Igni Irae
Lighting the Fire
So it had come to this.
Win or lose, the die had been cast.
Elpsis felt fine.
A line had to be drawn. Between greed and duty, between sloth and resolution. Siobhan was gone and might as well be dead by now, Tegaea was a hedonistic parasite utterly undeserving of respect. Now it was her time. Their sins were hers to atone for. Farewell to foul compromises that made her feel soiled and craven. Now let war be their judge.
Beneath them lay Fort Kerrigan, the stronghold of the corrupt. Outside a storm raged. Mistral hatred groaned woefully. Heavy snowflalls blanketed the sky, robbing machinery and people alike of sight, and ravaged the surface. Menace and danger abounded, as the storm raged with hateful intensity.
The wild, unbridled violence of nature was so callous and indifferent. Its fury fogged sensors and the Force itself, dazing the mind with its display of how just how insignificant sentient life was in the grand scheme of things. As if making a mockery of the 'order and stability' Firemane had claimed to impose on Tygara. It matched the firestorm raging inside her heart. A cleansing wildfire that yearned to be unleashed.
A wildfire you are, but a much needed one. To wash away the vile and decadent, and promote new growth by burning away the old.
Her freighter shuddered violently as it flew through the punishing blizzard, causing her to stumble and forcing her grip the wall and anchor herself to the ground with her metal foot.
"Goddess protect me," Hazani muttered from the co-pilot's chair as the storm buffeted the cockpit.
"I'd prefer if your Goddess could give us better than zero visibility," Tahoka, seated in the pilot's chair, replied tersely.
"Machines can deceive you, as can your eyes. The Goddess will grant you sight if you have the will to see," Hazani said sternly.
"Doesn't help me now, does it?"
"Altitude?" the Qadiri warrior demanded.
"Fifteen hundred and descending. Speed three-fifty."
"We'll be entering scanner range soon, so keep us steady and descending, reduce speed to three hundred. Watch out for the mountains behind the base."
"Understood." The communicator crackled into life.
"Incoming vessel, this is Fortress Command, we have you on our scopes. This is a restricted zone, please transmit clearance code and reason for approach."
"Here's where the fun starts," Elpsis said sardonically, nodding to Hazani. "Send the code and pass me the microphone."
"Fortress Command, this is the Wildfire. Transmitting code now. Our engine is damaged, and we must land immediately."
A moment later Fortress Command hailed them again. "Wildfire, your code is no longer valid. This is restricted air space. Turn away immediately."
Elpsis took the microphone in hand. "Fortress Command...Lady Elpsis Kerrigan here. Baroness, Heir of the Destroyer, Heir of the Mirza of Suqua." There, happy now, Sio? I'm taking my place as your heir, just as you wanted. Would her mother approve of what she was doing? She refused to think about it. Fuck her legacy. All that was left was to burn down the corporate empire her mothers had built. From the ashes of their world, she'd build a better one. "I'll cut to the chase. You've seen the blizzard. We need to land right now."
"Clearance denied, your code is out of..."
"Listen, in the next couple minutes one of two thing's going to happen: we crash, I don't make it and you have to explain to the brass that the daughter of the woman they owe everything to died because you had to be a mindless pen-pusher. Or we crash, I don't die...and then you have to deal with me. Think your regs are going to protect you from me? Make your choice...fast."
Circling the control the tower, the ship jerked with a violent shudder. Winds sought to seize it and pull it hither and zither. Red warning lights flared angrily. Elpsis grit her teeth. There was a long, drawn-out moment of static until finally the voice on the other end responded.
"Acknowledged, Lady Kerrigan, proceed to Bay 9, transmitting coordinates. Do not leave the landing area without authorisation or you will be considered hostile. An escort will meet you to process your arrival."
"Got it, Kerrigan out," Elpsis said tersely and cut the connection. Then the ship shuddered so badly that she was knocked back and thrown to the floor.
Hazani tried force the yoke forward. Tahoka grabbed the pilot's yoke and pushed forward, adding her strength to the Qadiri fire knight's. The turbulences intensified while the vessel shot through the air, seeking to defy the forces that lusted for its annihilation. Elpsis could feel her stomach lurch in her throat.
"We're losing altitude too fast! The ship's not slowing down," Tahoka shouted.
"Just get us down without killing us," Elpsis growled. Her jaw was set. Try as she might, she was no pilot. Success or failure was not in her hands. There is no doubt, there is only duty.
"If it were that easy, ma'am. I can't see squat, and our sensors are useless."
"Just do it, soldier."
"Entering emergency mode, rerouting power to the shields. This is going to be rough." Beads of sweat dripped down the young Togruta's lekku.
"Anything else you can do?"
Tahoka took a breath, looking at Elpsis. "The emergency retro thrusters. Switching them on should slow our descent a bit...may be enough. But it's going to burn us out."
"Doesn't matter. We win or we die," Kerrigan's Heir said grimly.
"Indeed," Hazani spoke, resolution written over her features. "Give me the pilot controls." Tahoka looked puzzled for a moment, then passed over control without protest.
Taking a deep breath Hazani took the pilot's yoke firmly in hand. Her dark hair was sweaty and tousled. "Praise the eternal fire, for it drives away the darkness. Praise the eternal fire, for it gives warmth and light to the needy. Hazani recited, voice starting quiet but growing more resolute with every word.
The freighter fell towards the snow-covered surface like a stone. A jolt caused a wild clockwise spin. A wave of nausea washed over Elpsis and she fought to remain upright. Tahoka muttered a Togruta curse. Her headtails spun about the back of her head. They were getting lower, and lower, and the engines howled in protest. The snow-covered surface beckoned with terrible inevitability.
Elpsis could not see Hazani closing her eyes, but she could perceive the knight's aura. It resembled a sword wreathed in crackling flames. Turning her gaze beyond the cockpit, she stared vaguely in the direction of the rest of the crew. Diona was quiet and firm, like a rock. She sat on the floor, meditating. In the Force,
Lalax was seated, and nervously muttering her prayer. Anxiety emanated from her, but her voice was melodic. "Spirits, hear and protect your loyal servants, great Karishzar bring us to safety so we might carry out your plan."
Through the Force, she felt Karou's concern, but also her calm resolution. The Daughter was right spear, burning with an inner light, a just fire. Elpsis could hear the rhythmic sound of her tapping the wall. Rhea was off in the corner, quietly muttering a mantra over and over again to herself. Her aura reminded Elpsis of a caged Cylix, begging to escape its confinement to it could unleash claws and teeth.
"Hey, you switched off the scanner," Tahoka pointed out.
"It's distracting," Hazani stated. "Praise the eternal fire, for it is divine. Praise Azali, sister of the Goddess." As the Qadiri chanted, she pulled on the yoke with all her strength, the Force surging through her body like wildfire. Without a word of protest, Tahoka added her strength to hers, straining every muscle.
With a sharp jolt, the Wildfire changed course, and shot through and around one of the mountain peaks, narrowly avoiding being crushed. The Qadiri was buying time. Tahoka kicked the retro thrusters into gear, directing all available power towards them. The engines burnt, but the freighter's wild downward tumble slowed.
The Qadiri fire knight took a breath, hands clammy and sweaty. "Alright, taking us down...as gently as I can. Brace yourselves," she said, slamming the brakes and thrust reversers while the freighter dove towards Fort Kerrigan.
The landing was rough. A loud crunch could be heard as the freighter made contact with the surface, skidding through the bay doors. White sparks came out as the freighter screeched to a halt. Hazani let out the breath she'd been holding. "You wish to be a knight," she glanced at Tahoka. "That is what it means to be one - to face adversity, trust in your Zari and not flinch." The left side of the ship was tilted up. Elpsis rubbed her temples, feeling a headache. "Everyone alright?" she called out.
Rhea staggered to her feet. "Alive," she paused, shaking her head several times to clear it, "and happy we're on the ground at last. I'm ready to fight."
"Thank the spirits we're on the ground again. I would rather stand in the noon sun than do that again soon," Karou said, a little shaken. Lalax placed a hand on her shoulder. "Focus, sister, we have much perils ahead. Stand with the heir."
"I shall not be found wanting," Karou said reassuringly.
"We've got company," Diona suddenly spoke up. "I sense many presences outside the vessel. We're surrounded."
Elpsis' expression didn't waver. "Good. Hazani, you wanted me to burn my bridges. Now's the big moment," she said sardonically to the fire knight.
"Don't try to pour water on the fire at the last second," the Qadiri retorted, looking unimpressed.
"Never had the brains to run from an inferno. Let's move out, everyone. Lalax...," she came to a halt before the Xioquo priestess, "stay close. When things get...wild, keep your head down and find some cover. Tahoka, keep her safe. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I am no warmistress, but I shan't cower. If our sisters and brothers are to sway with us, they must see me, hear me. We stand together against this new chain," the priestess insisted.
After a moment, Elpsis smiled thinly. "Come on."
