Fun with Crystals (Tempest)

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"], [member="Valiens Nantaris"]

The Omega Protectorate was in the process of falling apart. Once a galactic superpower now its power had eroded and many of its prize worlds had fallen out of the hitherto iron grasp of the central authority on Fondor. Many were those who were trying to profit from its weakness. Sith, warlords, megacorporations and many more. Others were making plans to detach themselves from Omega in order to survive its demise.


During their careers first with Omega Pyre, then with the Protectorate, both Siobhan Kerrigan and Tegaea Alcori had been highly placed. Tegaea had been a founding member of the Pyre, serving as CEO, Exarch and eventually Lady Protector, whilst Siobhan had been the Sword of the Protectorate and later an Exarch. During their time of service Maramere had been conquered by the Pyre and brought into the fold. Thus they knew of an island on Maramere that was home to a deposit of stygium crystals, object which the Eldorai and Firemane wanted very much.



The island was covered by thick fog and, moreover, invisible to the scanners due to the abundance of crystals. However, Firemane's bosses had once run OP and thus knew where it was. Besides, Kaida's girlfriend was Exarch. Similarly, information gathered by COAS indicated that the planet had been taken over by rogue OP forces who now held sway as warlords, for the cataclysm unleashed by Akala had resulted in the Protectorate losing control.



Resistance was expected and the appropriate preparations had been made. As Kaida looked down from low orbit though the viewing port of their transport ship she could see the orb beneath and even perceive the Haunted Straights, though the island itself was hidden from her eyes. The plan was very simple: Go in, grab some stygium and get out. Ideally without being detected. Of course, few plans survived first contact, which was why they had brought plenty of firepower. The sleek shuttle pierced the atmosphere of the planet and descended swiftly.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Kaida Taldir"]
Maramere, a strange place Tempest had only ever heard of. Now it would play host to a heist.

When the planet had been owned by the Protectorate, it had been closely guarded but after the rapture and decline of OP, it had been left alone.

“Guessing we might run into scavengers,” Tempest said. She wore her Beskar armour and had a bolt pistol at her side. “Can you detect anything around those crystal islands?”

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]


Kaida shook her head. "No, scanners aren't cooperating. Seems the crystals are messing with them," she responded. "Guess we'll just have to wing it." She did not seem that concerned about this. Or if she did, then she did not show it. As she took their ship in to land Kaida prepared the small water craft they had on their ship, which would allow them to approach the island quietly and take a large amount of crystals, enough for their plans. A few droids would accompany them to help transport the crystals.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Kaida Taldir"]
Tempest didn’t like the island at all. It left her feeling vulnerable as mechanical sensors started to cause issues when in contact with it. As she got closer she had to remove her Beskar helmet just in order to not have her HUD screwing up. Who knew what would happen to the droids….

As the boat ran aground on the gritty shore Tempest looked around. No sign of danger, but unfortunately without proper sensors it was hard to be sure. Fortunately, she and Kaida had the Force as their ally, and it was not showing any signs of danger either.

The island had shown signs of recent and regular excavation. Large chunks had been carried off, so that many of the surface crystals were now reduced to nubs.

Using the Force to lift herself into the air she noted a patch of crystals partly in the water and directed the team over them to harvest.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]


The island was like a technological black hole. Sensors and scanners first started playing up and experience issues, then stopped functioning altogether. Like Tempest Kaida removed her helmet once her HUD started making a mess of things. The droids still seemed to be functional so far. Hopefully it would stay that way.


By now the island had been repeatedly mined over the ages. The Protectorate had plundered it to get stygium for a personal vessel of Cira, which Kaida believed had been a complete waste of resources, and then for several stealth frigates. Scavengers and raiders had found their way here to acquire stygium for their own ends. One of them being a duo of genocidal and probably insane droids.


However, with luck there should be enough stygium for their purposes. Well, their bosses' purpose! A patch of crystals was found and mining began. They had brought repulsorcrates to help transport and Kaida helped out with the Force by using her telekinesis to lift crystals without causing damage and place them in a crate. So far, no threat had arisen, though she was on her guard. The Force had not revealed anything, but it would not be the first time it failed to give her a heads-up.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Kaida Taldir"]
Tempest helped where she could. Fortunately her lightsabre proved very useful for the task of cleanly cutting the crystals and stacking them up.

Finally though, she started to get prickling sensations…a danger sense she could no longer ignore.

“Kaida, look out-!” Tempest began.

Blaster bolts suddenly flashed from the slopes above, and she was deflecting bolts instantly. Several of their droids, already confused by standing on apparently null space, went down at once. Glimpses in the rocks and crystals above showed figures with blaster rifles.

