Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on Siobhan's inner circle and the Dahomian clique.
Image Credit: Here. Devotion's uniform would be olive green instead of white, but otherwise the picture is a good fit.
Role: Devotion is a general officer and Chief of Army Staff. Thus she is Firemane's most senior army officer after Siobhan herself. She oversees strategic and operational management, resource allocation and advises Siobhan on military matters. She is a member of Firemane's supreme military council.
Permissions: ARGH gear available per this thread. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here. Permission to use Tricks of the Trade submissions here.
Links: Into Darkness, After Darkness, Tephrike, Casus Belli, Dahomey, Qadiri, The Outbreak, Tempest, Firemane War College, Board of Control, Dahomey, Glory.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Age: Late 50s.
Force Sensitivity: Non-Force User
Species: Human.
Appearance: Devotion is a middle-aged human female of above average height. She has dark skin, brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair, which has some white streaks in it. Devotion usually wears a Firemane military uniform. It is always well-pressed and her boots are polished. She sometimes adds a long black coat. Though she is no longer a frontline soldier, she has gotten into her share of fights in her younger days, especially during her youth on Dahomey. As a result, she has a number of scars. Devotion is of a certain age, but stays in shape with long walks and jogging. On ceremonial occasions she will carry a sword in a scabbard.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Name: Devotion. General, Chief of Staff of the Army. The Dahomians have a curious way of naming their children, since around their tenth birthday they choose a descriptive name that embodies their personality and is different from their birth name. Of course, some name choices end up being awfully ironic.
Loyalties: Firemane General Staff, Firemane Industries, Siobhan, House Kerrigan-Alcori, Firedawn, The Inner Circle.
Wealth: High. Devotion is one of Firemane's most highest-ranking officers and thus gets paid very well. Pay in Firemane is on a sliding scale based on experience, rank, reward and so on. This should make her eventual retirement a very comfortable one. Her family is part of the local elite on Dahomey and is very influential there.
Notable Possessions:
- Sarix
- Has an apartment on the Arx Aeternae and the Celestial Vahana and a house in Abomey, Dahomey's capital.
- Her old Assegai, a traditional Dahomian spear. It no longer really sees use, but she keeps it around as a connection to her origins. She calls it her good luck charm.
- Collection of medals and valorous decorations.
- Engraved Holdout Bolter. Gifted to her by Siobhan.
- Diaries. Devotion started writing diaries after joining the Protectorate. They focus a lot on day-to-day military life, but also contain personal matters, gossip and various anecdotes. Devotion uses the diaries to vent, writing down acidic thoughts the diplomat and professional soldier in her is unable to voice. Siobhan would not like them because although the diaries contains passages expressing admiration for the Lady, they also serve as a vent for when Devotion is frustrated by her boss' egotism and narcissism. It is also very critical of Tegaea Alcori. Overall, it conveys sharp opinions on leading figures in and outside of Firemane. Devotion has considered eventually publishing the diaries. However, this would only happen after she, and many of the persons mentioned in it, are long dead.
- SSK-5 Icon Blaster
- The Terminus Shiv
She has a good understanding of what one might call office politics. She is good with blade and pistol. Devotion jogs regularly. Younger staff officers who accept the Dahomian's offer to go on a jog with her have learned that they may be very exhausted at the end of it. Devotion presides over the general staff of Firemane's ground forces. It is the main organ for operational direction of the army; a powerful centre for military planning, operations, and determination of resource requirements. She has a major role in coordination between the armed services in the event of war.
She is responsible for command and control of the operational, combatant, logistics and training commands within the army. The general staff is characterised by the formal selection of its officers by intelligence and proven merit and by the exhaustive and rigorously structured training which its staff officers undertake. Devotion has done much to standardise doctrine, education and turn the general staff into a cohesive military fraternity.
Personality: One day when some senior officers had committed a misdemeanour, Siobhan angrily asked Devotion if she had punished them. Oh yes, retorted Devotion, she had given them a 'severe reprimand'. This did not impress Siobhan: "For a soldier that's no punishment!" But Devotion patiently explained 'the old military tradition that if the Chief of Staff reprimands [an officer], the guilty party must offer her resignation.' Siobhan could only chuckle at that.
Devotion has cultivated a reputation for competence, fairness and discipline. She serves as Chief of Staff of Firemane's Ground Forces and is thus one of Siobhan's closest military associates. Working with the at times capricious Lady Kerrigan requires a mixture of competence, patience, diplomatic talent as well as an ability to stand up for one self. Siobhan regards herself as Firemane's supreme commander and jealously guards her prerogatives as supreme commander. She is a powerful warrior, has become skilled in intrigue and is good at inspiring the troops.
However, there are several areas Siobhan is lacking in. She is a hard-driving commander with a penchant to lead from the front. This makes her less skilled at coordinating large forces, especially on a strategic level. She also has a tremendous ego. If Siobhan is a performer, then Devotion is a technician. She does not have Force powers and though she is no slouch in combat, she is not the warrior her boss is and probably less of an orator. Her role is to be the senior officer who handles organisational matters and diplomacy so that the frontline go-getters can achieve the operational goals set by high command. In the words of a fellow Firemane officer: "No one could have better suited Lady Kerrigan, who wanted a woman capable of relieving her of all detailed work, to understand her instantly and to foresee what she would need."
Firemane is a rather diverse organisation. Its armies contain professional mercenaries, Tygaran Sepoys, irregulars, Kar'zun warriors and knightly orders personally sworn to House Kerrigan-Alcori. It also maintains its own Force Order, which again is split into several branches. To get all these different groups to work together as a cohesive force requires a considerable amount of diplomatic and organisational talent, along with patience and humility.
This is the role Devotion plays. Her gift lies in being able to keep the disparate groups together and use them effectively, while communicating with Siobhan and advising her. There are more charismatic, daring and hard-driving army commanders in Firemane, but she is the best chief manager of the corporation's ground forces. Flamboyance is anathema to Devotion, who is not fond of what she calls 'prima donna generals' and 'holonet star generals'. She is a prudent woman who favours cunning over a brute force approach.
