Recruitment Campaign (Siobhan)

[Valiens Nantaris]

From on high Tegaea could see that Siobhan was doing what she did best; blowing up things and getting everyone's attention! She was the anvil, now it was time to bring in the hammer and crush the 'general's' forces.

Siobhan had struck from the west, now Tegaea's forces struck from the east. The bombers passed over again, dropping EMP and explosive rounds on the areas of the city not already in flames or under attack. The fighters strafed the road out of the city as well, lighting up any vehicles which tried to get in or out.

The gunships came under fire and Tegaea had to hang on tight as they jinked and dodged enemy attacks, all the time returning fire with blaster and missiles. In a co-ordinated pattern the gunships and transports came into land, the Omega forces driving into the city. Tegaea did not jump into the fray yet herself. Rather, with a pair of gunships she circled the city from above, identifying the flow of the battle and directing fire.

"Siobhan, watch your flank near that fountain. I see multiple hostiles. Hold on, we are engaging." Tegaea's gunship redeployed and opened a volley of missiles into the square to break up an enemy formation.

A few moments later, with the trap closing, the Spaceport seemed to be the headquarters of the enemy resistance. From there a stiff resistance was being put up by the General's deserters. These men had better weapons and equipment and were resisting far more ferociously.

"Siobhan, watch the Spaceport. Seems that's where most of the enemy have gone to. I want you to come in from the south and west, I'll come in from the north and east."
Heavy, accurate fire from the Spaceport forced Tegaea to land, and she proceeded on foot to reunite with her forces for the final push.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

"Sure. To the port," Siobhan passed on the order to one of the other merc teams with her through her comm link. They would move from the south, she was coming in from the west. They had made reasonably good progress, but then they had been facing hastily organised and poorly motivated conscripts. Judging by how glazed a great many of them, especially the suicide bombers, looked, Siobhan assumed they'd been given drugs to motivate them. While that made them more docile, it did not exactly contribute to tactically smart decisions.

Corpses lined their pathway. Political commissars had shot deserters and the Omega forces had not taken prisoners. In the heat of battle, such occurences were common. Explosions and blaster fire peppered the otherwise silence of the city under siege, most civilians had found refuge in the safety of their homes, though a large number lay dead on the roads, shot in the crossfire. Siobhan passed the body of a little girl whose legs had been blown off and face mutilated by heavy repeater fire, an innocent casualty among many.

But now that they got closer to the port they faced the general's personal force. He had been canny enough to post his most reliable troops there, no doubt with the thought in mind that the natives might one day rise up and he'd be required to make a quick getaway. From Siobhan's perspective, this had the advantage that they could kill a great many of them in one strike. The trick was getting there.

As soon as they came within its vicinity they came under light mortar fire, along with that from snipers on the roof-tops. Several mercenaries got taken down, bodies and weapons were thrown up into the air by the explosions. A grenade landed right next to Siobhan and with lightning reflexes she picked up the deadly ball and threw it back at the window from whence it had come. It tore through it with blast and heat and she could hear the satisfying screams of wounded soldiers, but then the mortar fire intensified.

Siobhan ran as the shells landed, the shockwave of an explosion propelled her through the air, though she threw up a force shield, and made her land head-fist into a ditch, knocked out for a moment. Soldiers stormed towards her, she pulled out her pistol and fired, taking two down right away in a torrent of rounds, but then was forced down by their intense blaster fire. One soldier was gunned down by one of the mercenaries, his head blown off. She pulled a dagger from her boot and threw it at a heavily armoured trooper, but the weapon just bounced off his armour and he caught it in mid-flight, throwing it back at her. Siobhan was not quick enough to dodge and it painfully embedded itself in her shoulder. The soldier bolted and slammed his boot into her face, then took aim as she stumbled.

Suddenly blaster fire from the mercenaries came his way and Siobhan used his momentary distraction to kick against his ankle, bringing him down. As she tried to emerge the soldier punched her, then slammed his elbow into her face. As he grabbed his sword he suddenly reached for his throat and started choking, the oxygen failing to reach his lungs. Siobhan stared at him with an intent, concentrated gaze, then finally he keeled over and fell down like a ragdoll. She pulled the blood-stained knife out of her shoulder, letting out a breath.

Recalling her lightsabre Siobhan pressed on, calling on the mercenaries to attack and reach the warehouse where she'd thrown in the grenade earlier. They would get some cover there and be out of the immediate line of fire. A group of mercenaries had taken cover behind some of the trees and armed themselves with missile launchers, firing at the blaster cannon emplacements and blowing them apart. Two mercenaries quickly built up a mortar and started firing. The earth was shaken by tremors from the continuous shelling. Siobhan telekinetically caught some of the snipers firing from the rootfop and sent them tumbling down to a painful, bone-cracking death onto the ground.

