From the Ice Inside Your Soul (Kaida)

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"], [member="Valiens Nantaris"]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huThukXpzPA​

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A storm was brewing when the two girls arrived outside. Wind swept across the outpost, throwing up dust and mud. Here and there, bolts of lightning slashed out of the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky. By the time Galina and Elayne arrived on the parade grounds, a couple Angelii had already assembled. All were feeling varying degrees of anticipation. Some were veterans, others were new girls who yet had to be bloodied.


The engines of the Yazgid-Class APC were already roaring. Named after the reptilian beasts that populated the warm south of Tygara, it was a versatile and well-armoured vehicle that could serve as a troop transporter and provide fire support with its powerful auto-cannon and grenade launcher. The smoke canisters should be able to cover their approach and help surprise the enemy.


"An Eldorai convoy got ambushed by Xioquo," Kaida declared flatly when she showed up on the scene without fanfare. She was clad in rather imposing body armour and carried her helmet beneath her arm. "Survivors are pinned down by their warriors and war beasts. The enemy probably has Sciians. Primary objective is to relieve the survivors so that they can be evacced. Secondary to teach the enemy a lesson. Secondary extraction team will extract survivors while we cover. We'll have air support." Briefly her eyes fell upon Galina.


Clearly now would be the moment when the firemane would either rise to the occasion and prove herself. Or fail and be sent back home in ignominy. Two teams had been formed. The assault team would hold the drows at bay and drive them away, a secondary evac team would get any survivors out of the firing zone. "Shoot any Xioquo on sight. No stupid heroics. Work with your battle sister. Grab your gear and load up in the Yazgid."

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina stood close beside Elayne, listening to Kaida. A knot quickly formed in her stomach. This unfortunately was real, and no drill or exercise. She was going to have to face her fears, like it or not. Going home in shame and failure wasn't an option for her. It might have been for others but not her. Too many people needed her to succeed. Not only that but she suspected her parents were hoping she'd fail and give up the notion of returning to Sigma to end the Rahl's reign and take back what was hers.

Though this was different than what she'd gone through with Kaida previously. She wasn't fighting someone on her side. There was a very clear enemy here and their were real lives were on the line. Reality was about to come crashing down on her, and well memories of her battles on Sigma were going to have to be pushed aside. There wasn't a place for those in her mind today.

For Elayne, this was just another day and another battle. It wasn't anything new or different for her at this point. It was far from her first battle and was far from being her last. She spent the few moments she had gathering the needed gear, pulling Galina along to do the same. Little was spoken between them. And once on the Yazgid, Elayne sat down and did a quick check of her weapons before noticing the nervousness in Galina.

"You don't have anything to be worried about. It's not like you don't have good instincts, you do. You just can't hesitate."

Galina took in a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out slowly. "I know. It's just a tiny bit complicated." She felt like the weight of an entire world was resting on her shoulders. To a degree it was. But that was a thought that was pushed aside as quickly as she could manage it. She didn't have time for that stress now.

"And what isn't? You'll be fine. Plus you have me." She said cheerfully, trying to be encouraging to the young redhead. "And we're all here to watch each others' backs. You aren't alone. So relax. You can do it."

Once more Galina nodded but this time didn't reply. Moment of truth, eh? She thought to herself.

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]


For Kaida it was just another day, another battle. At this juncture she thought it was just an ambush, but even so, the Angelii were professional soldiers. Being a soldier and protecting her people was in her blood. It was what she lived for.


She was the last aboard the Yazgid, taking the time to make sure that every one of her soldiers was properly equipped. Sarixi, sarzmigars, bolters - the Angelii had come a long way since the first 'sky people' intruded upon their now lost homeworld. One of her battle sisters carried a heavier weapon in form of a missile launcher. Once all were aboard the APC she embarked as well and sat down, checking her weapons one last time.


The signal was given and the APC rumbled through the gates on its treads. The roads outside were primitive and uneven, but the armoured vehicle pushed on, even when the terrain became bumpy and rocky, for it had been designed for versatility. No speechifying, no inspiring words. Angelii didn't need melodramatic nonsense like that. Also no moralising about how they shouldn't act in vengeance, hate their enemy and so on. Angelii were soldiers, not wussy Jedi.