When Siobhan's fanciful strategic ideas collide with sound military strategy, it is up to the Dahomian to convince her. Devotion has at times been frustrated by Siobhan's meddling, as well as her insistence that she should be on the front and apparent belief that she is the central combatant of any fight she participates in. At the same time she respects her a lot for her leadership, even if she may be the most difficult woman she has ever worked with. Devotion enjoys a lot of trust from Siobhan, which comes in handy during heated discussions. Per Firemane military protocol, the Army Chief of Staff has direct access to Lady Kerrigan. Technically this allows Devotion to bypass the Chief of the Great General Staff (CGGS) and appeal to Siobhan when she disagrees with a decision made by the former.
Devotion is a bit reserved and takes military protocol seriously, though not to the point of being a fussy martinet. She is not one for stirring, inspirational speeches. Instead she boosts morale by adopting a policy of circulating through the force to the full limit imposed by physical considerations. She does her best to meet soldiers with straightforward conversation, a pat on the back and earnest interest in their problems. She makes it her business to radiate optimism, believing that dourness from on high has the potential to create organisational malaise.
Even in the heat of battle she keeps a level head, an analytical frame of mind and projects certainty. At the same time she is not squeamish to make sacrifices. Once the battle is over, she is willing to commiserate with the wounded and slain, but this will not stop her to do what must be done to attain victory, if she feels it can be achieved. Devotion is no genius or savant and does not claim to be either. Indeed, she manifests a somewhat self-deprecating sense of humour. She has learned through failure as much as success. Her younger self was quite impetuous, but came to realise the importance of cunning and patience. She has a special ability for sizing up situations and persons.
Born the daughter of a tribal leader on Dahomey during a period of isolation and endemic fighting, she had to grow up fast. Later she had to fight foreign slavers and imperialists who came to exploit her world and its people. These experiences have shaped her outlook. She despises slavers and exploitative régimes. Devotion has a strict policy against looting, marauding and 'living off the land'. This was not always the case, as her tribe had to resort to such tactics during the struggle against warlords and foreign imperialists. She is not shy about ordering a lashing or execution for soldiers who indulge in crimes. She is harder on officers than enlisted because the former are supposed to be an example to their troops.
She has an affinity for the Tygaran elves. Like her people, they grew up in isolation from the rest of the Galaxy and then had to adjust to a whole new world. She has played a leading role in setting up Sepoy formations and has been an advocate for them. She also learned the common native languages instead of relying on translation devices. Her work with them was one of the reasons she caught Siobhan's eye.
Human High Culture and similar beliefs disgust the Dahomian, as they remind her of how the foreign slavers and missionaries treated her people as 'primitives'. She dislikes Jedi and has very few positive things to say about them, considering them to be a liability in war most of the time. Devotion trains regularly with blade and pistol, but she is no frontline fighter. Her job is to lead, plan and ensure the troops have the resources they need to complete their objectives, not storm the trenches.
Her job pays very well, but she does not just spend her money on herself. She is quite attached to her homeworld Dahomey and donates a notable portion of her income. Her donations go to charities as well as wildlife conservation and anti-poaching efforts. She helps sponsor a group of native rangers. Critics claim that she has a tendency to favour her fellow Dahomians in Firemane. Devotion strongly dislikes Colonel Kuwahara, Firemane's intelligence chief. The Atrisian is one of the people who can get her to lose her temper. Devotion finds her personality and methods distasteful, likening her to a snake. Actually, she says that is an insult to snakes.
Devotion does not like Vivian, Firemane's communications and public relations chief. Vivian is from Dahomey, too. Her Dahomian name is Eloquence, but she has adapted a 'galaxy' name. Devotion strongly disapproves, and finds the woman oily. However, she has a working relationship with her because one of Vivian's jobs is promoting the military and making it look good. Devotion gets on quite well with Shazora Jai Vahal, who works for Firemane as a diplomat and is the leader of a group of Qadiri who used to be slaves but rebelled against their oppressors. She sees a bit of a kindred spirit in her.
On a personal front, Devotion is married to a fellow Dahomian called Adamant. He is a high-ranking scientist employed by Firemane. His specialisation lies in quantum physics, especially quantum communications. He is one of the leading researchers working on the Enlightenment project. The couple has two children, a boy and a girl. Both are adults now. Her son is called Prosper and presently serves as his mother's ADC. He is the 'good son' and being groomed for a leadership position. Prosper is married and has two little children. They are friends of Siobhan's wards. Devotion's daughter Melody is more of a wild girl who does not want to be part of the family 'firm'. Instead she has gone off on her adventures and become a pop star. She goes by Mel because her full name embarrasses her a bit. Ironically, Tegaea and Elpsis are fans of her music.
COMBAT INFORMATION
Weapon of Choice: Blasters, blades, minions. Devotion is a general officer and thus not someone expected to fight on the front lines, unless say her command is overrun or she is ambushed. She is not a field commander, after all. However, she can defend herself when needed. She carries a blaster pistol and a blade for this purpose.
Combat Function: As mentioned above, Devotion is not a frontline fighter. Her appearing on the frontlines to fight is not very likely, especially since she is not a field commander most of the time. As chief of staff of the army, she exercises responsibility for the administrative, operational and logistical needs of the army. Her office is charged with providing accurate, timely information on which command decisions are based, planning operations and advising Siobhan.
As a result, she is not an elite warrior, but can defend herself when called for. She is familiar with unarmed combat, good with a blade and pistol. She trains regularly to keep her skills sharp. However, her training regime is that of an officer who is supposed to command from the rear, not someone who will storm the trenches with the troops. Devotion is in her fifties and while she is no slouch, this has implications in combat. She is a Non-Force-User and does not have any cybernetic or genetic enhancements that could give her preternatural powers.
Strengths:
- Capable strategic commander and organiser. Devotion is good at directing and coordinating large military forces. She has a gift for organisation and big picture thinking. She is a composed, confident leader and though she has experienced her share of defeats gives a good account of herself.
- Though no frontline fighter, she is no slouch with blade and pistol.