Tahoka lowered the ramp, and the motley crew staggered out. But there was no time to regain their bearings. Where she looked, Elpsis perceived the presence of Firemane soldiers. Encased in armour, they had blasters or bolters levelled in the intruders' direction. The auras of the first line were largely hostile or indifferent.
They had to be galaxy troops, the reliable ones. But further behind them she sensed auras that were more ambiguous. Hostile, curious, hopeful, friendly. Xioquo and Qadiri soldiers. A few Kar'zun stood behind them, walking beings of stone that towered over all. The air felt thick and heavy with tension, and was chilling to the bone. "Put your hands where I can see them, make no sudden movements and state your business," a Sergeant's voice barked.
With seeming calm, Elpsis walked down the lamp. She was clad in her battle armour, but wore no helmet, exposing her viciously scarred visage. Inferno remained clipped to her belt. Not that even the best Soresu would be sufficient to block blaster fire that could erupt from the multitude of rifles and repeaters levelled in her direction. Hazani and Lalax were defiant in the face of the heavily armed welcoming committee.
Tahoka fidgeted slightly, hand close to her blade. Diona was like a rock, and Karou stared at the Firemane officers with unabashed loathing. However, her expression softened when she looked at some of the Xioquo. Rhea repeated an old Tephriki mantra, gathering the Force around her.
As Elpsis' milky-white eyes darted across the welcoming committee, for a moment her gaze settled on one Xioquo female soldier. "I'm Elpsis Kerrigan," the Kerrigan heir spoke. Ever since being tortured on Tephrike, Elpsis could not raise her voice much without burning her throat. So she drew upon the Force to amplify it artificially. "You know my mother. Some call her the Karishzar. Have you brought your boss?"
"You don't get to make demands, girl. I'm Colonel Tolerance," a middle aged Dahomian human female proclaimed imperiously, scowling at the arrogant intruder. She wore an immaculate Firemane officer's uniform, with a long coat that billowed behind her. A medal hung from her neck. Standing ramrod straight, she projected an aura of pride and military officialdom.
"And you've trespassed on my base. If you think you can use your family connections as your shield, you're dead wrong. You'll surrender your weapons, come with us and stay put under supervision until we can send you on your way."
"You really tolerate a lot, don't you? Slavery, pollution, corruption. Just grease the gears with some native blood, right? Ordered any drone strikes on weddings lately? Shot starving workers?"
The Colonel's eyes narrowed. "Mind your tone, girl. I can easily have you thrown into a cell for sedition," she snapped contemptuously.
"Didn't you fight slavery once? Figure it's fine when you're the one holding the leash. I'm going to take over this base, then fight my way to the Arx and burn the board alive."
Immediately, Firemane troopers raised their rifles. Three Order of Fire soldiers drew their weapons, and their purple lightsabres blazed to life. But there were more than a few murmurs among the native troops. "You're a madwoman. You can come quietly...or even your family name won't save you. Captain Kelethar, take them into custody now, and search the ship," the Colonel commanded.
Lalax had been standing quietly, but now raised her voice. "Brothers, sisters, be they Xio, Qadiri, Eldorai or Vash, hear me! We come to bring justice to you and to all our peoples. We were freed from one collar, only to be fitted with another one. Lighter, less visible, but a chain nonetheless. Have these people from across the stars made your life better? Do you feel appreciated, or are you just used and discarded?" There was murmuring in the ranks.
"Quiet!" the Colonel shouted. "You will shut your mouth, woman, or it will go poorly for you."
"How poorly, Colonel? Will you do as my old Mistress was wont to do and stake us in the sun to teach the uppity slaves a lesson?"
"They already do!" a voice from the garrison called.
The Colonel spun around. "Sergeant, find who said that, and get their number."
"Your benevolent new Mistress, siblings," Lalax said.
"Enough! Captain, seize them, we'll deal with these troublemakers in the brig."
But Elpsis wasn't paying attention to her. Her eyes were on the soldiers. "We've bled for the corp, they betrayed us. Sisters, brothers, who's with me?"
Suddenly there was a loud, shattering boom. The blast wave of the explosion blew a hole through the walls, plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. Some soldiers were knocked to their feet by the passage of the shockwave. Through the smoke, Zaldrani warriors and the Daughters poured in. "Fire! Fire!" the order rang out among the Firemane soldiers. And a salvoe of scarlet blaster fire erupted, streaking straight towards the intruders.
Yet even as a wall of blaster fire surged towards her, Elpsis remained passive. Inferno remained clipped to her belt. She just stood there. The cracks inside her face glowed, as if she was burning from the inside out.
Two days ago...
"Good luck with getting in," Natalie commented, taking a drag from her cigarette. "Guess you could hitch a ride on a Firemane cargo boat if the Daughters have someone who can let you in."
"We can," Xalda said, glancing towards Kalou, who nodded. "We have sisters seeded among the garrison. One could be sent to the docks, perhaps. However...," she trailed off.
"Continue."
Xalda looked Elpsis right in the eye. "If the Heir has so little confidence in her plan that she must skulk about, why should they have any?"
Elpsis frowned, then shook her head. "It would make me look weak. If I'm asking them to die for the cause, I must show I'm willing to do the same. I need to look Firemane right in the eye when I call on the Sepoys to join me."
The Essionian shrugged. "Your funeral, Red. Firemane will see your crappy freighter coming way before you see the base, and intercept you."
"There's also the blizzard," Zhaleh spoke up. "Our weathersingers predict it will last for the rest of the week. They are never wrong."
"That's it," Elpsis declared, slamming her fist on the table. Her dead eyes stared vaguely into the general direction of Zhaleh and the Zaldrani representative. "You've got the best cryomancers I know. How bad can you make the blizzard?"
Kavahda Jai Barada was slightly shorter and slighter than average for a Qadiri. She had long dark hair that fell past her shoulders, and wore a heavy robe, though she carried no weapons. When she spoke, she had a deep voice. "So bad their machines will be blind, and it would be madness to fly. Is that what you wish?"
"Yes," Elpsis looked at the group. "They won't see me coming until I'm right above the base...and they can't tell Kerrigan's brat to get lost if she's having engine troubles in a storm. Wouldn't look good if she crashed. So...we land..."
"If you survive," Nyssa stated.
"Yes," Elpsis said, a bit annoyed by the interruption, "all the attention will be on me, while our people move into position," at that she nodded towards the Daughters and the Zaldrani, "and strike."
"We can provide you with some of our Stalkers. They are our best - strong, dedicated. But we cannot muster a large war band. They can screen your approach, and aid your assault, but no more," Kavahda responded.
"The Daughters are at your disposal. We don't fear the tyrants' wroth. We shall repay them tenfold for every cruelty they have inflicted," Xalda declared fervently. "I shall lead our detachment alongside our Zaldrani sisters."
"We have a secret ally amongst the warriors - a hidden sister; Karrigan'Kalou," Lalax declared. "She will use all her efforts to sway them to us so that when we arrive they will flock to our banner!"
"You sure of that?" Natalie asked prudently.
"Kalou is persuasive and prudent. She was trained to fight in the shadows and remain unseen," Xalda said firmly.
"The garrison is like 50% Xio?" Elpsis asked.
"60," Karou corrected,"and 30% Qadiri."
"We're going to need all the allies we can get to pull this off."
"Kalou knows," Xalda insisted, glancing to Kavahda. "Some of my sisters would join your summoning if you would have us. We too command the air and the ice. Differently from you, but we can aid you nonetheless."
The Zaldrani priestess seemed to consider this carefully. "I accept, if they follow our direction. I would like to meet these adepts first so that we are familiar with each other." Xalda nodded her assent, and the priestess looked at her nice. "Zhaleh will lead our warband for the assault."
Zhaleh looked like a deer caught in the headlight. "Auntie...honoured priestess, there are many more experienced warriors and priestesses than me."
"Aye, but how many have your familiarity with the weapons and strategems of the sky people? Or your experience working with outsiders?" her aunt asked rhetorically. "We're not throwing you into the cold water. You will have an experienced Stalker to guide you."
"I know you feel, Zhaleh. But you can do it," Elpsis added.
A bit hesitantly, Zhaleh nodded. "I swear, by my ancestors and the Snow Mother, that I won't bring shame or dishonour upon you."
"Before you ask, I'm not going to fly," Natalie said firmly, lighting a cigarette. "I'll see what I can do about messing with Firemane's communications, but find someone to fly through a blizzard."
"I shall accompany you, Elpsis," Hazani suddenly spoke.
Elpsis raised an eyebrow. "Thought the Sistren wanted to stay put 'til I've burnt my bridges?"
"They are, but I haven't rejoined the sisterhood yet. So I shall stand at your side...and make sure you do it properly. Mother would not have flinched from danger, nor shall I."
Elpsis smiled thinly. "Then we'll win or die together." She looked at the Daughters' delegation. "Are your people ready?"
Karou nodded. "Our sisters are angry. The base commander's a hateful racist. She makes Xioquo suffer under the burning sky. Says we're lazy and skulking in the dark. Just like a mistress."
Elpsis' eyes narrowed. "Isn't she Dahomian? They were slaves."