In the distance, columns of acrid smoke billowed up into the sky. Lightning slashed out of the sky to impact upon the ground. The hazardous weather patterns made Kaida grateful that the APC had been designed to resist electrical attacks rather well.


Then the sound of distant lightning was blotted out by the staccato of gunfire. "Contact! Seraph, we have the convoy. Damn, what a mess," The sensors of the APC showed the enemy forces converging upon what was left of the convoy. Most of its vehicles had been turned into wrecks and blown up or overturned. However, Eldorai soldiers were still resisting fiercely, laying down volleys of bolter fire upon charging Xioquo warriors who'd encircled them.


The ground was littered with dead bodies of Xioquo, most of whom were primitively armed with bows and arrows, swords and self-loading rifles from a more ancient time. However, they'd had numbers on their sides, and beasts. Screams were heard when an Eldorai soldier was ripped apart by a massive warg and then devoured.


"Deploy smoke bomb. Gunner, open fire. Full-on auto volley on the centre of the attackers," Kaida ordered gruffly. The grenade launcher belched loudly, causing columns of smoke to rise into the sky that should confuse the Xioquo and provide some cover for the Angelii vehicle to advance.


No sooner had she said these words, than suddenly she felt her Sciia warn of danger. "Move to the right, now." Quickly the APC took a hard turn and just a moment later two flying machines swept over the battlefield, dropping bombs and trying to strafe the armoured vehicle from on high.


These machines looked bizarre to Kaida, like primitive gyrocopters. The bombs they dropped caused a groundburst, making the earth shake as they blew up small craters. Streams of flame, which had evidently been unleashed by Sciians amongst the dark elves, swept towards the vehicle to engulf it. Drawing upon her powers, Kaida dissipated most of the pyromantic onslaught, though the vehicle was still scorched.


When the gunner tried to shoot down the 'copters, the hypervelocity bullets impacted, but a dark barrier shimmered into being around them, protecting them. "Saedaris, with me, we're dropping the 'copter on the enemy. Girls, fire through the loop holes on the enemy. Prioritise war beasts and Sciians. Take the heat off the convoy. Prepare for disembarkment once we're close enough," Kaida commanded.


The APC's shattercannons fired, causing a noise that was as loud as thunder as they blasted away at warg that, thrown into a frenzy due to being denied a meal, death charged the vehicle. Their eyes glowed crimson and their large teeth sometimes still had pieces of flesh clinging to them. Some of them were just as big as it, but they died an agonising death anyway as the hypervelocity bullets drilled holes through them!


Xioquo warriors suddenly found themselves facing an assault from two sides, and were briefly thrown into confusion. Some panicked and tried to flee, others death charged and were mowed down in scores before their officers managed to restore some discipline and get them organised.


Slugthrower fire, spears and primitive grenades ineffectually rained down upon the Yazgid, but then drow warriors sought cover amongst the wrecks and rocks. At least some elementalists were amongst them and they drew upon the power of the earth to raise sturdy walls of protection out of the ground. "Kerrigan, Askari, target their elementalists."

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

The shift from the lighthearted and playful Elayne was obvious. There was a job to be done and one she took extremely seriously. The girl might tease and joke a little during training. However, fun and games went out the door when she stepped onto the battlefield. Though, this time her mind was occupied with concern for the gravely inexperienced firemane beside her.

Galina for her part was intensely quiet. Her mind wandering across a million possibilities of what could happen, what might happen and what would happen. So many thoughts. And right now it certainly wasn't a good time to be that wrapped up in her own thoughts. It was the words contact that at least pulled her from her thoughts and back to the reality.

She tensed slightly, feeling the same danger that Kaida had. Unfortunately there was a limit to what she could do from her position inside the vehicle. For the moment, she'd have to completely rely on others for her safety. Though, that wasn't going to last long no doubt. The heat was unmistakable for a moment, and thankfully Kaida had deflected enough to keep them safe.

"Yes, Ma'am." Elayne stood quickly, stepping up alongside Kaida. The flying machines certainly were odd but not without weakness. You really only had to break or weigh down a single blade to bring one to the ground. A small smirk came to her lips, one never needed to worry about shielding when magnetism was at play. Between that and a bit of aeromancy the task just became so much easier.

And now Galina had to step up. Her orders came, and well it was time to take action like it or not. Taking a deep breath in, she stepped to one of the loopholes, her attention on the hand full of elementalists among the drow. Getting a clear shot on them with any weapon she had was going to be a slight bit difficult. After all there was an earthen barrier in the way.