- Devotion is no frontline soldier and well into middle age. She is a general, not a shock trooper, and so is at a disadvantage against heavily armoured enemies or Force users in direct personal combat.
- She has no preternatural powers. Lacking Force powers, cybernetic or genetic enhancements, she cannot fall back on superpowers. She can be injured or killed by a blaster bolt or sword just as any normal human being. In combat she must rely on her wits, skill and training to prevail.
Like many employees of Firemane Industries, such as Siobhan Kerrigan's Personal Attendant Harmony and her Apprentice Tempest, Devotion is a child of Dahomey. The denizens of this rather remote, primitive planet wield a disproportionate amount of influence in the megacorporation. This tropical planet has supplied Firemane with soldiers, staff officers and administrators. Devotion is one of them, though of an older generation than many of the Dahomians who have made themselves a name in the corporate empire.
The pre-industrial world of Dahomey regressed during the Four Hundred Year Darkness due to isolation and strife. Like so many worlds, the Gulag Virus caused a catastrophe because while rich in resources, planets like Dahomey were unsustainable without imports of food. The death toll of the long night was staggering, for the virus and anarchy led to a cessation of trade. This meant no one shipped food to Dahomey or bought their minerals. The result was a demographic collapse and a breakdown of society. When the plague eventually reached the planet via the last few traders the result was horrifying.
The massive death toll led and was helped by the formation of warlord bands who fought over the scare resources. Communities ventured into the wastes to escape, forming communities, some of which have not been re-contacted. Many of its natives lived as hunters and gatherers, while warlords fought for control.
Outsiders were attracted to it due to it by its gold and, sadly, its people, whom they sought to enslave. When the long night had passed, the Independent Mining Guild and the Republic landed on the planet. Ironically, one resource Dahomey had lots of during the crisis was gold, but since it was so common it was useless to the warlords. The IMG quickly established rights to the world, buying up tons of gold in exchange for weapons, technology and food.
The warlords grew and increased their power, enslaving survivors for profit. Foreign slavers were attracted to Dahomey, seeing a valuable commodity in human lives. Moreover, the IMC's practices were exploitative and many of its overseers benefited from the slave trade, persecuting tribes that refused to accept its suzerainty. This is the world Devotion grew up and in was shaped by.
She was born close to the end of the long night. It was a time of strife, when warlords and petty king rose and fell in short order and when Dahomey was slowly being opened up to the rest of the Galaxy. She was the daughter of the chieftain of the Emeka tribe. Her father Honour ruled over a minor chiefdom far away from Abomey. Her father had moved his people north in search of land to settle on and established his chiefdom near a major river in the vicinity of a forest. Devotion's mother was from a neighbouring tribe, for she was the daughter of a formidable chieftain called Master, though whether she was his biological child is uncertain.
Devotion was her father's heir and groomed for leadership. Far from being pushed off to the side like in many pre-modern cultures (and still in some modern ones), the Dahomians often used female warriors in their armies. Dahomian culture values strength and martial prowess. With danger always present, Devotion was raised to be strong. By the time she was ten, she could fight with blade and spear, trap, track humans and wild animals. Blasters and even slugthrowers had become rare on Dahomey, so she was trained in the use of traditional weapons. She helped her tribe hunt, forage and steal supplies and cattle from other tribes.
A shaman taught her how to treat wounds, educated her about the spirits and stars. Oral history of great importance to the Dahomians, and so Devotion was raised on the deeds of the ancestors. She learned these by heart. The time before the outbreak of the Gulag Virus had faded into the realm of myth, and so it was conveyed to Devotion as a golden age that ended when the world was plunged into darkness. It was not an easy life, but not without its amenities. However, it was a time of strife, and this soon caught up with her. Master emerged as one of the most powerful forces in the land, conquering or driving off several tribes. After crushing his rival Courage, he faced a new foe in form of an Adegoke chieftain called Ambition, who had been Courage's protege.
Master came to distrust Honour, whose loyalty he deemed suspect. To ensure that Honour's tribe would remain obedient to him, he had the chieftain killed. In his place, he installed Devotion as his vassal chieftain and forced her to marry one of his lieutenants. Master took one of Devotion's younger brothers hostage to assure her good behaviour. Officially, he was an honoured guest, who would be educated by his grandfather. Naturally he would also serve as a potential replacement for Devotion if she or her people stepped out of line.
In theory, Devotion was chieftain now. In practice she was a figurehead. Her husband brought in his own associates, which caused discontent among her people as they found themselves being forced to kowtow to strangers. He was a man of low birth who had risen through the ranks on account of his martial skill and Master's patronage. Devotion shared their resentment and distrust of her overlord. Some whispered that her father had been murdered. Devotion had to toe the line, for she saw that those who questioned the status quo all too brazenly did not live long.
However, she observed, began to plan and did not remain long in Master's fold. Realising that her husband was a vain, ambitious man, she started to work on him. She won him over by convincing him that she could help him solidify his control over the tribe. At the same time, she did her best to plant seeds of resentment against Master in his mind. She bore no grudge against him, she claimed, but Master had committed injustices against her and her people.
They supported Master in his first war against Ambition. But then they swooped sides during the decisive campaign, defecting mid-battle. Master was forced to flee. Devotion beheaded her husband and swore allegiance to Ambition. Master's followers back home had not yet learned of his defeat. So when Devotion's warriors and a force of Ambition's men approached his homestead, they sung battle songs that heralded Master as a victor. To add plausibility to the ruse, some of Master's captured followers were forced to participate in it under pain of death. This encouraged the defenders to let down their guard, enabling them to sack the settlement. What followed was bloodshed and looting. Unfortunately for Devotion, her brother perished in the melee. Satisfaction at the collapse of Master's kingdom was mixed with grief at her loss.
Ambition consolidated his power over many of the tribes. Devotion swore allegiance to him, recognising the ambitious chieftain as her king. However, tension was in the air. Ambition was a farseeing visionary, but also extremely ruthless. Some of his acolytes claimed that he had been divinely blessed and was guided by visions of the future. His kingdom was not a united realm, but a conglomeration of many clans. The new king sought to centralise it. To this end he appointed indunas to act as his representatives. These officials held important administrative or military posts and indirectly served to counter-balance the influence of the chieftains. Some were of fairly modest birth, having distinguished themselves in the service of their king.