The Xioquo warrior shrugged. "We've seen this with mamluks who were promoted, and thought themselves better than the slaves dying in the blood forges. They were often the cruellest. She's tried to court the Qadiri as 'sisters of the sun', but Kalou says many dislike her."
"Arrogant fool," Hazani commented disdainfully. "At least the Xio are of this world."
"Will they rise?" Nyssa threw in, muscular arms folded. "That's the question."
Xalda's eyes shot towards her. "A few days ago, Firemane ordered them to fire on protesters in Skrael Floe. Some of our sisters mutinied. Firemane exposed them to the sun, then locked up. We believe they intend to move them into the sky-ocean."
Elpsis' jaw tightened. "Then it's our duty to free them. And failing that, to avenge them."
"And what of the Cataphracts? Shall we not be granted the honour of drawing first blood? Let our clenched fist fall upon our foes like a hammer," Varkasa asked, or rather demanded.
"There's going to be lots of blood for everyone involved," Elpsis said. "The initial attack requires stealth, but," she furrowed her brow, then her lips curled into a smile. "I've got the perfect task for you..Something explosive."
Perhaps realising what Elpsis meant, Nyssa stepped forward. "Been spoiling for a real fight. Send me with them."
"Me as well," Kar'zakush added in a voice like the pounding of hammers.
There was a bright glow around Elpsis' armour, and the blaster bolts hit a shimmering barrier. Elpsis winced, feeling a searing burn. The energy shield had absorbed the initial salvoe. But it could not take more.
"Sisters, brothers, my mother promised you a world without chains. Without you, Firemane would be nothing. Firemane's stolen your freedom. I've come to break all chains. Will you help me? Or will you burn with your mistresses? We can take your world back, we can burn them all."
Inferno leapt into her mechanical hand, and its burning yellow blade sprang to life. "I'm ready to die for Tygara...are you?" Blaster fire burst towards her once again, but many of the Tygaran Sepoys were holding fire.
Then there was a shout. "Phoenix!" And suddenly a shot rang out. One of the Order of Fire soldiers slumped, brain matter and blood splattered across the ground. His lightsabre hit the ground and deactivated itself. A scarred Xioquo male in Firemane armour held the smoking Cylix bolt pistol.
And then chaos erupted. With a war cry, Xioquo soldiers began firing on their erstwhile comrades. On average, the Tygaran Sepoys were less well-armed and armoured than the soldiers from across the stars. A human or Twi'lek would be issued modern kit, a Xioquo might have to make do with what amounted to upgraded stormtrooper armour and an improved E-11 blaster rifle. But the Sepoys were more numerous, they had the advantage of surprise...and they were full of rage. And so they fought with a fury so potent that Elpsis felt it as strongly as her own. One was fuel for the other. The Sepoys shot, stabbed their foes with daggers and bayonets or beat them to death.
Colonel Tolerance, having suddenly found herself terribly exposed, retreated while the line of soldiers descended into chaos, and one of the Kar'zun smashed the skull of a Firemane officer with a warhammer. "The Sepoys have been compromised!" she yelled into her comm. "Confine them to the barracks, lock down the base, and radio command for reinforcements!"
All around the hangar, mayhem raged. Elpsis advanced. She wasn't particularly quick or agile...but inexorable. Unerring intent guided Inferno, and searing flame burst from her hand. Hazani was not far, chanting a hymn to Azali while her enchanted blade, wreathed in flame, hewed down Firemane soldiers left and right. Elpsis felt Rhea's fury as the Rattaki leapt into the fray. She was quick as lightning, and lightning burst from her hand. And Elpsis felt Diona's cold stoicism. The former Jedi was implacable, the rock to Rhea's lightning. In her grasp, the Force paralysed Firemane soldiers and dulled their movements, and yanked weapons out of their hands. Both moved near-seamlessly, and Elpsis felt a moment of pride.
She sensed Zhaleh and Xalda among the detachment that had penetrated the wall, fighting their way through the ranks of Firemane loyalists who had suddenly been thrown into momentary disarray with blade, ice and spikes of shrapnel driven through the throats of enemy troopers. Dashing to cover amidst a barrage of blaster bolts, Karou had joined up with some of the rebel soldiers, shouting orders and raining a salvoe of bolter fire upon the enemy.
Amidst the gunfire and roar of explosions, Elpsis had lost track of Tahoka and Lalax. For a moment, concern sparked inside her, before suddenly the freighter's turret swung around and tore into Firemane soldiers with a hailstorm of laser fire. Held in a firm two-handed grip, Inferno delivered death, cleaving through skulls and limbs. Blaster bolts that managed to get past her defences sizzled Elpsis' shoulder. She grit her teeth, and her jaw tightened when she sensed the Colonel retreating, covered by the two Order of Fire adepts. Quickly, she ran in pursuit. Turning, the Colonel levelled her gun at her, and on instinct Elpsis' sabre flashed to block.
However, the Dahomian had not fired a blaster pistol, but a shattergun revolver. Propelled at hypervelocity, too fast to block let alone hear before the impact, the projectile slammed into Elpsis' metal hand. There was enough force behind the impact for Inferno to fall out of Elpsis' grasp. A robotic finger felt paralysed. The bullet ricochetted and there was a stab of pain when a piece of heated metal sliced open her cheek. Tolerance hastened towards a side-door, covered by Firemane soldiers putting the rebels under fire. Several rebels fell to the onslaught or were forced to seek cover and suppress the mercenaries. Meanwhile, the two Order of Fire guardians closed in on Elpsis, purple lightsabres blazing.
Searing heat surged through Elpsis, and she released it outward in a blast of burning, blinding light. Not Force Light, of course, but horribly bright and dangerous to sight. One of the guardians howled in pain when the blast struck his eyes, and she used to brief reprieve to ram his chin with her mechanical elbow, and stomp on him with her cybernetic foot. There was a loud, sickening crunch that heralded the breaking of bones, and his leg caught fire.
In the throes of pain, the guardian fell, but managed to get off a blast of elemental lightning. Elpsis raised her arm to shield herself, absorbing much but not all of the torrent that washed over her. Gritting her teeth, she crushed his throat. As she called Inferno back to her, the other guardian struck, launching a furious slash with her lightsabre. Too slow to intercept, Elpsis experienced a surge of searing pain when the plasma blade reflected off her armoured organic leg, burning the flesh near the joint. Not deep enough to cut, but it caused her to stagger, and fall back.
Swiftly, the surviving guardian moved to attack anew, but a presence in the Force akin to a shifting bar of metal, burning and flowing, leapt forward. A blade shrouded from sight and only somewhat perceivable to Elpsis due to her Force Sight, parried the lightsabre, pushing it down. Grimly, Xalda thrust a poisoned dagger she wielded in her off-hand into the guardian's armpit. Deep enough for blood to seep out. A crippling blow.
Wasting no time, Elpsis called Inferno into her grasp and clove through their foe's skull. Her dead white eyes met Xalda's scarlet ones and she gave her battle sister a brief nod. But there was no time for pleasantries. The whine of blasters and the smell of ozone filled the air, accompanied by the roar of bolter fire. Letting the pain in her leg fuel her, Elpsis dashed forward. But as she hastened after, the Colonel slammed the side door shut, and her rear guard directed their bolter fire towards Elpsis.
Bolters, as Elpsis well knew, were designed as a weapon against Force-Users. Which was awkward when they were used against you. Blocking their explosive bolts was not possible, trying to deflect them just resulted in them blowing up in your face. She threw herself into the cover, wincing as she felt the white-hot sting of shrapnel. Gritting her teeth, she pulled at the web of the Force to raise some large metal plating to use as an improvised shield. Strain was written across her features, and beads of sweat dripped down her forehead, but she persevered unrelentingly.
She sensed Xalda's aura not far from her, standing behind a pillar, seemingly rigid and motionless. Staring intently at something while chanting in Xio. "Xalda...get your arse in..." Elpsis shouted, but then her senses directed her to a Firemane mercenary levelling her bolter at her. The soldier squeezed the trigger, and the weapon clicked. No shot left it. Then there was a crack of a gunshot, and the soldier fell. She looked towards Xalda, understanding at last.
But explosive bolts smashed into her barrier. Initially it held, but more and more pieces of it were ripped apart. Pain spiked inside Elpsis, and she pushed herself to raise a barrier to keep the shards of shrapnel that rained down upon them at bay. However, it had bought time. The Wildfire might no longer be useful for flight, but its guns still worked, and Tahoka levelled them towards the soldiers, scything them down. As a soldier in cover retrieved a grenade and pulled the pin, Zhaleh fired her rifle. The anti-armour slug connected with his head, and the grenade fell to the floor, exploding with blast and heat that ripped not only the Firemane soldier apart, but one of her comrades. Rhea leapt through the smoke, enchanted blade gleaming, while Diona advanced from the front as implacable as a wall.