The use of walls of earth had been a smart move but maybe not the wisest. With a little bit of focus, Galina tapped into the water beneath the soil's surface, several feet down. Focusing further, drawing upon her powers, she drew the water upwards and into the barriers, eroding them into nothing but sludge like mud, which soon sank down into the ground, forming a sink hole where the redhead had lifted the waters from. Askari took this opportunity as a pair of elementalists tried to dive for cover behind something else, to take aim and make her shots. The impact of the bolter unmistakable as one of the Xioquo's lives ended harshly with a rather massive hole in her chest.

This gave Galina enough time to grab her own bolter, and take a quick shot. Those same fracture lines formed without thought or effort and it was easy enough to see the drow's shatter point. All of this taking fractions of seconds, before she squeezed the trigger and one more body fell to the ground.

Elayne in the meantime had focused on one of the craft, drawing upon her Sciia. It wasn't long before powerful winds whipped through the area, carefully directed towards the flying machine to help push it towards her intended target. After a moment of careful positioning, she reached out with her earthen powers, to clutch at the machine's blades, crumpling them with a bit of effort before she let go of the machine, letting it fall from the sky among their enemies, bursting into a fiery explosion on the ground, causing more chaos, injuries and death among the Xioquo.

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]


Chaos, carnage, bloodshed. Bullets and blaster bolts flying everywhere. The ever-present occupational hazard of limb loss or death. For her part, Kaida was right at home. It was not that she was a crazy psycho who enjoyed killing, for such individuals would have not passed Angelii basic, let alone officer training. However, she was a soldier at heart. It was her calling. For as long as she could remember she'd wanted to be Angelii ever since she'd realised she could harness her Sciia. Truth be told, back in the day her notions had been rather fanciful and romantic, but it didn't change her fervour.


While Galina and Askari sabotaged the elementalists' attempt to build a wall of earth and rock, Kaida and Elayne acted like a well-oiled machine. Elayne was an annoying, undisciplined and cheeky, but when on the battlefield all traces of ill-discipline vanished and she became a pure professional who fought admirably. It was probably the reason why Kaida put up with her antics and was actually more tolerant than most officers would be.


Powerful winds came into being as the Seraph harnessed her Sciia. Jedi treated the Force as a companion, Sith as a beast of burden to be subjugated and treated as a ladder on their path to power. For an Angelii, Sciia was her inner fire. It was not a master, it wasn't a ticket to 'unlimited power', it was another weapon in their arsenal to enable them to do their duty. The winds gripped the flying machine, pushing it towards the enemy troops, causing rapid turbulences. Layers of ice spread across the machine's blades as her power gripped them.


At first nothing happened, but then the metal began to shatter like paper, and she drew upon her might to make the flying craft fall from the sky. The impact was enough to create shockwaves, causing columns of dust and smoke to rise into the sky as the machine burst into a beautiful explosion. The raging winds did their part to add to the mayhem, tossing drows and beasts everywhere. This gave the Angelii targets of opportunity and they unloaded bolters and elemental fire upon them. The besieged Eldorai soldiers from the convoy cheered and rallied, their morale boosted by the success.


Kaida took a breath, and picked up her comm. "Eagle One, get your gunship over here. Enemy is reeling. We'll hold them off for evac." The roar of the APC's mounted shattercannon was like the sound of thunder when it mowed down drows.


However, the Xioquo were not beaten yet. The ground shook when massive war beasts charged it. These warg were mounted by Xioquo warriors and approximately the size of rancors. One was cut down when the APC's shattercannon drilled its skull away by pumping it full of rounds. However, a second of the monsters came from the other side and, driven into a frenzy, literally rammed the armoured vehicle.


Ouch. Angelii inside the APC were tossed around when the vehicle wildly spun around and was thrown for a good distance. Kaida herself was tossed around hard and hit her head. Fortunately she was wearing her helmet. Drawing upon her power she managed to stabilise the vehicle a bit. It landed upside down. No sooner had it stopped being tossed around like a ball, than the monstrosity charged once more, pouncing upon it. The gunner was lucky to duck before she could be torn apart. While its massive claws tried in vain to penetrate the APC's armour, Xioquo elementalists tried to tear into it by using magnetism upon the durasteel plating and unleash flame. Then the beast cried out in agony when suddenly Kaida drove an ice spear through its skull like a hypervelocity missile.