He also tried to unite the nation through a powerful administrative tool called the amabutho system. Every few years, youths who had reached a certain were called together from across the kingdom to be formed into a regiment, regardless of their local loyalties. They gave a period of service to the king. In so doing they had formed bond with him by the time they left his service to found their own homesteads, weakening the authority of the local chiefs.
To placate the chieftains, Ambition created an advisory royal council of 'great ones'. Devotion became one of its members. Not that the king necessarily deferred to their wishes. Indeed, he was not beyond executing councillors who disagreed with him, which no doubt discouraged others from speaking their mind. Inevitably, tensions arose between his drive to create a centralised kingdom and centrifugal tendencies.
Devotion and her father found themselves at odds with the king, whose decrees they perceived to be an infringement on their autonomy. For a while, their tribe was quasi-autonomous, ruling over their ancestral homeland. This peace lasted until Ambition ordered her to punish a rebellious tribe. Devotion led the raiding party. They returned with a very large herd of plundered Nerfs. It would have been expected of them to hand the livestock over to their king, for they were his subjects. He would have customarily granted many of the cattle back to his loyal vassal. That would have been custom, at any rate. But they kept most of the cattle for themselves and sent Ambition an insultingly small fraction of the herd. Her counsellors advised her against this, but Devotion was proud and headstrong. So she disregarded their counsel.
This was the catalyst for a breach that had been a long time coming. Devotion, distrustful of Ambition and wary of him due to rumours she had heard of events at the royal court, supported an aggressive course. She may have hoped that the king would let them go. Perhaps she was alarmed at the centralisation of his realm. However, she was mistaken. Negotiations between with Ambition's emissary proved fruitless. Supposedly at some point Devotion became enraged and told the messenger to tell Ambition that she had no king. In peace she would greet Ambiton as a sister, in war he would find in her an enemy. Commanding him to depart, she instructed him to tell his king that it rested with him whether it would be peace or war.
The king dispatched a force of soldiers to subdue his unruly subjects. The tribe had to defend itself against the punitive expedition. The first battle was a victory for the rebels. Devotion distinguished herself when her tribe successfully defended a mountain stronghold. Masses of basalt rained down upon Ambition's men. Soon there was a general crush, an irresistible avalanche of stones, accompanied by a shower of javelins. This drove the assailants back. The chiefs tried to rally with the fugitives and lead them against the rampart, but to no avail.
It was a notable success for Devotion, but it was not to last. When her people moved to another defensive stronghold in the hills, they were again attacked, for Ambition had sent a large force to deal with them. These soldiers were more experienced and better-led - and had become well-acquainted with the price of failure. The rebels were overcome and the survivors scattered. They left behind many dead, especially women and elderly men, and their Nerfs to be rounded up by the victors.
It was a rout, and a significant loss of status for Devotion. She as able to regroup the survivors and moved westward at the head of some three hundred warriors, many of whom were warriors. Harassed my Ambition's soldiers, they lived a nomadic existence. They could not meet their pursuers in combat, especially with their diminished numbers. So they resorted to raiding weaker tribes to seize livestock and grain before moving on.
It helped that they were not the only foe Ambition faced, as he needed the bulk of his army to keep his kingdom together. With their supply situation being so variable, the tribe could not afford to waste anything. But the march was an arduous one. Supplies were scarce and had to be carefully rationed. Understandably few tribes were willing to grant Devotion and her people shelter. Desertion also became an issue. Devotion had to face the fact that her own impetuousness and arrogance had led her to this. Ambition had been well on the way of becoming a cruel tyrant, but she had acted in haste and thus lost her crown due to foolish pride.
Devotion later claimed that learned this lesson while observing a Cylix patiently waiting until two brawling Kardok had exhausted themselves before striking. Whether she learned this lesson all in one go is another question. Regardless, she realised that it was vital to watch, not to rush in blindly and disregard advice. It was how she had freed herself from Master. But her successs had made her arrogant. Now her defeat humbled her.
So she threw herself into her duty of ensuring the survival of her people. Devotion was not the most charismatic leader. Her skill did not lie in rousing speeches, but she was a good organiser and manager. The Emeka sought refuge in the marshes. This decision was not popular, as it reeked of cowardice, but she knew it was necessary. The swamp lands would form a natural defence against pursuers.
She also made new friends in the swamps, for the Emeka ran into the Mandla tribe. Initial contact was less than promising. The Mandla had been driven into the swamps to elude slavers, and thus suspected that the newcomers had come with ill intent. As a result, the two groups ended up skirmishing. Her more hot-headed warriors wanted to sack their homestead. They were low on supplies and disease had also become a serious problem. However, Devotion chose to forego initial inclination towards violence. The Emeka had been hit hard and their numbers were diminished.
They could not afford to keep running and fighting. Neither group was in a position to both overcome the other and defeat its manifold external foes. So she chose to parlay, meeting with a Mandla elder called Hope. The two were able to hash out an agreement. The Emeka were allowed to settle in the marshes and build their own independent settlement. Though their numbers were diminished, Devotion's people were a body of experienced warriors and hunters who could help protect the swamplands against outside threats. To seal the deal, a number of Emeka and Mandla would marry each other. Devotion was not thrilled about this, but agreed to wed one of her new allies. She made it clear that she would remain the ruler of her people though. She had won their independence, and would not see it compromised.
Her new husband was a man called Adamant. He had skill as a warrior, but his true ability lay in his knack for making use of what was left of Dahomey's pre-Gulag Virus technology as well as tech stolen or bought from the outsiders who visited Dahomey. He spent a lot of his time tinkering with these strange devices. Though his understanding and knowledge was obviously limited, he provided a bit of a window into another world. One that he earnestly believed could be Dahomey's future again.
At first the new couple did not hit off well. Dahomey was a practical woman, whereas her husband seemed too much like a dreamer to her. Their marriage was a political arrangement meant to strengthen ties between both tribes. However, over time she came to appreciate him. It turned out that Adamant had been able to get some old comm devices he had scavenged to work and was familiar with rifles used by the outsiders and was able to show how they worked.