Amidst the chaos, Elpsis charged, her aura blazing. The pain in her leg was fuel. Fuel for her flames. Her fire was conjoined with that of Hazani, but the way each manifested was very different. Elpsis was the inferno, a curtain of flame sweeping aside those who stood in her way. If they were not cooked, they were hurled through the room. Hazani manifested a more concentrated, directed ray that she hurled like a spear to cook singular targets, and she almost never missed. Whereas Elpsis was slow, and implacable, lightsabre wielded like a broadsword to pass fiery judgement, Hazani was fast like a dervish, using her Zari to dash forward and land a strike with her blade or her fire lance.
But though the hangar was cleared, there was no sign of Tolerance. Hastening to the side door, Elpsis could still sense her presence, but it was distant. Jaw set, she was about to unleash Inferno to cut her way through the blast door, when she sensed multiple presences gathered outside, lying in wait. One of the benefits of Force Sight was that walls were no obstacles. Elpsis took a moment to consider her options, something that didn't come natural to her.
Out of the corner of her sight, she caught notice of Tahoka rushing out of the broken ship to join them. Perceiving the aura of the Sepoy who'd fired the first shot, Elpsis called ou to him. "You...you shot the corpo scum first!"
"Did my part...Heir. Zarrol'Narsh, Sergeant." If the male Xio NCO was nervous, he showed no sign of it, saluting with his clenched fist over his heart. He had a long scar beneath his left eye. "What is your command?" His Basic had a thick accent, but it was miles better than her Xio.
She pointed a metallic finger at the door, and lowered her voice. "There's more of the scum waiting for us outside. I need you to get your people organised, and ambush them," she said, scrutinising him. His aura was strong and resolute, like a rock. But there were streaks of fire there. Someone dependable. Besides, the Sepoys would appreciate some payback.
"Got it. Lot of cover outside, works both ways," was all he said. "Meet you on the other side."
"Karou, Rhea, go with them, follow their lead," Elpsis instructed the fellow Daughter, who had exchanged her bolter for a morningstar earlier and used it to cave in the skulls and break the ribs of mercenaries, and the Rattataki warrior from Tephrike. The scarred veteran saluted in the same manner as Sergeant, and fell in with him. Narsh had near seamlessly gotten a mixed group of Xio and a few Qadiri organised through hand signals and making commands in Xio. The pale, bald Tephrik gave Elpsis a curt nod, a grim smile on her face.
"Rest of you, with me." Elpsis waited while the Sepoys filed out of the main door. They advanced quietly, crouching and moving around and using the crates for cover. Through the Force, she felt lives being extinguished, and then she heard the sound of gunfire as battle commenced. She gave the signal. "Go, go!"
By the time she was out, the Firemane mercenaries were engaged in heated combat. The soldiers had positioned themselves parallel with the hangar wall. Crouched behind crates, they had lain in wait, high-powered blasters and bolters levelled at the side door. The first of the would-be ambushers had been quietly taken out with daggers and garrottes, then the alert was sounded and both groups clashed. The Sepoys fell upon the minions of their tormentors with a fury that called to the wildfire surging through Sepoys.
It was matched by the Daughters and the Zaldrani warriors. Out here the Zaldrani were in their element. Inured to the bitter cold, they sniped their foes, blasted them with ice or willed snow to wrap around their guns. Up close, the Daughters fought with vibroblades and spears, each coated in a dangerous venom. A few of them were Force-Users, calling upon ice, earth and fire. And Elpsis burnt, shredded and beat foes to death. Cornered from both sides, the mercenaries could not last for long. Those who didn't die retreated.
Finally it was over. Quickly the rebel Sepoys began to grab the dead Firemane soldiers' weapons and ammunition. But there were casualties on her side. Elpsis looked dejected when she came across a Xioquo soldier who had been shredded by bolter fire. The sight made her wince. She had led them here, their deaths were on her.
Not far from the Xioquo lay a wounded Zaldrani, with fragments from a bolter shell lodged in her abdomen and legs. She was trying in vain to stop the blood loss with her hand. Elpsis couldn't see the wounds, but sense the pain, and the distress. She saw the life force leaking out, and shuddered, sadness and desperation overcoming her.
"Hang in there, I'm going to help you!" she declared, bending down. Retracting her gauntlet, she placed her flesh hand on the warrior's abdomen, and closed her eyes. Immediately, she felt a spark of pain surge through her, but she didn't stop channelling. "Elpsis, there's no time!" Hazani called out.
"But she'll die if we don't get her help!"
"How many will die because you have drained yourself? Think, Elpsis. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. You started this rebellion, do not let it finish here."
"I don't want to just throw aside people for the 'greater good'. That bullshit always pisses me off."
"This is war. Thousands will die because of the spark you have lit, millions maybe. If you can't handle that you should have just left."
White-hot fury rose inside Elpsis. She was was about to snap at Hazani but the wounded woman took her hand. "It's alright, ma'am. You've got duties. Go to them. I'll get a healer soon, we'll talk later."
With a sigh, Elpsis nodded, squeezing the Zaldrani warrior's hand. "Later," she promised...though she knew it was a lie. Her flesh hand was coated in blood.
But then she was flooded by a wave of sorrow."But...we can't just leave her! Avana, stay with me!" Zhaleh shouted, distraught and desperate.
"Stop, Zhaleh...just...stop. It's alright. Go with your chief. We'll meet again one day, you and I. If not tonight than in many years we will feast beneath the cold sky in the Snow Mother's hall. Be brave, Zhaleh...it's alright. Go...."
"Zhaleh," Elpsis began, "we have a mission to complete. We must see it through...for all Tygara." The words were as much for Zhaleh's benefit as her own. Think of the mission, the mission.
A tear ran down Zhaleh's face. "For all Tygara," she repeated. "Take her to the hangar, get a healer!"
Xalda had come to a halt before the dead Xioquo. Elpsis could not see her face, but she felt her sorrow, and her anger. "Go in peace to the Earth Mother, brother." She bowed before the dead soldier. Hands clasped and held close to to the face.
"Sisters! Brothers!" Lalax called out. In her hands, she held a black banner with a burning phoenix and a red star emblazoned upon it. "The moment of war is upon us! Grieve for our losses once victory is claimed. For now, do not forget them, let their memory inspire you, let the strength of memory enter you like fire! When we are done, let the grief return...and we will sing the songs of remembrance. For now...we march under the banner of justice, the banner of the phoenix!" Hearing her words, the soldiers took heed, and resolution filled their spirits.
The many structures of Fort Kerrigan loomed ahead of them, and alarm sirens howled. "We must make haste, ma'am" Diona insisted, voice firm and unyielding. "Every moment we dally, the Colonel can rally her forces. We must cut off the head of the snake."
"I know the NCOs," Narsh spoke up. "Many of our people, the golems and the desert kin will rally if we get to them first."
"Organise a squad to take the barracks, and rally anyone you can, Sergeant," Elpsis ordered. Her breath frosted around her in the cool air. Snow fell upon her flaming red hair.
"You want the sky people's officers dealt with now?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Kill any who get in the way. Confine the rest, take their weapons, and comms. We'll decide their fate later. Know anyone reliable who can seize the armoury and the brig?"
Narsh didn't hesitate, and called out two to fellow Sergeants among the Sepoys. "Zarrol'Grazen, Karrigan'Karrok!" At that a male and female Xio stepped forward, saluting fist over heart. "Trust them with my life. Once we have rallied our comrades, we can lock down the base. But beware, the command centre's well fortified. You can't take it with just light infantry," Narsh pointed out.
"We have a plan to deal with it. Reinforcements are on the way," Elpsis assured him. She found she appreciated the Xioquo's directness.
"Got it," the Sergeant turned his attention to his comrades. "Listen up, people, we're going t' take this base and drive the oppressors out with their tails betwixt their legs. We march under the Phoenix!" Elpsis left Narsh to get the Sepoys organised, instructing the other officers to lend what help he needed. The place stank of death...and she knew there would be a lot more of that.
"'Tis not just a battle of machines and footsoldiers." Elpsis tensed when Shikoba suddenly appeared in her midst. No matter how good her hearing, the druidess always managed to do that. "The songs of this place are discordant. Such pain, such suffering."
"Get to the point, Shikoba," Elpsis ordered a bit irritably.
"The dead weep, and rage, but they're trapped. They can't move on ere the great injustice is avenged. Let me go to them, and I shall guide them to their enchainer."
"The graveyard, ma'am," Diona chimed in suddenly. Elpsis sensed heat radiating from her that indicated that her armour was scorched, as well as pain, but the Tephriki's aura was firm and resolute. "I sense darkness, too. I suggest letting her do a thing. You know how potent her...connection to the dead is."
Elpsis wondered when exactly the former Jedi and the druidess had started to bond, but nodded curtly after some brief thought. "Do it. Need backup?"
"I volunteer," Diona said immediately, and firmly. Elpsis was a bit taken aback by it.
Shikoba's lips curled into a smile. "I thank you! If any spirit best you, I shall aid you!"
"Alright, get to it. Come on, people. We're digging in here," Elpsis declared. "Our job's to hold and cut off the command centre till our backup arrives, and we're going to get it done, got it?" That backup better get a sodding move on, she thought grimly.