Before Tempest could even begin to plan a counter attack a rocket from above hurtled down. Calling on the Force, Tempest diverted its course into the ground, but the blast and the spray of dirt and crystal shards knocked her to the ground at the water’s edge. Without her helmet some of the shards had cut her face, and she crawled into cover, trying to clear her sight from the dirt in it.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]


Suddenly attackers!


From the slopes above a hailstorm fo blaster bolts was coming their way. One by one the droids went down. Tempest had divered the rocket, but been tossed down by the blast. For her part Kaida had summoned a protection bubble around her, making the Force wrap itself around her in a protective cocoon.


The barrier shook and shimmered under the pressure as it was peppered by blasterfire and struck by the blast along with crystal shards. Unlike Siobhan Kaida did not have telepathy, so she could not use the Force to communicate with Tempest, though she still felt her presence and was certain she was alright. The bubble could not hold forever and it made her a big target. Very narrowly it withstood the blast caused by a bolter round, which still felt like someone had beaten her with a club, so as the attackers began lobbing in grenades she dropped it. In the same moment ripples were felt in the Force as the air currents twisted and bent to her command, then she ushered in a strong whirlwind.


Gathering in strength and intensity it swept towards where the attackers seemed to be hiding. Grenades were gripped by the wind in mid-flight and tossed back towards those who had thrown them. Some attackers would be gripped and tossed through the air to land upon the ground with the force to break bones. Then there were ice spikes. Ice spikes everywhere!

 

[Tempest]

[member="Kaida Taldir"]
Crushgaunts were not the best tools for delicate work, so Tempest fumbled to retract her left gauntlet and then used the sea water to irrigate her eyes. It hurt, but she could finally see.

And she was annoyed.

Switching off her HUD she put her helmet back on and stood. Blaster bolts whizzed past, but she deflected the ones getting close, and then called on the Force to lift herself into the air. Left hand out she unleashed a blast of lightning at the scavengers who had already been broken up by Kaida’s onslaught.

At this point the Scavengers backed off and scuttled away, wisely seeking easier pickings.

Tempest landed, fists clenched. “That didn’t go so well,” she told Kaida. Her eyes were still burning.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]


"They're dead or running away, we're still standing," Kaida said, not being particularly empathic. Sometimes she had the empathy of, well, an ice wall. Then she decided to be a bit nicer and walked over to Tempest, after makng sure there were not any more attackers.


"Stand still," she ordered, then suddenly she retracted her right gauntlet and applied her hand to Tempest's face. Kaida was not a natural healer unlike her girlfriend, [member="Coryth Elaris"]. She would never have the tiny redhead's phenomenal healing capacity, but she was good enough at the basics. So she pulled at the strands of the Force and shrunk her focus down to the smallest level as she willed the energies to flow from her to Tempest, slowly healing the cu and lessening the pain from her burning eyes.


It took a few moments, then she withdrew. "Let's get this stygium loaded up."

 

[Tempest]

[member="Kaida Taldir"]
Tempest, her eyes badly watering and face bleeding, gave Kaida a dour look.
Fortunately, she didn’t get a chance to answer before Kaida did something useful to help out.

“Thanks,” Tempest said with a smile, patting the Eldorai on the back. It took a bit longer without the droids, but they soon had the crystals stacked aboard their ship.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]


And our heroines loaded up all the stygium crystals their repulsorcrates could carry and what they could transport with their Force powers, and after a short trek and a trip on their boat they were back on their ship. The surviving raiders, if they were still on the island, made no attempt to stop them. The crystals were safely stacked away and the small transport lifed off into the sky, soon leaving Maramere behind it.


Once the ship had jumped to hyperspace Kaida headed over to Tempest. The frost elf might at times have the empathy of an ice wall but she did like the Dahomian. "Well, that raid was simple enough. Flight'll take a while. You want to kill some time having fun with me?" She was also not particularly subtle.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Kaida Taldir"]
“Sure, I’ve always got time for you, Kaida,” Tempest said. And because the kiddies must be protected, as well as this thread being completed, a black curtain descended over it….

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]


And so our heroines disappeared into the sunset. Well, not really the sunset but you get the picture. Many hours later their ship emerged from the depths of hyperspace in the orbit of Kaeshana. Mission successfully accomplished with no disturbances excluding a couple raiders that had been swiftly gunned down. Firemane and Eldorai authorities would quickly take possession of the stygium crystal once the ship had landed in a secure hangar on the Tirathana Skyport, for the space elves were looking towards securing their own future now that the Protectorate was officially dissolving.


The crystals would be...most useful. As for our ladies, presumably they had had fun in the interim during the journey but obviously we cannot elaborare more on this matter because kiddies might be reading this and their innocent minds must be protected.