However, the new alliance was soon confronted by a punitive expedition dispatched by Ambition. The king had recently carried out a purge to cleanse his ranks of those he considered disloyal. His paranoia had only grown over time. The death of his mother is said to have unbalanced him. Some claimed that he had been responsible for her death, though his grief seems to have been genuine. Her death resulted in a frenzied period of mourning on the part of those present at his homestead and those thousands who travelled to mourn their king's bereavement. Fear of incurring Ambition's displeasure was no doubt a principal factor in these displays of public sorrow. Deaths occurred, especially when some of those present attacked one another. Ambition arranged for enemies real and imagined to be put to death.
His forces were augmented by a small cadre of foreign mercenaries and rifles purchased from the Independent Mining Guild. Gold was so plentiful on Dahomey that the natives used it in mundane and amazing ways such as tarpaulin weights and serving platters. However, the offworlders were eager to purchase it in large quantities. Ambition was a tough negotiator and made sure the off-worlders provided him with useful things such as guns rather than shinies and baubles.
Realising they could not face the invaders in an open field, Devotion and Hope directed the coalition to take advantage of the swamplands by waging asymmetrical warfare. They knew the lay of the land and the attackers did not. To make it more difficult for the Adegoke to get food, the alliance left poisoned provisions behind and attacked their supply trains.
Some of the shamans among the Mandla were also adept at controlling the beasts and weather. Thus Ambition's expeditionary force was whittled down. When a flotilla of boats as well as a primitive gunboat tried to cross the waters, the coalition assaulted them. Ambition's men had greater firepower, possessing slugthrowers, heavy machine guns and even some blaster weapons.
But their boats were dragged down and their soldiers came under sharpshooter fire. The foreign mercenaries had superior firepower, but their heavy armour dragged them down in the swamps, making them prey. When the coalition tried to launch a direct assault, the blaster weapons caused significant casualties among them. But the battle was a defeat for the Adegoke. Several of their warriors were speared, shot or drowned. Devotion directed her warriors from a distance, but then led a determined charge at the crucial moment.
Devotion made a point of being merciful to the common soldiers who were taken captive. She gave them a chance to join the alliance. Her decision to let many of them go without punishment was not just a case of her showing mercy though. Rather her underlying motivation was cynical. She knew that when they realised they would face punishment from their master and lenient treatment from her they would desert. Winning a war was not solely a matter of armaments, but also of morale, cohesion and faith. She could not - and did not want to - rule through fear.
One of those prisoners who was sent back home happened to be a daughter of one of Ambition's half-brothers. Devotion bore a grudge against him for his role in the deaths of many of her people and the death of a lover, but put it aside. Instead of using the chance to take vengeance, she let the young warrior go back home with a message.
By now there was discontent among the Adegoke and their vassals. There had not been a lot of enthusiasm for the campaign, and by now there was widespread dissatisfaction with Ambition. By now he was greatly feared. When he learned that defeat, he was extremely angered and ordered that the regiments involved be decimated. He rallied his loyalists to carry out the purge. The coalition had to abandon its main village and flee deeper into the swamps when Ambition's army swept through the swamp lands, scouring it for rebels. But morale among Ambition's men was decreasing.
As the king degenerated into an increasingly paranoid and capricious killer, his brothers feared for their own safety. Two of Ambition's younger half-brothers joined the conspiracy. Both enjoyed the support of his powerful aunt. Devotion indicated that she did not want further war and would even accept the loss of her homeland. But she expected compensation and Dahomey could not have peace as long as Ambition was in power.
The campaign continued on for a while, while the players plotted in the wings. Ambition's brothers dragged their heels when he ordered them to smite the rebels, feigning illness. While doing their best to stall, they finalised plans to strike. To bolster their manpower, the conspirators ensured that a cadre of warriors of Devotion and Hope would be able to slip through the territory held by Ambition's forces.
When the king convened his war council, the conspirators struck. To his credit, the king seems have sensed something was up and wore a suit of armour acquired from the off-worlders. But when he commanded his minions, the alliance's warriors broke through the perimeter. Devotion found herself facing the man who had once been her ally. Ambition tried to fight his way out, but was struck down after a vicious fight. His foes stabbed him to death.
It is said that as he lay dying in a pool of blood, he exclaimed words to the effect: "You will not rule when I am gone, for the land will see odolosh and locusts come." Odolosh is a native Dahomian word for exploiting outsiders, sometimes but not always slavers. He may have not literally said this, though Ambition is said to have been able to gaze into the future. He certainly had dealings with the off-worlders and suspected they would not be content with trade deals. Hence he had sought to arm his realm against the menace they posed. Regardless, his reign had come to an end. His half-brother, who had struck Ambition while proclaiming that he had become a tyrant, became the new king.
Devotion hoped for peace, but it was not to be. The Independent Mining Guild had long taken an interest in Dahomey and its natural resources. To this end it had played off warlords, ingratiating itself with those its corporate executives believed could be manipulated to serve their interests. Ambition had made deals with them, but been too strong and willful to be bent to their will.
Now that he was gone, the corporation decided to show up in full force instead of being content with simple influence on the planet. In a way, Ambition had ironically acted as a deterrent because he had a united kingdom and an army at his back. His successor did not possess the same unquestioned authority.
At first the corporation tried to entice local chieftains and warlords with the carrot, then the stick. Officially the corporation was here to aid the natives and 'civilise' them. In practice it armed warlords that backed it and persecuted natives who refused to submit. Though officially opposed to the practice, several corporate overseers became active participants in the slave trade. They soon found that the natives were a valuable commodity to be traded in addition to their mining extractions. Conditions in the mines were very poor for the workers.
The Mandla, Emeka and other tribes tried to resist them. However, the off-worlders had superior technology. Devotion was able to lead a successful raid to free forced labourers toiling in a gold mine, but an attack on the corporate spaceport of Abomey ended in defeat when the outsiders unleashed their heavy firepower. Tragedy struck when a group hostile to Hope's clan attacked them. His brother and sister-in-law were killed, while his niece Tempest was taken as a slave and sold to a brutal IMG overseer.