Gunships swooped down at break speed, unleashing a hail of missiles and blaster fire at the mortar crews, who scattered un the bombardment. That provided an opening and the mercenaries stormed forward. Soldiers storming out of the warehouse were cut down, passing by the window the mercs lobbed grenades in. Siobhan had by now lost count of how many enemies had fallen to her blade. Her face was more blood than flesh, her uniform blood-soaked. At least running was a lot easier than in robes! Seriously, running around a battlefield with them always made you look like a tosser. Bullets and blaster bolts whizzed past her in the smoke-filled mess as she hacked and slashed her way through enemy troopers. Her movements were fluid, almost automatic, like she was running through a time and tested programme, one that delivered death and destruction. No quarter was given, none as asked for as they shot and hewed their way through.

But then word came in from one of the pilots about anti-air fire coming in from the port. "AA at five o'clock. Under heavy fire. Watch out, hostiles are bringing in armour." Seeking cover behind a gun emplacement, Siobhan reached for her binoculars and could make out two emplaced AA guns putting their gunships, who withdrew for now, under heavy fire, though on the way they fired off one last salvoe against the enemy, pinning advancing troops down.

The fire from them was intense, one gunship was blasted and went down descending, the screams of its crew could clearly be heard. But the structures seemed old, some explosives should do the trick. She gestured to the grizzled merc and two others equipped with heavy weapons, who nodded. She radioed the mortar and the second team, apparently they were linking up with them, judging by the screams and the sound of gunfire she was hearing from the flank. She got an acknowledgement from the mortar crew and they fired, the high-explosive shell smashed into the first tower, creating a small fireball though soldiers rushed to in an attempt to put it out. Some soldiers were caught in the blast and ignited, screaming in agony.

"Armour, up ahead! They're finally bringing out the big toys. About time." Suddenly, she heard the sound of a distinctive rumble on the ground as the assault began. Passing across the corner was a light battle tank armed, slowly turning its laser cannon towards the horde of mercenaries.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"They have a tank..." Tegaea said. It wasn't unexpected after all, but it required a reassessment of tactics. Otherwise, the spaceport was heavily guarded, clearly the bastion of the enemy's best troops.

As the vehicle opened fire the mercenaries scattered from its attack, taking cover behind barricades and ruins. For a moment the insurgents took heart and pushed forward, trying to attack the enemy when they were so distracted. However, small arms fire was able to drive them back quickly.

Tegaea meanwhile had scaled up some roofs, and had gone between the rooftops by use of some jetpacks. While not entirely happy with this mode of transport, she had trusted her instincts and now had a good overwatch of the battle for the spaceport. From this height she could see the tank as it slowly edged forward. She gestured forward one of her men who carried a missile launcher, and he opened fire a volley into the top and rear of the tank. Struck three time it erupted into flames, to the cheers of the mercenaries below.

With this victory won though, Tegaea and her squad became the target of enemy fire and she was forced to pull back.

"Siobhan, get me a fix on the enemy AA. We will launch a strike before the final assault. Watch for more enemy armour, and use your missiles and grenades to destroy them."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan wanted a jetpack as well. It sounded like a cool toy that would undoubtedly be of use to her. But then, she had a habit of wanting things that other people possessed. Maybe it had something to do with not being allowed to go to the fair with the other girls! Or something similarly sad.

Regardless the tank burst into flames upon being struck. The one crew member who jumped out before the third missile caught fire and died an agonising death. With this defeat, the morale of the defenders had been shaken but they still relentlessly fired on. These soldiers did not need political commissars to force them to fight, they had deserted the Republic with their general and knew that even if they surrendered the only fate that awaited them was death.

Siobhan directed the mercenaries with her to lay down a salvoe on the troopers attacking Tegs' squad, driving them back with small arms fire and a few grenades. The former Jedi had mainly focused on deflecting laser bolts with her sabre, often shooting them straight back to the source.

She made out the AA gun with her binoculars, then pressed a button on her wrist-worn comm, sending the rough coordinates. "Patching through its location." It was that one gun, their mortars could blow it to piecess. An armoured personnel carrier rumbled across the street, spewing hundreds of heavy blaster rounds with its blaster cannon and small missile launcher. A good chunk of the ruins behind them were pulverised. A squad of troopers dashed out of the vehicle, storming forward as its gun covered them.

Two mercenaries had already taken aim with their grenade launchers and were about to fire. A squad of insurgents stormed towards their entrechment, using their distraction, salvoes of blaster fire came their way, cutting them down by the scores so that the remainder sought cover in the ruins, creating a sniping duel.

The grenadiers were about to fire when suddenly Siobhan heard rumbling coming from their left flank. Slow, distinctive. She stretched her senses and could make out a mech. It was an older, rather slow model, long phased out by the Republic, but armed with missiles and well-armoured.

Like all of its kind, it had an important structural weakness though. If you were very crazy enough. Unfortunately, Siobhan suffered from a lack of sanity.

Just as she shouted her warning the mech fired its first missiles, drumming out her yelling. The missiles struck their improvised barricades and though the mercenaries were professionals and quickly scattered, seeking cover whilst keeping up the fire against the insurgents storming toward them, quite a few were hit or tossed into the air.

One of the grenadiers, the tough merc, retrieved his launcher and quickly blew apart a group of insurgents storming toward them, then aimed at the mech, firing. The grenade impacted with the machine and visibily got through its armour, but it rumbled on, firing, though it slowed down a bit as it tried to get through the rubble.

