herself and bit down firmly on the piece of cloth to stifle her screams, letting Mirien do what she needed to do. She felt the heat of the blade, the hiss of flesh and blood sizzling against it. She bit down hard on the cloth as she howled in agonising pain, a few tears dripping down. She was shaking and trembling as the lightsabre burnt across her wound and gripped the wall tightly for support to keep herself from falling over.


She had to be stronger than this. Her pain could become a weapon to harness. Fear was the little mind killer, the slow death. At least she no longer had to worry about her leg bleeding out on her. See, it was not just a flesh wound. She winced slightly when Mirien suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder. She would definitely not admit to herself how much she craved contact. "Yeah, thank you. Mirien...," there was a worried expression on her face and it looked like she was about to say something...profound and meaningful. But then she stopped and sighed, turning away and using the cloth to wrap her cooked flesh before she limped forward.


This writer cannot confirm or deny whether she was about to say the 'three magic words'. It shall be left to the reader's imagination because this one likes cliches. "Let's go." Down the ancient sewers they would go. Since they had only been mapped by the Inquisition, we can probably assume that they managed to evade any search parties of stormtroopers that might have been sent down...and presumably would soon be close to the palace. I mean, they just got beaten up pretty bad, let's give the girls a break!

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Madeline Kahoshi"]


This writer has concluded that they'd really like an alternate universe where Madeline holds sway over the Galaxy as Galactic Empress. I mean, just think about how awesome it would be. Coruscant has been subjugated and the Jedi Temple has been turned into something useful. Like, a university or a shopping mall. The Jedi and Sith, along with force-users in general, are being hunted down by her legions of elite stormtroopers and HRDs. Needless to say, Moira Skaldi is Director of the ISB and 'enemies of the people' have a tendency of returning from 'reeducation centres' more...mechanical.


Every loyal, upstanding citizen enjoys free healthcare from craddle to grave and naturally always wears a badge with the image of Madeline pinned to her breast. Said badge contains a GPS tracking device. Korriban has been BDZed and the Vong have become an endangered species. Doesn't this sound awesome?


This writer's musings aside, Moira acknowledged the transmission from Madeline and set about to turn her words into action. Two ysalamiri would be kept in the Empress' presence at all time, likewise mobile teams of elite stormtroopers and droids would scour the palace premise carrying ysalamiri in nutrient frames, whilst being in commucation with one another at all times. An impressive arsenal of firepower had been drawn together and arrayed in the Palace area and the governmental district, including modified droidekas armed with bolters and battle droids. Would it be enough? That was the question. In any case, special attention was being paid to Imperial Shipworks and the Empress' laboratory.

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Rainy day, might have been a small understatement by Mirien's thoughts. She was just starting to understand that perhaps this was the dumbest idea she had. They would be so lucky to escape with their lives at this point. And killing Madeline, doubts were starting to creep into her mind as she walked carefully through the tunnels. Only occasionally she would stop, paused and look at some scribbles on the wall, old Inquisition codes that marked where they were exactly.

"You're welcome Naamah." The former Grand Inquisitor spoke softly, as she started to move onward in the tunnels. And Mirien had got the sense that Naamah was leaving something unsaid, but she chose not to press the matter. For even if Naamah had said those three little words, Mirien was hardly capable of understanding that she was in any way lovable. Hell that was half the problem that led here to this planet, this day.

"We're not far now." Spoken quietly as her finger traced over a crown marking on the wall. "Should be coming up on the east end of the palace in another two hundred yards." The woman sighed heavily as she stretched out her senses to try and get a feel for what they would be encountering once they hit the surface again. Though she kept running into bubbles, splotches in the force where she could sense nothing at all. "Damn it, they've got ysalamiri out. Situation just got a whole lot rougher, cause I have a feeling we'll have to do this without much help from the force."

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


Poor Mirien could be assured that if she made it out alive Siobhan would give her a hug and tell her she was loveable. After slapping her of course!


Ysalamiri. Naamah fething hated ysalamiri. Their presence brought back...bad memories of the dungeons of the Atrisian secret police. Memories where she had been weak, helpless...completely at the mercy of Madeline, the queen she had come to kill. The feeling made her very angry.