The war did not leave Devotion unscathed. One of her lieutenants had been bought by the IMC. She was able to fight off assassins who had come gunning for her, but Gunships rained down destruction unchecked. Adamant rescued her when she was buried under rubble. Despite the fact that the place was an inferno, he refused to leave his wife and took down a corporate mercenary after getting her out. Devotion had been pregnant at the time. Thanks to a healer, she was able to survive her injuries, but her child didd not. Her intense grief was mixed with wroth. It only be sated by driving out the oppressors who had come from the stars.
The IMC offered generous 'donatives' to any warlord who would rid them of the 'terrorists'. However, while the Dahomians were lacking in modern tech and know-how, they were not defenceless. The outside threat compelled several tribes to commit to a concerted fight against their external foe. They benefited from the off-worlders' arrogance. The Adegoke joined the alliance, having also been targeted by the IMC and its cohorts.
The coalition was able to win a significant victory over the IMC at the Battle of Mayuba. Devotion planned the battle with advice from the other leaders. Adamant had become very adept at manipulating their technology. He had also learned Basic. He used these skills and a stolen comm device to lure the mercenaries to a 'settlement' to enslave it. However, the buildings were rigged to burn.
As they struggled to extinguish the flames, they were ambushed by a mixed force led by Devotion. The Dahomians used powerful yet accurate sluggers against the lightly armoured mercenaries. The IMC troops bombarded them with an AT-ST type walker, forcing the Dahomians to seek cover. It was virtually immune to any of the weapons the warriors had. However, good scouting had made them aware of it and so they took it out with concealed pits and some primitive explosives. Its loss was a blow to the mercenaries' morale. Several of their native auxiliaries scattered.
One of the rebels who distinguished herself in the battle was a young Adegoke called Glory. In close quarters, ferocity and experience won out against a force that had superior tech but was less cohesive. After intense fighting, the mercenaries tried to stagger back to their vessels, using their speeders. But their ships had been assaulted by a concealed force to prevent them from being used. Crude but effective mining explosives were set off to disable several of them.
Their escape had been blocked. Having hijacked a ship after eliminating its crew, Adamant and Hope opened fire on the IMC soldiers. Devotion and some warriors realised that they could destroy the walker by using logs to ram the sides of its head. The battle was a rout for the IMC. Few of its soldiers survived it.
But the conflict was not over. A new warlord from the stars, a Republic general named Amherst, was dispatched to investigate reports of slavery, abuses and corruption on the planet, in the interest of extending influence to this area of the galaxy. By now word of atrocities had reached Coruscant and the conflict had become a source of embarrassment for the IMC's board of directors, who tried to cover up any evidence of wrongdoing.
The rebels had tried to shape public opinion after coming in contact with journalists who had secretly visited Dahomey. Initially the rebels believed them to be spies and abducted them. But Hope realised their true motivation after questioning them and argued in favour of using them to the advantage of the cause. While the story was soon superseded by other galactic concerns, it put the IMC under pressure. Some of the more brutal warlords and corporate overseers were disavowed.
Amherst promised an end to the abuses, but then went rogue. He and his forces defected, took over the warlords and used his superior weaponry to take over the planet. An invitation to prominent Dahomian leaders to discuss a new order on the planet turned out to be a trap. Devotion managed to escape, but was injured. Wisely she had chosen to wear armour beneath her clothes.
The Dahomian rebels were pushed back by his brutal offensive, but Devotion and her allies continued the struggle. The general imposed heavy 'tariffs' on the IMC and made the planet his fief. 'Production quotas' were imposed on the natives and those unable to meet them were savagely punished. His 'civilisational mission' was revealed to be complete hypocrisy.
Meanwhile, the general lived like a king. He and his officers took on slaves. The Republic was preoccupied with other conflicts, but informally contacted Omega Pyre, as Dahomey lay within their SOI. It asked the paramilitary corporation to intervene, on the understanding that Amherst would be extradited and they would provide fairer governance.
Thus OP Vice President Tegaea Alcori and her associate Siobhan Kerrigan, a former Jedi, assembled a crack force of mercenaries to enact regime change. The Dahomians rebels were not passive actors though. They performed to provide OP with intelligence on the enemy. Omega Pyre used one of the journalists who had visited Dahomey to establish a channel of communications with them. Not all rebels felt trusting. In fact, many did not. Given their experiences they could hardly be blamed for this. However, their situation was a dire one.
Thus Devotion voted to cooperate with OP when the matter was discussed in the provisional council. The rebels launched an attack to provide a diversion. This drew out a part of Amherst's army. Meanwhile, OP's task force appeared in orbit and assaulted Abomey.
Caught in a cauldron, the warlord was defeated and captured. Much to Devotion's disappointment, Amherst would be extradited instead of judged by the Dahomians. Still, his reign was over. She was there when Dahomian warriors poured into the city. There, she met Tegaea and Siobhan. It soon became clear that Omega Pyre was here to stay.
After so many years spent fighting Devotion was tired, but not willing to become a servitor or abandon her people. She and her fellows would not bow or call anyone master and they would not accept foreign potentates imposed on them. The negotiations were not easy, but eventually an agreement was hashed out between the OP bosses and the Dahomian tribal leaders that gave the planet autonomy in its internal affairs. Slavery would be abolished. Hope's niece Tempest was freed from captivity.
The IMC tried to resume operations on the planet, but this was obviously not something the Dahomians wanted. After inspecting a mine that had been run by the IMC, Siobhan personally beheaded a few of their overseers, then left the rest to the Dahomian rebels and freed slaves to judge. This caused a diplomatic incident, but the message was clear and the corporation withdrew from the planet.
In the aftermath, Devotion had time to settle down and think of the future. Dahomey was free, but it would not remain so unless its people advanced and adapted. Thus she became a leading advocate of modernisation. Devotion was determined to adapt to the modern world and learn all she could about it. She displayed a fervour that both impressed and at times disconcerted her husband.