The damaged APC righted itself. "Get out of the Yazgid. Take cover. Saedaris, you're on shield duty. Askari, Kerrigan, put hostiles under fire, Guldurel, set up the shatterbolter," she ordered gruffly. Though powerful the APC was more of a death trap right now and drawing fire. Moreover, it was becoming rather hot inside it. The hatch opened and quickly Angelii stormed out of the vehicle.


Bullets bounced off their raised Taegis shields as they sought cover behind the various wrecks lying around. Kaida's blazing lightsabre scythed down a charging Xioquo warrior. A warg pouncing at her was taken out of the game when Askari suddenly unleashed a thermic lance like ray that burn it to crisp. The Angelii got a nod of acknowledgement from the Seraph. No time for anything more. The roar of engines and a shadow passing over the ground showed that air support was close. The APC had taken off, helping protect the flanks of the Angelii.

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

At least soon the pinned down Eldorai would be evacuated off to safety, and be out of harms way momentarily. As for the group in the APC things weren't exactly peachy. With the warbeast ramming the vehicle, they were in for a world of hurt. With the APC tossed, and throw, Galina and Elayne both found themselves thrown about inside much like rag dolls.

The human yelped as she was slammed against the wall of it. Her shoulder crunched hard against the metal. Undoubtedly that was going to leave a nasty bruise. Elayne suffered a similar fate, her back smashed against the wall and for a moment she found herself gasping for breath. The wind had been knocked out of her, but she'd recover quick enough.

Galina had managed to get to her feet quicker, and reached down, offering a hand to Elayne to help her up. The sound of metal creaking, groaning could easily be heard over all the noise of the battle outside as elementalists tried to tear the vehicle open and get to the softer easier targets within.

Kaida's order came, and there was no doubt they needed to move and quickly at that. Things certainly were getting nasty and fast. Elayne was out first, and already working her magic to summon a barrier of some kind to protect them. An Earthen wall would have worked but that would take a little longer than she felt she had. So she went with option two. In the area around them as they spilled out of the APC, the redhead worked fast with her Sciia densely packing air molecules to create a shield of sorts. Now it wouldn't completely stop projectiles, but it would slow them to the point they were barely noticeable. As if a fly landing on their armor, insignificant and mattering little.

She relied on another of the Angelii a fellow Terromancer, to help with the other side of things. "A defensive wall, now." She ordered of the brunette beside her. That at least would give them better protection. And soon enough a barrier arose, offering them more cover.

Galina of course had her own orders now to follow. Rifle in hand she was quick beside Askari, seeking out their next targets. They both used the earthen barrier as protection as they laid against it, laying down suppressive fire. Hopefully it would buy plenty of time to get anything set up behind them by Kaida and the rest.

Ordinary soldiers were easy enough to get out of the way. Their armor was rather primitive and basic. And their weapons were little worry to Galina and the Angelii with their superior armor. However it was the elementalists and more elite soldiers that were problematic.

The redhead sensed danger, and grabbed Askari pulling her down as a blast of flame washed over the wall they'd been laying on, exactly where they were only moments before. That'd been a little too close for comfort. So, she switched to her bolter. She needed something a bit more .... lethal to get rid of this one before the situation got any worse.

Galina inched up the wall, Askari beside her. Those same fracture lines seemed to be everywhere on the battlefield. It took focus to narrow them down to the nearest elementalist that had just attempted to roast them marshmallow style.

Though it was a bit strange this time. With the bolter in hand those fracture lines seemed to cover the entire drow mage. It was a curious thing. Still she didn't have time to think about that. She squeezed the trigger, launching an explosive bolt in the woman's direction. The elementalist tried to deflect the bolt, foolishly. Doing such, caused the bolt to detonate immediately, spraying her with shrapnel. One more down. The girl thought to herself.

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]


The situation had taken an unfortunate turn, but the Angelii were making the best out of it. Battles were not won by dash and brazen action, but by discipline, firepower and teamwork. Thus the Angelii took their place behind the terramantically conjured defensive wall. It did not completely stop projectiles or elemental assaults, but it worked well enough. One point in their favour was the fact that the average Xioquo warrior used very archaic weapons.