Once they hit the surface again, able to make out the palace in the distance, this feeling was accompanied by a sensation of powerlessness and pain as she could no longer touch the Force. For a few moments she was overcome by a sense of dizziness and coming down with a bad headache that was painfully throbbing against her head. She grit her teeth, then suddenly without warning spun around and abruptly pressed Mirien against a wall. Without giving the former Grand Inquisitor a chance to respond, Naamah pressed her lips against hers and kissed her fervently, Her left hand glided and caressed Mirien's thigh, seemingly moving towards unbuttoning her pants so that she could, well, do non-PG-13 stuff.


The reason for this behaviour became apparent well in the same moment three Imperial Guardsmen came marching through the same alley straight towards them. Perhaps they had heard the noise of their entrance and come to investigate. In any case, the guardsmen, clad in red-coloured phrik armour reminiscent of the Royal Guards of old, got a rather hot scene.


"You there, turn around, put your hands up and identify yourselves now. This is a restricted area!" the Sergeant leading the patrol bellowed and raised his boltgun, loaded with lovely buckshot rounds.


"I'm sorry, sir...," Naamah spoke as she slowly broke contact, sounding meek and submissive. Adrenaline and rage took over, momentarily blotting out the pain she was in. Then abruptly she spun around and abruptly kicked the gun out of his hands. A shattergun was in her hand and she squeezed the trigger, taking another guard out before he could fire. One tiny metal projectile, silenced and accelerated to railgun shot levels, ended his life by piercing his visor. Now she felt a little better.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Kaeshana


Siobhan Kerrigan was still in the same training hall in the basement of Firemane Headquarters. Still pushing herself to test and transcend her limits, battling against training droids. Still trying to hone the power of tutaminis, something she was determined to become proficient in. And so she applied her usual single-mindedness to the task, for she could not abide failure or weakness in herself. More to the point, it gave her something to focus on, meaning that she could take her mind off things.



It meant that she did not have to think about [member="Mirien Valdier"]. If her mind was occupied, she would not have the chance to feel any worry for her. She would not be able to feel angry about her decision or concerned about whether her bond sister would make it out of Atrisia alive. No, she did not have the time to think about these things, for if she allowed herself to be distracted for even a moment too long, she would in all likelihood be dead or at least severely injured. For use and mastery over any aspect of the Force was all about focus. Even a moment of hesitation or distraction could be fatal in combat.


If she allowed herself to be distracted, the flames would roast and cook her alive. And so fire danced about her, walls of flame so high that it was impossible for her to see clearly beyond them. As fire engulfed her, orange tongues greedily licked at her skin, burning away clothes and seeking to roast flesh. Amidst the flames her skin glowed. Amidst the pillars of fire and smoke she coughed badly, so much that it was becoming painful to her though she tried to hold her breath, as her Jedi training had taught her. She tried to focus.


Everything was energy. She was energy, all life was. And so she harnessed the energy flowing inside her, attuning it to the tongues of blazing heat that were leaping out of the flamethrowers of the battle droids that had been arrayed against her. Her skin seemed to glow brightly as she unleashed her energy to draw in the heat of the flames, diffusing or absorbing it into herself so that she might stand there without taking harm. Her clothes had burnt away, but she still stood there, though her body was scorched.


Flames could not touch her. Pain could not stand in her way, for it was only weakness leaving the body. She was shaken badly and felt a stab of pain, like the sting of a knife to the gut, in the same moment when Mirien was suffering during the Atrisian attack, and dropped down to a knee. Flames whipped at her body and she bit down on her tongue with such viciousness that she tasted blood. As the flames swept over her the synthflesh that covered her bionic hand began to melt amidst the outburst of sheer heat.


Acting on instinct she tried to stabilise herself and draw it in, but it she had already absorbed so much. To a point where she was all but bursting with energy. The human body, even that of a powerful Force Master, had its limitations, You could only absorb so much through tutaminis before it became dangerous for you. The only thing she could do was find an outlet to expel the energy she had absorbed and so she did, with an Eldarai curse upon her bruised and scorched lips. Aphotic energy writhed inside her, then the training room was shaken by tremors as Siobhan unleashed a shattering telekinetic blast. Abruptly the flamethrower salvoes ceased as droids were quite literally blown to pieces by the massive wave. The air was filled with the smell of burnt electronics and circuitry, the walls and the floor shook under the pressure. Siobhan collapsed to the ground, spent and exhausted, an alarm siren blared and medics rushed to her.