The reconstruction process was not an easy one. While some natives regarded the Omega liberation force as saviours, others resented being ruled by foreign masters. Tribal rivalries did not vanish overnight. Indeed, there were more than a few violent conflicts over land and resources that had to be settled. Freed slaves had to be integrated and the population had to be educated so that they could truly take control of their destiny.
Devotion became a strong advocate of Dahomian unity and of learning to master the technology of the outsiders without compromising Dahomian values. She often visited Dahomian settlements to inspect progress and speak with the locals to this effect. She exhorted her own people, the Emeka, to learn how to use the tools of the off-worlders.
Ties of clan and tribe were important, but the enmity between tribes paled in comparison to the threats that had come from the stars and could come again. The Dahomians had to advance if they did not want to get pushed around by the outsiders. Until a new government could be formed, the provisional council acted as an interim administration, working with Omega Pyre and later the Protectorate.
When Dahomey joined the latter, it gained representation in the Council that elected the Lady or Lord Protector, the head of state of the Protectorate. She attained a command rank in the militia and later the planetary defence force. To further her own education, she visited Fondor as part of a delegation. Devotion was afraid during her first time in space, but clamped down on this feeling.
She was awed by the shipyards and factories of the city-planet, but also found it ugly, for it was all just metal, machines and huge crowds. She had trouble imagining how people could want to live like this and was determined that Dahomey should not end up like this. They would bring in industry and technology, but not despoil their planet. Devotion attended the military academy on Fondor. Adamant accompanied her to learn more about technology, especially communications tech.
She was also brought in to give lectures on her unconventional warfare, drawing on her own experiences on Dahomey. She had to put up with some xenophobia, but stuck to her guns. Inspired by what she had seen, she used her clout to set up a similar academic institution on Dahomey.
It was meant to give the planet's defence force a cohesive officer corps that would see itself as the defender of all Dahomey instead of simply serving a specific tribe or region. Only then could they ensure that their planet and its riches would not be up for grabs. For this reason, education at the academy went beyond mere military affairs.
When Dahomian soldiers stationed near the capital mutinied due to dissatisfaction with OP officers and poor working conditions, Devotion was brought in to solve the crisis. She worked with other officials to negotiate with the mutineers, who had taken hostages. It was a major test for the new government, and tied up in tribal politics. Adamant sent the children away during the troubles, but refused to leave his wife. He joined her when she faced the mutineers, stating that if they shot his wife, they would have to shoot him, too.
She played up her own army experience to persuade them to release their hostages and return to the barracks. Bringing the mutiny to heel involved standing up in front of hundreds of furious soldiers who had plundered the barracks' weapons stores and quelling them through sheer force of personality. Soldiers were hollering and shouting, telling her not to come any closer or they would shoot.
However, Devotion started talking calmly and quietly until they quietened down, then she started walking among them and collecting their guns one by one. She was appointed commander of Dahomey's defence forces and tasked with reorganising them. She applied the lessons she had learned as a co-leader of a coalition and during her time off-world.
She also directed a campaign against pirates and Bando Gora raiders. This led to joint operations with OP forces and she directed Dahomian contingents during the Bando Gora War. Devotion became convinced that in order to be strong and free, Dahomey needed to play an active role in the Protectorate. In so doing it would be able to influence policy and position itself as something other than a source of gold, diamonds and soldiers.
However, not all of her ideas were popular. Some of the rebel military and political leaders who had risen to prominence since Amherst's fall regarded her as too eager to collaborate with their distant Fondorian overlords. In some cases this was also mixed with jealousy, as she made a point of cultivating OP officials. She argued that it was a way to ensure that OP's policies were not made without Dahomey.
In the meantime, Dahomey had held its first election. Neutral observers regarded it as mostly fair. The provisional governing council was disbanded and made room for the planet's first elected government. It was a coalition that had emerged after delicate negotiations. Devotion was pleased that her people had been able to come this far, but was less thrilled about her planet's prime minister.
The new head of government was an Adegoke and had 'accommodated' the IMC at first. In Devotion's opinion this was close to collaboration, and she held it against her new boss that she had joined the rebellion quite late. The personal tension between them made Devotion's position untenable. Some of her supporters encouraged Devotion to stage a coup and place power in 'deserving' hands. However, Devotion refused to do so, for she believed it would set a dangerous precedent and undo all the progress Dahomey had made. If power once again came out of the muzzle of a blaster, her people would never know peace.
So instead of conspiring, she stepped down from command, after ensuring that her allies would be able to carry on her work. Devotion replaced her Dahomian PDF uniform with an Omega Defence Force one. Now a general in the service of the Protectorate, she directed OP soldiers in campaigns across the outer rim. This brought her in close contact with Tegaea, Siobhan and Admiral Stahlmann. These were connections that would serve her well in the years to come.
She was also reunited with Tempest, who had grown into a woman and now served as an aide to Tegaea. Devotion brought a cadre of Dahomian officers with her. Detractors disparaged them as the Dahomian Clique. The name stuck. Devotion lead an ODF contingent at the Battle of Gehenna, where the ferocious Bando Gora and their Reaver legions were crushed. She was given a medal for her role in the campaign. By then Tegaea had become Lady Protector, while Siobhan was an Exarch. However, Tegaea had to resign from office after the Sith Assassin Kaelin Isandros captured and tortured her. Her injuries made her unable to continue her duties, so she retired, with Siobhan following shortly thereafter.
Devotion stayed with OP under Tegaea's successor. She served at Valen, but became increasingly critical of the Protectorate's policies, especially its foreign policy. The Dahomian general came to regard it as stagnant and many of its decisions as ill-advised, such as the Kayri campaign. Thus she turned her eyes to other job opportunities. She built up ties with Firemane, the corporation that had been founded by Tegaea and Siobhan after they had stepped down from office. The company was based on Kaeshana, the Eldorai homeworld, but also had operations on Dahomey and Vandelhelm. Devotion saw a chance to exert influence and make a difference. When she received a job offer, she accepted.