For the sake of comparison, a stormtrooper of the old Galactic Empire could stand in front of a volley of slugthrower armed soldiers and be unharmed unless a shot hit a weak joint. Angelii armour was a couple degrees more durable than that of a common stormtrooper, and Xioquo rifles a good deal weaker than even Hekler'Lok slugthrowers. They also had a terrible firing rate.


Thus Kaida showed no reaction when her armour was peppered with bullets and did not even bother try to deflect, as she took her place in the firing line. Many projectiles simply disintegrated upon impact. "Keep shooting, girls. APE and buckshot for close quarters. Guldurel, explosive bolt in the centre. Askari, blind the beasts." She wielded her bolter as if it were an extension of herself. The sharp crack of the gun firing was matched only by the percussive crump of the explosion a second later. Xioquo warriors fell the ground, blown away by the explosion. Covered by her battle sisters, Askari worked her own magic.


One of the rarer powers available to pyromancers was the ability to summon intense, burning light to illuminate and blind their enemies. And so she drew upon her power to manifest what amounted to a massive Sciiac based flashbang to summon a flash of blazing light against the war beasts. The warg were big, aggressive and hungry, but this also made them difficult to control. Finding themselves deprived of sight they howled in pain and were driven to madness, knocking down their Xioquo riders and turning on the drow warriors. Then the line was thrown into disarray when Guldurel had charged up the shatterboltgun and fired.


Propelled by hyper-velocity the projectile travelled so fast that it had impacted even before you heard the loud, supersonic boom, which was like the sound of thunder. Fortunately Angelii helmets had ear protection. Loud screams of pain were heard as Xioquo beasts and warriors were ripped apart since the gun had been designed to be able to penetrate light vehicle armour. But this was just a momentary reprieve and once again Xioquo came charging, this time trying to hit the Angelii in the rear as well as charge from the front.


"Section One, front. Two, rear." In the face of the onslaught, the Angelii and regular soldiers held the line. No that it was no longer drawing all the fire, the APC came in guns blazing to mop up death charging Xioquo. When the drows came close and crashed the earthen wall, the Angelii drew pikes and sarixi blades. Kaida's lightsabre glowed with yellow fire as it cut down attackers. A massive warg charged her and Kaida flipped backwards, landing gracefully upon its back, before she buried her lightsabre inside its skull and sliced through its flesh till she got the brain and killed it. Leaping off, the Seraph handed her Taegis shield to a battle sister, then retracted her gauntlet and focused her Sciia in her free hand.


Her eyes turned a crystalline blue, frost spread across her hand, then she unleashed a blast of extreme cold in form of a cone, flash freezing charging enemies. A moment later the frozen shattered and large pools of liquid formed. "Angelii, charge!" Those that held the line of the Xioquo were the elite soldiers and sorceresses. They were clad in dark, alchemised armour that had shielded them a bit from the cryomantic onslaught. Now, missing a few fingers or ears from the ice, they spread out among the dead and absorbed their fleeting life energies like vampires.


Alchemical halberds, Force imbued swords, elemental powers and dark auras of Force Drain - they all brought it to bear on the Eldorai. Suddenly a telekinetic grip claimed purchase upon the APC and lifted it into the air, tossing it like a boulder towards the charging Angelii. Sensing the danger Kaida channelled her power over the wind. She was no telekinetic savant like Kerrigan, but she could pull the wind towards the armoured vehicle and redirect its trajectory while slowing the descent, so that it landed safely enough to avoid killing the crew - and turn a big Xioquo warg to paste. However, this distraction cost her when the Xioquo Force Mistress slammed her into the ground hard.


Ouch. Kaida could not resist the pull, only soften the blow, but as she tried to rise terramantic power seized her helmet, warping and crumpling it around her face in an attempt to asphyxiate her. The Seraph struggled to breathe as oxygen no longer reached her and the helmet twisted across her face. Then she got a sudden reprieve when Askari sent a stream of flame towards the Xioquo sorceress.