So it had come to this.
Win or lose, the die had been cast.
Elpsis felt fine.
A line had to be drawn. Between greed and duty, between sloth and resolution. Siobhan was gone and might as well be dead by now, Tegaea was a hedonistic parasite utterly undeserving of respect. Now it was her time. Their sins were hers to atone for. Farewell to foul compromises that made her feel soiled and craven. Now let war be their judge.
Beneath them lay Fort Kerrigan, the stronghold of the corrupt. Outside a storm raged. Mistral hatred groaned woefully. Heavy snowflalls blanketed the sky, robbing machinery and people alike of sight, and ravaged the surface. Menace and danger abounded, as the storm raged with hateful intensity.
The wild, unbridled violence of nature was so callous and indifferent. Its fury fogged sensors and the Force itself, dazing the mind with its display of how just how insignificant sentient life was in the grand scheme of things. As if making a mockery of the 'order and stability' Firemane had claimed to impose on Tygara. It matched the firestorm raging inside her heart. A cleansing wildfire that yearned to be unleashed.
A wildfire you are, but a much needed one. To wash away the vile and decadent, and promote new growth by burning away the old.
Her freighter shuddered violently as it flew through the punishing blizzard, causing her to stumble and forcing her grip the wall and anchor herself to the ground with her metal foot.
"Goddess protect me," Hazani muttered from the co-pilot's chair as the storm buffeted the cockpit.
"I'd prefer if your Goddess could give us better than zero visibility," Tahoka, seated in the pilot's chair, replied tersely.
"Machines can deceive you, as can your eyes. The Goddess will grant you sight if you have the will to see," Hazani said sternly.
"Doesn't help me now, does it?"
"Altitude?" the Qadiri warrior demanded.
"Fifteen hundred and descending. Speed three-fifty."
"We'll be entering scanner range soon, so keep us steady and descending, reduce speed to three hundred. Watch out for the mountains behind the base."
"Understood." The communicator crackled into life.
"Incoming vessel, this is Fortress Command, we have you on our scopes. This is a restricted zone, please transmit clearance code and reason for approach."
"Here's where the fun starts," Elpsis said sardonically, nodding to Hazani. "Send the code and pass me the microphone."
"Fortress Command, this is the Wildfire. Transmitting code now. Our engine is damaged, and we must land immediately."
A moment later Fortress Command hailed them again. "Wildfire, your code is no longer valid. This is restricted air space. Turn away immediately."
Elpsis took the microphone in hand. "Fortress Command...Lady Elpsis Kerrigan here. Baroness, Heir of the Destroyer, Heir of the Mirza of Suqua." There, happy now, Sio? I'm taking my place as your heir, just as you wanted. Would her mother approve of what she was doing? She refused to think about it. Fuck her legacy. All that was left was to burn down the corporate empire her mothers had built. From the ashes of their world, she'd build a better one. "I'll cut to the chase. You've seen the blizzard. We need to land right now."
"Clearance denied, your code is out of..."
"Listen, in the next couple minutes one of two thing's going to happen: we crash, I don't make it and you have to explain to the brass that the daughter of the woman they owe everything to died because you had to be a mindless pen-pusher. Or we crash, I don't die...and then you have to deal with me. Think your regs are going to protect you from me? Make your choice...fast."
Circling the control the tower, the ship jerked with a violent shudder. Winds sought to seize it and pull it hither and zither. Red warning lights flared angrily. Elpsis grit her teeth. There was a long, drawn-out moment of static until finally the voice on the other end responded.
"Acknowledged, Lady Kerrigan, proceed to Bay 9, transmitting coordinates. Do not leave the landing area without authorisation or you will be considered hostile. An escort will meet you to process your arrival."
"Got it, Kerrigan out," Elpsis said tersely and cut the connection. Then the ship shuddered so badly that she was knocked back and thrown to the floor.
Hazani tried force the yoke forward. Tahoka grabbed the pilot's yoke and pushed forward, adding her strength to the Qadiri fire knight's. The turbulences intensified while the vessel shot through the air, seeking to defy the forces that lusted for its annihilation. Elpsis could feel her stomach lurch in her throat.
"We're losing altitude too fast! The ship's not slowing down," Tahoka shouted.
"Just get us down without killing us," Elpsis growled. Her jaw was set. Try as she might, she was no pilot. Success or failure was not in her hands. There is no doubt, there is only duty.
"If it were that easy, ma'am. I can't see squat, and our sensors are useless."
"Just do it, soldier."
"Entering emergency mode, rerouting power to the shields. This is going to be rough." Beads of sweat dripped down the young Togruta's lekku.
"Anything else you can do?"
Tahoka took a breath, looking at Elpsis. "The emergency retro thrusters. Switching them on should slow our descent a bit...may be enough. But it's going to burn us out."
"Doesn't matter. We win or we die," Kerrigan's Heir said grimly.
"Indeed," Hazani spoke, resolution written over her features. "Give me the pilot controls." Tahoka looked puzzled for a moment, then passed over control without protest.
Taking a deep breath Hazani took the pilot's yoke firmly in hand. Her dark hair was sweaty and tousled. "Praise the eternal fire, for it drives away the darkness. Praise the eternal fire, for it gives warmth and light to the needy. Hazani recited, voice starting quiet but growing more resolute with every word.
The freighter fell towards the snow-covered surface like a stone. A jolt caused a wild clockwise spin. A wave of nausea washed over Elpsis and she fought to remain upright. Tahoka muttered a Togruta curse. Her headtails spun about the back of her head. They were getting lower, and lower, and the engines howled in protest. The snow-covered surface beckoned with terrible inevitability.
Elpsis could not see Hazani closing her eyes, but she could perceive the knight's aura. It resembled a sword wreathed in crackling flames. Turning her gaze beyond the cockpit, she stared vaguely in the direction of the rest of the crew. Diona was quiet and firm, like a rock. She sat on the floor, meditating. In the Force,
Lalax was seated, and nervously muttering her prayer. Anxiety emanated from her, but her voice was melodic. "Spirits, hear and protect your loyal servants, great Karishzar bring us to safety so we might carry out your plan."
Through the Force, she felt Karou's concern, but also her calm resolution. The Daughter was right spear, burning with an inner light, a just fire. Elpsis could hear the rhythmic sound of her tapping the wall. Rhea was off in the corner, quietly muttering a mantra over and over again to herself. Her aura reminded Elpsis of a caged Cylix, begging to escape its confinement to it could unleash claws and teeth.
"Hey, you switched off the scanner," Tahoka pointed out.
"It's distracting," Hazani stated. "Praise the eternal fire, for it is divine. Praise Azali, sister of the Goddess." As the Qadiri chanted, she pulled on the yoke with all her strength, the Force surging through her body like wildfire. Without a word of protest, Tahoka added her strength to hers, straining every muscle.
With a sharp jolt, the Wildfire changed course, and shot through and around one of the mountain peaks, narrowly avoiding being crushed. The Qadiri was buying time. Tahoka kicked the retro thrusters into gear, directing all available power towards them. The engines burnt, but the freighter's wild downward tumble slowed.
The Qadiri fire knight took a breath, hands clammy and sweaty. "Alright, taking us down...as gently as I can. Brace yourselves," she said, slamming the brakes and thrust reversers while the freighter dove towards Fort Kerrigan.
The landing was rough. A loud crunch could be heard as the freighter made contact with the surface, skidding through the bay doors. White sparks came out as the freighter screeched to a halt. Hazani let out the breath she'd been holding. "You wish to be a knight," she glanced at Tahoka. "That is what it means to be one - to face adversity, trust in your Zari and not flinch." The left side of the ship was tilted up. Elpsis rubbed her temples, feeling a headache. "Everyone alright?" she called out.
Rhea staggered to her feet. "Alive," she paused, shaking her head several times to clear it, "and happy we're on the ground at last. I'm ready to fight."
"Thank the spirits we're on the ground again. I would rather stand in the noon sun than do that again soon," Karou said, a little shaken. Lalax placed a hand on her shoulder. "Focus, sister, we have much perils ahead. Stand with the heir."
"I shall not be found wanting," Karou said reassuringly.
"We've got company," Diona suddenly spoke up. "I sense many presences outside the vessel. We're surrounded."
Elpsis' expression didn't waver. "Good. Hazani, you wanted me to burn my bridges. Now's the big moment," she said sardonically to the fire knight.
"Don't try to pour water on the fire at the last second," the Qadiri retorted, looking unimpressed.
"Never had the brains to run from an inferno. Let's move out, everyone. Lalax...," she came to a halt before the Xioquo priestess, "stay close. When things get...wild, keep your head down and find some cover. Tahoka, keep her safe. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I am no warmistress, but I shan't cower. If our sisters and brothers are to sway with us, they must see me, hear me. We stand together against this new chain," the priestess insisted.
After a moment, Elpsis smiled thinly. "Come on."
Tahoka lowered the ramp, and the motley crew staggered out. But there was no time to regain their bearings. Where she looked, Elpsis perceived the presence of Firemane soldiers. Encased in armour, they had blasters or bolters levelled in the intruders' direction. The auras of the first line were largely hostile or indifferent.