At first she acted as a military advisor, then headed the Firemane War College. This made her responsible for the education of Firemane officers. Devotion never warmed to Firemane's Eldorai allies. In fact, she conceived a strong dislike of them. Her husband Adamant got a job as a researcher in Firemane's R&D division. He eventually started working on the Enlightenment project, which used quantum communications.
Later Devotion moved to a position on Firemane's fledgling general staff. She was involved in the Gehenna campaign and the Eldorai Exodus from Kaeshana. In the meantime, the Protectorate had collapsed after the Netherworld Event and Dahomey was now an independent planet. However, raiders and the like had caused harm in the area. Devotion and Tempest, who by now had become one of Firemane's field officers, spearheaded efforts to rebuild Firemane's base on the planet and build ties with the planetary government. On Tygara she was one of the planners of the campaign against the Xioquo.
In the aftermath of the conquest of the Underealm, Devotion helped train Tygaran Sepoy forces. Due to the history of her people and her own personal experiences, she had a lot of empathy for the elves, especially former slaves. She was full of disdain for Firemane members who looked down on the 'darklings, sand babies and forestlings'. This put her in good standing with Firemane's ruling couple.
To command and drill the Qadiri Sepoys, Devotion made a special offer where experienced Firemane rankers could accept promotion to Serrgeant in the Sepoys. This posting would be for 3 years, and those who performed well could transfer back to the regular forces or advance to officer rank in the Sepoys. It empowered the lower ranks and gave them incentive to drill and have their unit perform well in action. Officers were likewise promoted from Firemane and transferred in. Many Dahomians, used to the same style of fighting as the Qadiri, took up this offer.
Some of her proposals, such as arming the Qadiri Sepoys with bolters, were not applied at this stage though. She was privately annoyed by this, but worked closely with Firedawn, Firemane's freedmen bureau. Her efforts on Tygara were interrupted by the Battle of Kaeshana though. What had been intended to be a humanitarian operation to aid and evacuate the remaining survivors of the planet's cataclysmic desolation turned into an all-out war, as the forces of the Tygaran Alliance and the Galactic Alliance clashed with those of the First Order.
Devotion served as chief of staff of the Firemane and Tygaran forces on the planet. The allied forces were able to take control of the Citadel of Dusk and drive First Order troops out of the Citadel of Dawn. Parts of Santaissa's ruins fell under their control. However, they were ultimately forced to withdraw when the Galactic Alliance pulled out. Back on Tygara, Tarissa Cadalthor tried to seize power and instigate a purge of foreigners, blaming them for the defeat.
After Tarissa's treasonous activities were uncovered, Siobhan personally executed the Duchess. Thereafter, she authorised Devotion to proceed with her plans for the Sepoys. Recruitment was intensified, and the Tygaran auxiliaries received better pay and equipment. This, along with the promise of adventure, the mystique of the stars and Siobhan's personal reputation, attracted many to the flag. Later she was put in charge of Firemane's forces on Arkas, a tropical world the corporation had liberated from corsairs during the Netherworld Event. This proved to be an important test for Devotion. One day Firemane lost contact with an island settlement called Serenade. Hazardous weather conditions made it extremely difficult to perform recon with probe droids or satellites.
Devotion made the decision to dispatch a small task force to investigate and report back. It was led by Major Tempest. In the light of the fact that it was a mixed species settlement with a strong Eldorai element, a group of Angelii led by Kaida Taldir also participated. However, the mission turned out to be far more dangerous than expected, for the settlement had fallen prey to a zombie virus. Unfortunately, the zombies were intelligent, for they were controlled by a hive-mind.
Upon approaching the settlement, the soldiers came under fire from the town's AA guns, forcing them to land. The outnumbered soldiers were soon being swarmed by zombies, for the undead creatures. Unlike typical zombies, these creatures were able to use military tactics, doing their best to flank and encircle their enemies. Moreover, the zombie hive-mind tried to mentally manipulate some members of the task force by trying to trap them in illusionary utopias.. In an ironic twist of fate, the zombies utilised the settlement's own defence guns.
Once Devotion learned of the situation, she felt guilty. Nonetheless, she knew her duty. She ordered troops to secure the bridge and if need be blow it up. She concluded that the spread of the zombie plague could only be halted by levelling the town. She informed Siobhan, who soon arrived on the scene. The Lady was recovering from a stroke and quite angry about, as she saw it, being kept out of the loop. She was accompanied by Colonel Kuwahara, who immediately accused Devotion of dereliction of duty. The two argued, but then Siobhan agreed with Devotion's plan.
Ultimately, the troopers retreated after knocking out Serenade's AA guns, enabling bombers to contain the outbreak by levelling the town. The bombs fell and laid waste to the city, destroying both the zombies and any of the living unlucky enough to be caught in the inferno. Siobhan criticised Devotion and Tempest for their conduct. She was particularly critical of the former. In her view the operation had been reckless due to the lack of proper recon. Devotion admitted her error, though she privately believed that her boss was being a bit of a hypocrite.
For a while the Dahomian general was out of favour, though Siobhan kept her at her post. Over time she was able to regain Siobhan's trust, distinguishing herself as a planner during the Krolis War. For this reason the Lady promoted Devotion to the position of Chief of Staff of Firemane's Ground Forces. Devotion repaid her with loyalty and advised Siobhan during the Tephrike campaign, supporting her desire for retribution against the Dominion of Light after its traitorous attack on a Firemane diplomatic delegation.
She organised the deployment of reinforcements to aid Tegaea's expeditionary force and provided counsel during the Battle of Fortress Purity. She backed Siobhan when the fanatical resistance of the Dominion, not to mention the open-ended nature of the retribution campaign and the Lady's suspension of the rules of engagement, caused some Firemane officials to have doubts.
In spite of her support, Devotion was happy when Siobhan declared that Firemane had achieved its goals after smashing a Dominion army and liberating her abducted daughter Elpsis. As she said privately, revenge was not an operational goal and they were fortunate that they had not been bogged down in a war without end. Thus she was one of those who advised Siobhan to be content with measured gains, working with Vice President Kaylah Danton. Devotion continues serving Firemane to this day, having risen close to the top of its military hierarchy.
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