The dark warrior wrapped herself in a stoneskin to resist most of it, though it still scorched her flesh and burnt most of her armour, but it forced her to stop concentrating on Kaida. The Seraph breathed in deeply as she dropped to her knee. But mind worked over matter and now she could sense her opponent. Her shield met the alchemised mace of a Xioquo trying to get in between her and her prey by attempting to squash her skull, then she drove her lightsabre into the chest of the attacker before whirling around to cleave a drow from shoulder to belly. Anger rose like bile in her stomach when her sorcerous opponent from earlier gripped her with tendrils of force drain, tugging at her heart as she felt her life force being sapped as if the Force was being literally ripped out of her.


She didn't have time for this. Alarm sirens rang inside her head and she ducked as another mace swung for her head. It missed her skull, but caught her in the shoulder, sensing waves of pain through it and probably breaking something, but she was too pumped full with adrenaline to care. Moving as if they'd been perfectly choreographed, Askari stepped in, unleashing a flurry of attacks upon the mace-wielding Xioquo warrior with her sarix and putting her on the defensive before igniting her leg with a fireball and decapacitating her.


Meanwhile, Kaida slammed down a telekinetic hammer upon the sorceress' back. Not enough to break her spine, but enough to cause serious pain and make her fall. Then she drew upon her Sciia to flood the woman's lungs with liquid when she tried to recover. After all, turnabout was fair play. This did not agree with her breathing and she died. Finally there was a loud roar of engines and a shadow passing over the ground, heralding the arrival of an Eldorai Gunship swooping down from the sky with guns blazing.

 

[Elayne Saedaris]

Elayne charged with the others, Sarix blade in hand. Though her attention was more focused on Sciia skills and trying to get rid of the sorceresses. They were one of the biggest threats to her sisters and herself. Their armor certainly offered them a degree of protection from some attacks but it did little to stop something like magnetism, or opening up a hole in the earth and sucking them into it before sealing it back, and with it their fate.
Coming into contact with a pair of elite soldiers first, she found herself forced into more close quarters combat. A style that she did not feel all that comfortable with. One male came at her. To gain some bit of space, she used telekinesis in response to toss him backwards, and away from her.

That only would buy her a small amount of time. It was then that she sensed the danger from her right, just out of her view. She tried to duck in time to avoid the halberd that had been swung towards her side. However, Elayne was not quick enough. She hissed in pain as the alchemized metal slammed into her shoulder, unfortunately piercing the armor beneath. The blow forced her to stumble to the side, and with some manner of luck she managed to bring up her Sarix just in time to stop a second attack.

Now, hurting and pissed, Elayne simply tapped into her power, drawing fiercely upon it to gain all the power she could. With a focused blast of her magnetic talents, she quickly crushed the armor of her attacker, and with it the soldier within.

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina had followed, keeping up with her fellow soldiers as best she could. This sort of combat, this close, these weapons.... It was a sore reminder of times back on Sigma. Of days so much worse than this. Though, instead of clamming up as she had before the human managed to press on, pushing those thoughts aside. There'd be time to think and compare when she got back to base. But right now, her mind had to be here and in the present.

Truth be told at this point, seeing those fracture lines across her vision with so many targets made processing the battle around her, that much more difficult. That wasn't a skill she'd been able to truly train. Not when it was more instinctual and reactive, than it was actually practiced. And right now, it was getting a little in the way.

So far, she'd only used her force skills a couple times now in this battle and still was slightly hesitant to use them now. However, she wasn't exactly seeing an option otherwise. There were a few too many targets, and all a little too close for comfort. And unfortunately for her, it wasn't an ordinary soldier or even an elite that chose to target her. No, it was one of their mages.

Her sense of imminent danger flared up as lightning crackled in the palm of the woman's hand. Galina barely managed to duck enough to avoid the blast of electricity sent her way. Pulling moisture from the air, Galina quickly coated the drow with water. Which at least would make lightning attacks most unpleasant for them both.

It was then that she felt a sudden pressure upon her chest, squeezing tighter and tighter like a boa constrictor. Each breath in became more difficult, as the pressure worsened. It was all happening so quickly. Without thought, icicles manifested in the air as the redhead pulled moisture from the air. It had been entirely on instinct alone. She hurled the ice fragments with lethal speed towards the mage.

With a gasp, before her hit landed, Galina felt ribs break pressing further into her already heavily restricted lungs. She'd doubled over, only looking up just in time to see the ice do it's damage. With the speed it had been traveling at, the armor the woman was wearing did little to offer any protection as it tore through it and into her, ending her life. Instantly Galina felt the pressure around her chest loosen, letting her finally take a true breath again. But the battle wasn't over yet. Another warning came and she turned in time to lift her own Sarix to meet the blade of one of the other soldiers on the field.