They had to be galaxy troops, the reliable ones. But further behind them she sensed auras that were more ambiguous. Hostile, curious, hopeful, friendly. Xioquo and Qadiri soldiers. A few Kar'zun stood behind them, walking beings of stone that towered over all. The air felt thick and heavy with tension, and was chilling to the bone. "Put your hands where I can see them, make no sudden movements and state your business," a Sergeant's voice barked.
With seeming calm, Elpsis walked down the lamp. She was clad in her battle armour, but wore no helmet, exposing her viciously scarred visage. Inferno remained clipped to her belt. Not that even the best Soresu would be sufficient to block blaster fire that could erupt from the multitude of rifles and repeaters levelled in her direction. Hazani and Lalax were defiant in the face of the heavily armed welcoming committee.
Tahoka fidgeted slightly, hand close to her blade. Diona was like a rock, and Karou stared at the Firemane officers with unabashed loathing. However, her expression softened when she looked at some of the Xioquo. Rhea repeated an old Tephriki mantra, gathering the Force around her.
As Elpsis' milky-white eyes darted across the welcoming committee, for a moment her gaze settled on one Xioquo female soldier. "I'm Elpsis Kerrigan," the Kerrigan heir spoke. Ever since being tortured on Tephrike, Elpsis could not raise her voice much without burning her throat. So she drew upon the Force to amplify it artificially. "You know my mother. Some call her the Karishzar. Have you brought your boss?"
"You don't get to make demands, girl. I'm Colonel Tolerance," a middle aged Dahomian human female proclaimed imperiously, scowling at the arrogant intruder. She wore an immaculate Firemane officer's uniform, with a long coat that billowed behind her. A medal hung from her neck. Standing ramrod straight, she projected an aura of pride and military officialdom.
"And you've trespassed on my base. If you think you can use your family connections as your shield, you're dead wrong. You'll surrender your weapons, come with us and stay put under supervision until we can send you on your way."
"You really tolerate a lot, don't you? Slavery, pollution, corruption. Just grease the gears with some native blood, right? Ordered any drone strikes on weddings lately? Shot starving workers?"
The Colonel's eyes narrowed. "Mind your tone, girl. I can easily have you thrown into a cell for sedition," she snapped contemptuously.
"Didn't you fight slavery once? Figure it's fine when you're the one holding the leash. I'm going to take over this base, then fight my way to the Arx and burn the board alive."
Immediately, Firemane troopers raised their rifles. Three Order of Fire soldiers drew their weapons, and their purple lightsabres blazed to life. But there were more than a few murmurs among the native troops. "You're a madwoman. You can come quietly...or even your family name won't save you. Captain Kelethar, take them into custody now, and search the ship," the Colonel commanded.
Lalax had been standing quietly, but now raised her voice. "Brothers, sisters, be they Xio, Qadiri, Eldorai or Vash, hear me! We come to bring justice to you and to all our peoples. We were freed from one collar, only to be fitted with another one. Lighter, less visible, but a chain nonetheless. Have these people from across the stars made your life better? Do you feel appreciated, or are you just used and discarded?" There was murmuring in the ranks.
"Quiet!" the Colonel shouted. "You will shut your mouth, woman, or it will go poorly for you."
"How poorly, Colonel? Will you do as my old Mistress was wont to do and stake us in the sun to teach the uppity slaves a lesson?"
"They already do!" a voice from the garrison called.
The Colonel spun around. "Sergeant, find who said that, and get their number."
"Your benevolent new Mistress, siblings," Lalax said.
"Enough! Captain, seize them, we'll deal with these troublemakers in the brig."
But Elpsis wasn't paying attention to her. Her eyes were on the soldiers. "We've bled for the corp, they betrayed us. Sisters, brothers, who's with me?"
Suddenly there was a loud, shattering boom. The blast wave of the explosion blew a hole through the walls, plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. Some soldiers were knocked to their feet by the passage of the shockwave. Through the smoke, Zaldrani warriors and the Daughters poured in. "Fire! Fire!" the order rang out among the Firemane soldiers. And a salvoe of scarlet blaster fire erupted, streaking straight towards the intruders.
Yet even as a wall of blaster fire surged towards her, Elpsis remained passive. Inferno remained clipped to her belt. She just stood there. The cracks inside her face glowed, as if she was burning from the inside out.
Two days ago...
"Good luck with getting in," Natalie commented, taking a drag from her cigarette. "Guess you could hitch a ride on a Firemane cargo boat if the Daughters have someone who can let you in."
"We can," Xalda said, glancing towards Kalou, who nodded. "We have sisters seeded among the garrison. One could be sent to the docks, perhaps. However...," she trailed off.
"Continue."
Xalda looked Elpsis right in the eye. "If the Heir has so little confidence in her plan that she must skulk about, why should they have any?"
Elpsis frowned, then shook her head. "It would make me look weak. If I'm asking them to die for the cause, I must show I'm willing to do the same. I need to look Firemane right in the eye when I call on the Sepoys to join me."
The Essionian shrugged. "Your funeral, Red. Firemane will see your crappy freighter coming way before you see the base, and intercept you."
"There's also the blizzard," Zhaleh spoke up. "Our weathersingers predict it will last for the rest of the week. They are never wrong."
"That's it," Elpsis declared, slamming her fist on the table. Her dead eyes stared vaguely into the general direction of Zhaleh and the Zaldrani representative. "You've got the best cryomancers I know. How bad can you make the blizzard?"
Kavahda Jai Barada was slightly shorter and slighter than average for a Qadiri. She had long dark hair that fell past her shoulders, and wore a heavy robe, though she carried no weapons. When she spoke, she had a deep voice. "So bad their machines will be blind, and it would be madness to fly. Is that what you wish?"
"Yes," Elpsis looked at the group. "They won't see me coming until I'm right above the base...and they can't tell Kerrigan's brat to get lost if she's having engine troubles in a storm. Wouldn't look good if she crashed. So...we land..."
"If you survive," Nyssa stated.
"Yes," Elpsis said, a bit annoyed by the interruption, "all the attention will be on me, while our people move into position," at that she nodded towards the Daughters and the Zaldrani, "and strike."
"We can provide you with some of our Stalkers. They are our best - strong, dedicated. But we cannot muster a large war band. They can screen your approach, and aid your assault, but no more," Kavahda responded.
"The Daughters are at your disposal. We don't fear the tyrants' wroth. We shall repay them tenfold for every cruelty they have inflicted," Xalda declared fervently. "I shall lead our detachment alongside our Zaldrani sisters."
"We have a secret ally amongst the warriors - a hidden sister; Karrigan'Kalou," Lalax declared. "She will use all her efforts to sway them to us so that when we arrive they will flock to our banner!"
"You sure of that?" Natalie asked prudently.
"Kalou is persuasive and prudent. She was trained to fight in the shadows and remain unseen," Xalda said firmly.
"The garrison is like 50% Xio?" Elpsis asked.
"60," Karou corrected,"and 30% Qadiri."
"We're going to need all the allies we can get to pull this off."
"Kalou knows," Xalda insisted, glancing to Kavahda. "Some of my sisters would join your summoning if you would have us. We too command the air and the ice. Differently from you, but we can aid you nonetheless."
The Zaldrani priestess seemed to consider this carefully. "I accept, if they follow our direction. I would like to meet these adepts first so that we are familiar with each other." Xalda nodded her assent, and the priestess looked at her nice. "Zhaleh will lead our warband for the assault."
Zhaleh looked like a deer caught in the headlight. "Auntie...honoured priestess, there are many more experienced warriors and priestesses than me."
"Aye, but how many have your familiarity with the weapons and strategems of the sky people? Or your experience working with outsiders?" her aunt asked rhetorically. "We're not throwing you into the cold water. You will have an experienced Stalker to guide you."
"I know you feel, Zhaleh. But you can do it," Elpsis added.
A bit hesitantly, Zhaleh nodded. "I swear, by my ancestors and the Snow Mother, that I won't bring shame or dishonour upon you."
"Before you ask, I'm not going to fly," Natalie said firmly, lighting a cigarette. "I'll see what I can do about messing with Firemane's communications, but find someone to fly through a blizzard."
"I shall accompany you, Elpsis," Hazani suddenly spoke.
Elpsis raised an eyebrow. "Thought the Sistren wanted to stay put 'til I've burnt my bridges?"
"They are, but I haven't rejoined the sisterhood yet. So I shall stand at your side...and make sure you do it properly. Mother would not have flinched from danger, nor shall I."
Elpsis smiled thinly. "Then we'll win or die together." She looked at the Daughters' delegation. "Are your people ready?"
Karou nodded. "Our sisters are angry. The base commander's a hateful racist. She makes Xioquo suffer under the burning sky. Says we're lazy and skulking in the dark. Just like a mistress."
Elpsis' eyes narrowed. "Isn't she Dahomian? They were slaves."