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"], [member="Elayne Saedaris"]


The Angelii's assault was brutal, merciless and overwhelmning. As it should be. Kaida felt no ecstatic rush or exultation when her lightsabre cut down Xioquo, but she didn't feel particularly bothered about it either. Otherwise this would be the wrong job for her.


Between the Angelii's furious charge and the heavy firepower being unleashed from above by the gunship and the armoured vehicle, the Xioquo were not doing well. Many of the common soldiers were taking flight and fleeing the battlefield. This was no surprise since they were conscripts who were often maltreated by their officers and regarded as little more than slaves by the magi.


Kaida didn't bother have the Angelii pursue them or order the Gunship to fire. Not only would this be a waste of time and ammunition, it would contrast with the way their own leaders treated them. However, the elite soldiers and mages still held their ground to a fanatical degree. It was those she focused her attention on. Right now, she was locked in combat with a pikewoman dressed in crimson armour.


The Xioquo's footwork was as flawless her as defence. Wielding the pike, she possessed a virtually impenetrable barrier that batted aside the series of quick, precise attacks while barely giving ground. Then she went on the offensive, charging an increasingly tired Kaida like an ox or battering ram. The Seraph soon found herself under pressure. She blocked a blow coming for her head but was forced back by the force of it and hissed in pain when the Force-imbued pike sliced into her leg. The alchemised metal was potent enough to cut through her armour and drew blood, sending a sensation of pain through her. Her lightsabre clashed with the pike when it came for her again and she cartwheeled, whipping up snow and liquid to toss it into the Xioquo's eye.


While the pikewoman was wearing a mask, it still had slits and so she was blinded. Finally having some breathing space, Kaida got to her feet, but then her foe's eyes seemed to burn red and sheer rage spewed forth, unleashing a ray of boiling heat. It was too fast for Kaida to dodge, but she drew upon her Sciia to wrap ice around herself, turning herself into what amounted to an ice statue.


Then the beam impacted upon her. Boiling heat shore through her icy armour, reducing it to mere liquid. The Seraph felt like she was being boiled alive and suppressed a cry of pain, drawing upon her own power to dissipate the heat surge, absorbing it. Her armour was boiling, her skin scorched and burns spread across her body, but she still stood. Her lightsabre was tossed out of her hand, but she gripped a sonic blaster, firing.


The high-intensity sonic blast slammed into the woman's chest, breaking ribs and abusing her lungs strongly. Then she crunched upon the woman's throat with her might and crushed it. Another warning came and she spun around in time to telekinetically reflect a grenade being tossed her way.


Everywhere around them, Xioquo were being cut down, but then there was a loud noise. The sound of treads rolling across the ground, and the smell of steam rising into the sky. "Tanks!" She heard the cry even before she saw the mechanical war machines approach them. The mechanical behemoths were impressive by local standards, but very primitive by galactic ones. A sarix could cut through their hull and thermal detonators would shred them like paper.


However, the Eldorai were in an exposed position and still dealing with Xioquo infantry. "Activate jets and fall back!" Kaida shouted to make herself heard over the carnage, using her powers to flash freeze charging Xioquo close to her. "I'm summoning a fog. Then we hit them with magnetism and a whirlwind of thermals. If a tank gets close, jump on it and toss a grenade down the hatch." The APC's armour had been weakened enough by an enemy terramancer that the combined cannon shots from two war machines made it burst into flames. She hit the emergency button her comm, alerting the base to this new threat. Drawing upon her power, Kaida called upon the wind and summoned a thick fog, disorientating the enemy gunners' targeting as the battlefield was clouded.

 

[Elayne Saedaris]

Galina unfortunately still had the one Elite right on her to manage before she would be able to escape the melee and fall back with the others. This did not mean she was alone. Elayne had stayed with her, as was only right. And to be frank, she wasn't about to leave the inexperienced girl on her own among their enemies. No way in this galaxy would she do that.

However, being pissed still, she was extremely impatient. While Galina distracted the soldier blow for blow with her Sarix, the redheaded Eldorai called upon her powers, once more using magnetism to crush the soldier's armor. "Move it!" She shouted to be heard over the fray. Waiting for the human to get out of harms way, before she'd activate her pack herself.