The Xioquo warrior shrugged. "We've seen this with mamluks who were promoted, and thought themselves better than the slaves dying in the blood forges. They were often the cruellest. She's tried to court the Qadiri as 'sisters of the sun', but Kalou says many dislike her."
"Arrogant fool," Hazani commented disdainfully. "At least the Xio are of this world."
"Will they rise?" Nyssa threw in, muscular arms folded. "That's the question."
Xalda's eyes shot towards her. "A few days ago, Firemane ordered them to fire on protesters in Skrael Floe. Some of our sisters mutinied. Firemane exposed them to the sun, then locked up. We believe they intend to move them into the sky-ocean."
Elpsis' jaw tightened. "Then it's our duty to free them. And failing that, to avenge them."
"And what of the Cataphracts? Shall we not be granted the honour of drawing first blood? Let our clenched fist fall upon our foes like a hammer," Varkasa asked, or rather demanded.
"There's going to be lots of blood for everyone involved," Elpsis said. "The initial attack requires stealth, but," she furrowed her brow, then her lips curled into a smile. "I've got the perfect task for you..Something explosive."
Perhaps realising what Elpsis meant, Nyssa stepped forward. "Been spoiling for a real fight. Send me with them."
"Me as well," Kar'zakush added in a voice like the pounding of hammers.
There was a bright glow around Elpsis' armour, and the blaster bolts hit a shimmering barrier. Elpsis winced, feeling a searing burn. The energy shield had absorbed the initial salvoe. But it could not take more.
"Sisters, brothers, my mother promised you a world without chains. Without you, Firemane would be nothing. Firemane's stolen your freedom. I've come to break all chains. Will you help me? Or will you burn with your mistresses? We can take your world back, we can burn them all."
Inferno leapt into her mechanical hand, and its burning yellow blade sprang to life. "I'm ready to die for Tygara...are you?" Blaster fire burst towards her once again, but many of the Tygaran Sepoys were holding fire.
Then there was a shout. "Phoenix!" And suddenly a shot rang out. One of the Order of Fire soldiers slumped, brain matter and blood splattered across the ground. His lightsabre hit the ground and deactivated itself. A scarred Xioquo male in Firemane armour held the smoking Cylix bolt pistol.
And then chaos erupted. With a war cry, Xioquo soldiers began firing on their erstwhile comrades. On average, the Tygaran Sepoys were less well-armed and armoured than the soldiers from across the stars. A human or Twi'lek would be issued modern kit, a Xioquo might have to make do with what amounted to upgraded stormtrooper armour and an improved E-11 blaster rifle. But the Sepoys were more numerous, they had the advantage of surprise...and they were full of rage. And so they fought with a fury so potent that Elpsis felt it as strongly as her own. One was fuel for the other. The Sepoys shot, stabbed their foes with daggers and bayonets or beat them to death.
Colonel Tolerance, having suddenly found herself terribly exposed, retreated while the line of soldiers descended into chaos, and one of the Kar'zun smashed the skull of a Firemane officer with a warhammer. "The Sepoys have been compromised!" she yelled into her comm. "Confine them to the barracks, lock down the base, and radio command for reinforcements!"
All around the hangar, mayhem raged. Elpsis advanced. She wasn't particularly quick or agile...but inexorable. Unerring intent guided Inferno, and searing flame burst from her hand. Hazani was not far, chanting a hymn to Azali while her enchanted blade, wreathed in flame, hewed down Firemane soldiers left and right. Elpsis felt Rhea's fury as the Rattaki leapt into the fray. She was quick as lightning, and lightning burst from her hand. And Elpsis felt Diona's cold stoicism. The former Jedi was implacable, the rock to Rhea's lightning. In her grasp, the Force paralysed Firemane soldiers and dulled their movements, and yanked weapons out of their hands. Both moved near-seamlessly, and Elpsis felt a moment of pride.
She sensed Zhaleh and Xalda among the detachment that had penetrated the wall, fighting their way through the ranks of Firemane loyalists who had suddenly been thrown into momentary disarray with blade, ice and spikes of shrapnel driven through the throats of enemy troopers. Dashing to cover amidst a barrage of blaster bolts, Karou had joined up with some of the rebel soldiers, shouting orders and raining a salvoe of bolter fire upon the enemy.
Amidst the gunfire and roar of explosions, Elpsis had lost track of Tahoka and Lalax. For a moment, concern sparked inside her, before suddenly the freighter's turret swung around and tore into Firemane soldiers with a hailstorm of laser fire. Held in a firm two-handed grip, Inferno delivered death, cleaving through skulls and limbs. Blaster bolts that managed to get past her defences sizzled Elpsis' shoulder. She grit her teeth, and her jaw tightened when she sensed the Colonel retreating, covered by the two Order of Fire adepts. Quickly, she ran in pursuit. Turning, the Colonel levelled her gun at her, and on instinct Elpsis' sabre flashed to block.
However, the Dahomian had not fired a blaster pistol, but a shattergun revolver. Propelled at hypervelocity, too fast to block let alone hear before the impact, the projectile slammed into Elpsis' metal hand. There was enough force behind the impact for Inferno to fall out of Elpsis' grasp. A robotic finger felt paralysed. The bullet ricochetted and there was a stab of pain when a piece of heated metal sliced open her cheek. Tolerance hastened towards a side-door, covered by Firemane soldiers putting the rebels under fire. Several rebels fell to the onslaught or were forced to seek cover and suppress the mercenaries. Meanwhile, the two Order of Fire guardians closed in on Elpsis, purple lightsabres blazing.
Searing heat surged through Elpsis, and she released it outward in a blast of burning, blinding light. Not Force Light, of course, but horribly bright and dangerous to sight. One of the guardians howled in pain when the blast struck his eyes, and she used to brief reprieve to ram his chin with her mechanical elbow, and stomp on him with her cybernetic foot. There was a loud, sickening crunch that heralded the breaking of bones, and his leg caught fire.
In the throes of pain, the guardian fell, but managed to get off a blast of elemental lightning. Elpsis raised her arm to shield herself, absorbing much but not all of the torrent that washed over her. Gritting her teeth, she crushed his throat. As she called Inferno back to her, the other guardian struck, launching a furious slash with her lightsabre. Too slow to intercept, Elpsis experienced a surge of searing pain when the plasma blade reflected off her armoured organic leg, burning the flesh near the joint. Not deep enough to cut, but it caused her to stagger, and fall back.
Swiftly, the surviving guardian moved to attack anew, but a presence in the Force akin to a shifting bar of metal, burning and flowing, leapt forward. A blade shrouded from sight and only somewhat perceivable to Elpsis due to her Force Sight, parried the lightsabre, pushing it down. Grimly, Xalda thrust a poisoned dagger she wielded in her off-hand into the guardian's armpit. Deep enough for blood to seep out. A crippling blow.
Wasting no time, Elpsis called Inferno into her grasp and clove through their foe's skull. Her dead white eyes met Xalda's scarlet ones and she gave her battle sister a brief nod. But there was no time for pleasantries. The whine of blasters and the smell of ozone filled the air, accompanied by the roar of bolter fire. Letting the pain in her leg fuel her, Elpsis dashed forward. But as she hastened after, the Colonel slammed the side door shut, and her rear guard directed their bolter fire towards Elpsis.
Bolters, as Elpsis well knew, were designed as a weapon against Force-Users. Which was awkward when they were used against you. Blocking their explosive bolts was not possible, trying to deflect them just resulted in them blowing up in your face. She threw herself into the cover, wincing as she felt the white-hot sting of shrapnel. Gritting her teeth, she pulled at the web of the Force to raise some large metal plating to use as an improvised shield. Strain was written across her features, and beads of sweat dripped down her forehead, but she persevered unrelentingly.
She sensed Xalda's aura not far from her, standing behind a pillar, seemingly rigid and motionless. Staring intently at something while chanting in Xio. "Xalda...get your arse in..." Elpsis shouted, but then her senses directed her to a Firemane mercenary levelling her bolter at her. The soldier squeezed the trigger, and the weapon clicked. No shot left it. Then there was a crack of a gunshot, and the soldier fell. She looked towards Xalda, understanding at last.
But explosive bolts smashed into her barrier. Initially it held, but more and more pieces of it were ripped apart. Pain spiked inside Elpsis, and she pushed herself to raise a barrier to keep the shards of shrapnel that rained down upon them at bay. However, it had bought time. The Wildfire might no longer be useful for flight, but its guns still worked, and Tahoka levelled them towards the soldiers, scything them down. As a soldier in cover retrieved a grenade and pulled the pin, Zhaleh fired her rifle. The anti-armour slug connected with his head, and the grenade fell to the floor, exploding with blast and heat that ripped not only the Firemane soldier apart, but one of her comrades. Rhea leapt through the smoke, enchanted blade gleaming, while Diona advanced from the front as implacable as a wall.
Amidst the chaos, Elpsis charged, her aura blazing. The pain in her leg was fuel. Fuel for her flames. Her fire was conjoined with that of Hazani, but the way each manifested was very different. Elpsis was the inferno, a curtain of flame sweeping aside those who stood in her way. If they were not cooked, they were hurled through the room. Hazani manifested a more concentrated, directed ray that she hurled like a spear to cook singular targets, and she almost never missed. Whereas Elpsis was slow, and implacable, lightsabre wielded like a broadsword to pass fiery judgement, Hazani was fast like a dervish, using her Zari to dash forward and land a strike with her blade or her fire lance.
But though the hangar was cleared, there was no sign of Tolerance. Hastening to the side door, Elpsis could still sense her presence, but it was distant. Jaw set, she was about to unleash Inferno to cut her way through the blast door, when she sensed multiple presences gathered outside, lying in wait. One of the benefits of Force Sight was that walls were no obstacles. Elpsis took a moment to consider her options, something that didn't come natural to her.
Out of the corner of her sight, she caught notice of Tahoka rushing out of the broken ship to join them. Perceiving the aura of the Sepoy who'd fired the first shot, Elpsis called ou to him. "You...you shot the corpo scum first!"
"Did my part...Heir. Zarrol'Narsh, Sergeant." If the male Xio NCO was nervous, he showed no sign of it, saluting with his clenched fist over his heart. He had a long scar beneath his left eye. "What is your command?" His Basic had a thick accent, but it was miles better than her Xio.
She pointed a metallic finger at the door, and lowered her voice. "There's more of the scum waiting for us outside. I need you to get your people organised, and ambush them," she said, scrutinising him. His aura was strong and resolute, like a rock. But there were streaks of fire there. Someone dependable. Besides, the Sepoys would appreciate some payback.
"Got it. Lot of cover outside, works both ways," was all he said. "Meet you on the other side."
"Karou, Rhea, go with them, follow their lead," Elpsis instructed the fellow Daughter, who had exchanged her bolter for a morningstar earlier and used it to cave in the skulls and break the ribs of mercenaries, and the Rattataki warrior from Tephrike. The scarred veteran saluted in the same manner as Sergeant, and fell in with him. Narsh had near seamlessly gotten a mixed group of Xio and a few Qadiri organised through hand signals and making commands in Xio. The pale, bald Tephrik gave Elpsis a curt nod, a grim smile on her face.
"Rest of you, with me." Elpsis waited while the Sepoys filed out of the main door. They advanced quietly, crouching and moving around and using the crates for cover. Through the Force, she felt lives being extinguished, and then she heard the sound of gunfire as battle commenced. She gave the signal. "Go, go!"
By the time she was out, the Firemane mercenaries were engaged in heated combat. The soldiers had positioned themselves parallel with the hangar wall. Crouched behind crates, they had lain in wait, high-powered blasters and bolters levelled at the side door. The first of the would-be ambushers had been quietly taken out with daggers and garrottes, then the alert was sounded and both groups clashed. The Sepoys fell upon the minions of their tormentors with a fury that called to the wildfire surging through Sepoys.
It was matched by the Daughters and the Zaldrani warriors. Out here the Zaldrani were in their element. Inured to the bitter cold, they sniped their foes, blasted them with ice or willed snow to wrap around their guns. Up close, the Daughters fought with vibroblades and spears, each coated in a dangerous venom. A few of them were Force-Users, calling upon ice, earth and fire. And Elpsis burnt, shredded and beat foes to death. Cornered from both sides, the mercenaries could not last for long. Those who didn't die retreated.
Finally it was over. Quickly the rebel Sepoys began to grab the dead Firemane soldiers' weapons and ammunition. But there were casualties on her side. Elpsis looked dejected when she came across a Xioquo soldier who had been shredded by bolter fire. The sight made her wince. She had led them here, their deaths were on her.
Not far from the Xioquo lay a wounded Zaldrani, with fragments from a bolter shell lodged in her abdomen and legs. She was trying in vain to stop the blood loss with her hand. Elpsis couldn't see the wounds, but sense the pain, and the distress. She saw the life force leaking out, and shuddered, sadness and desperation overcoming her.
"Hang in there, I'm going to help you!" she declared, bending down. Retracting her gauntlet, she placed her flesh hand on the warrior's abdomen, and closed her eyes. Immediately, she felt a spark of pain surge through her, but she didn't stop channelling. "Elpsis, there's no time!" Hazani called out.
"But she'll die if we don't get her help!"
"How many will die because you have drained yourself? Think, Elpsis. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. You started this rebellion, do not let it finish here."
"I don't want to just throw aside people for the 'greater good'. That bullshit always pisses me off."
"This is war. Thousands will die because of the spark you have lit, millions maybe. If you can't handle that you should have just left."
White-hot fury rose inside Elpsis. She was was about to snap at Hazani but the wounded woman took her hand. "It's alright, ma'am. You've got duties. Go to them. I'll get a healer soon, we'll talk later."
With a sigh, Elpsis nodded, squeezing the Zaldrani warrior's hand. "Later," she promised...though she knew it was a lie. Her flesh hand was coated in blood.
But then she was flooded by a wave of sorrow."But...we can't just leave her! Avana, stay with me!" Zhaleh shouted, distraught and desperate.
"Stop, Zhaleh...just...stop. It's alright. Go with your chief. We'll meet again one day, you and I. If not tonight than in many years we will feast beneath the cold sky in the Snow Mother's hall. Be brave, Zhaleh...it's alright. Go...."
"Zhaleh," Elpsis began, "we have a mission to complete. We must see it through...for all Tygara." The words were as much for Zhaleh's benefit as her own. Think of the mission, the mission.
A tear ran down Zhaleh's face. "For all Tygara," she repeated. "Take her to the hangar, get a healer!"
Xalda had come to a halt before the dead Xioquo. Elpsis could not see her face, but she felt her sorrow, and her anger. "Go in peace to the Earth Mother, brother." She bowed before the dead soldier. Hands clasped and held close to to the face.
"Sisters! Brothers!" Lalax called out. In her hands, she held a black banner with a burning phoenix and a red star emblazoned upon it. "The moment of war is upon us! Grieve for our losses once victory is claimed. For now, do not forget them, let their memory inspire you, let the strength of memory enter you like fire! When we are done, let the grief return...and we will sing the songs of remembrance. For now...we march under the banner of justice, the banner of the phoenix!" Hearing her words, the soldiers took heed, and resolution filled their spirits.
The many structures of Fort Kerrigan loomed ahead of them, and alarm sirens howled. "We must make haste, ma'am" Diona insisted, voice firm and unyielding. "Every moment we dally, the Colonel can rally her forces. We must cut off the head of the snake."
"I know the NCOs," Narsh spoke up. "Many of our people, the golems and the desert kin will rally if we get to them first."
"Organise a squad to take the barracks, and rally anyone you can, Sergeant," Elpsis ordered. Her breath frosted around her in the cool air. Snow fell upon her flaming red hair.
"You want the sky people's officers dealt with now?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Kill any who get in the way. Confine the rest, take their weapons, and comms. We'll decide their fate later. Know anyone reliable who can seize the armoury and the brig?"
Narsh didn't hesitate, and called out two to fellow Sergeants among the Sepoys. "Zarrol'Grazen, Karrigan'Karrok!" At that a male and female Xio stepped forward, saluting fist over heart. "Trust them with my life. Once we have rallied our comrades, we can lock down the base. But beware, the command centre's well fortified. You can't take it with just light infantry," Narsh pointed out.
"We have a plan to deal with it. Reinforcements are on the way," Elpsis assured him. She found she appreciated the Xioquo's directness.
"Got it," the Sergeant turned his attention to his comrades. "Listen up, people, we're going t' take this base and drive the oppressors out with their tails betwixt their legs. We march under the Phoenix!" Elpsis left Narsh to get the Sepoys organised, instructing the other officers to lend what help he needed. The place stank of death...and she knew there would be a lot more of that.
"'Tis not just a battle of machines and footsoldiers." Elpsis tensed when Shikoba suddenly appeared in her midst. No matter how good her hearing, the druidess always managed to do that. "The songs of this place are discordant. Such pain, such suffering."
"Get to the point, Shikoba," Elpsis ordered a bit irritably.
"The dead weep, and rage, but they're trapped. They can't move on ere the great injustice is avenged. Let me go to them, and I shall guide them to their enchainer."
"The graveyard, ma'am," Diona chimed in suddenly. Elpsis sensed heat radiating from her that indicated that her armour was scorched, as well as pain, but the Tephriki's aura was firm and resolute. "I sense darkness, too. I suggest letting her do a thing. You know how potent her...connection to the dead is."
Elpsis wondered when exactly the former Jedi and the druidess had started to bond, but nodded curtly after some brief thought. "Do it. Need backup?"
"I volunteer," Diona said immediately, and firmly. Elpsis was a bit taken aback by it.
Shikoba's lips curled into a smile. "I thank you! If any spirit best you, I shall aid you!"
"Alright, get to it. Come on, people. We're digging in here," Elpsis declared. "Our job's to hold and cut off the command centre till our backup arrives, and we're going to get it done, got it?" That backup better get a sodding move on, she thought grimly.
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