Galina seemed a tiny bit startled by Elayne's sudden appearance. It was impossible to miss the anger. And well, Galina didn't want to hang around to see that anger play out as the soldier's body well to the ground in a lifeless, crushed heap. Elayne, clearly could be quite terrifying under the proper circumstances and these certainly counted! Without hesitation, Galina activated her jetpack and took off to join the others.

Elayne was only seconds behind her taking off into the others to fall back to a safe-ish distance. Not that many places on the battlefield could be considered safe in the least. It was then that the fog rolled in with Kaida's assistance and at least gave them in part some small bit of cover as they retreated further back.

At this point, Elayne couldn't have been more pissed. Redhead rage was a glorious thing, if used properly. And there was no time, quite like the present situation. Truthfully she was growing tired quickly but she barely noticed it at all. Undoubtedly she was going to soon enough, if she was lucky enough to remain conscious. The rage at least masked that much for now.

Reaching out with the force, it didn't take her much effort to locate the first tank behind the infantry, and through the fog. That much metal, on the move was bound to draw a terramancers attention. In fact it was hard to miss. In her rage Elayne stretched out a hand and drew upon her powers. She reached into the tank, grasping the metal with powerful magnetic forces and gave a hard pull with all her might. The sound of ripping and twisting metals was a sound hard to forget as the tank was shredded with relative ease.

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Elayne Saedaris"], [member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]


By local standards, the tanks were highly advanced. A Qadiri legion would have considered them fearsome, mechanical abominations. However, by galactic standards they were primitive ironclads. Unfortunately the Eldorai did not have heavy artillery at their beck and call. Otherwise they could have simply withdrawn to a safe distance and pulverised the ironclads with a volley. But that was fine. They could deal and emerge victorious, for they were Angelii. The ironclads did not have a fancy sensor package, so the fog blinded them. To gain a better visual of their enemy they had to roll through the thick cloud. It was then that the flying Angelii struck.


Elayne had launched the first attack by tearing through a tank with the power of magnetism as if it were paper. At Kaida's signal, thermal detonators were pulled into the air and rained down upon the approaching tanks. A single thermal packed a hell of a lot power. It was enough to clear an entire room of hostiles and bring a good portion of the roof down. The ironclads were slow and the explosives were guided by the Force.


There was a loud boom, almost like the sound of thunder, accompanied by the sound of metal being ripped and twisted, white clouds of smoke billowed up into the air. The simultaneous detonations of more than a dozen heavy duty explosives shredded most tanks as if they were paper. Reinforcements had finally arrived in form of Eldorai gunships and they began bombarding the enemy vehicles. Here and there, tanks had been overturned and the crews tried to escape the wrecks.


It was then that jets of flame leapt from the hands of the pyromancers to ignite surviving armoured vehicles. Ice wrapped around their treads and cannons. Metal fared rather poorly when it was first exposed to intense cold, then boiling heat. Soon many Xioquo were fleeing the mechanical death traps. Others, the bravest or most foolish, tried to seek cover and opened fire upon the flying banshees, using a combination of gunfire and elemental power.


Kaida had been coordinating the assault from above, but her focus blinded her when a torrent of blue-white lightning surged towards her. Suddenly the fuel canister of her jetpack was struck. Caught in the explosion, the Seraph was in freefall. She was lucky to control her descent enough to make sure impact would not be lethal. Ouch. Something broke inside her when she crashed into a crater. Pulling the Force into her muscles, she got to her feet, though her whole body ached and she felt like dropping down again. Her ears were filled with the rumble of treads when she heard an ironclad approach.


One of the tanks had become stuck inside some rocks, but was trying to target the Angelii with its cannon. Acting quickly, the Seraph rushed forward, avoiding fire until she could haul herself up onto the side. Her lightsabre sliced through the hatch like a hot knife through creamy butter, she pulled the pin of her last frag grenade, lobbed it down into the passenger cabin, then threw herself off the tank.


She landed upon the war-torn ground in a hard roll a moment before the ironclad was shaken by an explosion from the inside. Only to find herself facing the last ironclad on the battlefield. Its cannon was ready to belch smoke and shell. The Force failed to heed her command when she pulled at the tangled web of power. Oh, dear, this kind of sucked.