The APC put them under bombardment with a hail of laser bolts and missiles, though the latter weren't very precise. An insurgent was actually sitting on its hull and aiming a missile launcher at them, which might not be the smartest move given that it made him a target, though he tried to hide behind his canon.

"Shoot that damn thing and cover me!" Siobhan yelled, breaking cover and zig-zagging through the rubble, sprinting towards the flanks of the mech, which by now had gotten quite close to them. An unlucky mercenary was not fast enough and trampled under its foot, screaming before it crushed his head like a tomato.

As the insurgents tried another assault the merc opened fire on the APC, setting it alight with two missiles, then greeted the mech with a hail of grenades. The vehicle slowed down, its engines had been weakened. Some of the glass shielding the pilot had cracked and now he was greeted with heavy fire, but nonetheless raised his mighty gun. It was shielded behind a load of ruins, making it more difficult for the mercs to target it.

A missile barely missed it when it slowly stepped out, then a grenade landed right before it, shaking the mech when it detonated. One crew member gasped and fell down, knocked out or dead. Then Siobhan emerged from the flanks, racing towards the mech, using the Force to augment her speed.

Under the heavy fire she stumbled, then rolled forward and twirled her sabre, hacking and slashing at its legs. Now she was too close for the guns to fire at her. An insurgent jumped out of cover, shooting at her with his rifle and she winced in pain as he grazed her, but hacked on as if in a frenzy. The mech tried to retreat but then came under fire from the mercs. One of the legs went down, then the other, sparks flying. As the mech stumbled under the combined onslaught Siobhan ran, not eager to be buried underneath it.

Parts of the mech smashed onto her and she fell, coming under blaster fire. She lay there, narrowly dodging the falling mech when she was fired at. Rolling sideways, she could see an insurgent advancing on her, rifle in hand. Her lightsabre had been thrown out of her hands by the impact, her vision was hazy. Suddenly there was a loud explosion and where there had once been an insurgent now there was just a disgusting mass of flesh and burning clothes. The grizzled merc stood over her, pulling her up.

"Anyone ever told you that you're bloody nuts and unnecessarily over-dramatic?" he asked sardonically. One had to admit that he did have a point!

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, I'm awesome at it!" Siobhan quipped, groaning a bit. Their armour on both sides destroyed and their tank in flames, the insurgents were making a fighting retreat to their entrenchment at the spaceport, protecting their few ships. There was a great deal of comms traffic going on between the local commandant and the General. But then, for all the mercenaries knew, the traitorous general might be rallying reinforcements to make a breakthrough. Or to facilitate and cover his own escape.

"I'll go with crazy. Second time I saved your arse, by the way," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I've taken more down!"

"I'm damn certain that APC had more people in it! So don't start fibbing."

First she had wholeheartedly agreed to participate in an imperialist war to seize a planet's gold mines and cobalt, in the process forcing its people under the yoke of corporate wage slavery as opposed to that of warlordist despotism. Now she was in a contest about who could slay more soldiers who were just doing their job. Clearly giving up all her Jedi morals had not been difficult for Siobhan.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Though Siobhan had given up on her Jedi morals, at least that Order had a purpose, however hippie, unlike a certain group of Inquisitors who apparently were their own masters and did whatever they wanted. Regardless.

With the mech destroyed, the insurgents were penned back into the spaceport. Tegaea, now on the ground, decided it was time for one final push. "All units, hold back, the bombers are beginning their run."

Diving through the clouds, the Omega bombers unleashed guided missiles, each aimed for a specific part of the spaceport. One after another they struck, blasting great gaps in the walls of the spaceport and starting raging fires amidst the fuel and ammunition stores of the base.

"All units, begin attack. Siobhan, I am dispatching a heavy squad to you." These squads; five men with heavy armour, carried flamethrowers, grenade launchers and repeating blasters to clear out enemy positions. it was a most dangerous job, but they were also the highest paid of the troops on this expedition.

Tegaea meanwhile led her forces into the rubble, aiming for the central control tower where she figured Amherst would be located. She also hoped to meet up with Siobhan there on the way.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Across the multiverse, there were countless fake, non-religious Inquisitions that refused to perform auto da fes or even hold trials where unbelievers were convinced of the error in their ways. Rather they just behaved like total anarchists or went tomb raiding and consumed ghosts. Many a recruit had been disappointed.

Now that the mech and their armoured support had been destroyed, there seemed little the warlord's forces could into the battle. To be sure, there were still irregulars stationed in the city, but according to comms traffic many of their officers seemed unwilling to sacrifice themselves.

Indeed, soldiers had thrown away their guns and deserted or had turned to looting. Sporadic fighting had broken out in the streets when fighters opposed to the General had come crawling out of their hideouts and engaged the loyalists. As broken windows, sacked houses and dead bodies in the streets showed, oftentimes their retribution amounted to little more than settling private vendettas. A few rebels had been caught by the militia and hung from lampposts, but the rotten edifice was crumbling.

Back at the spaceport, the air strike had let loose an inferno, blazing across the port, warehouses and stores. Fuel and ammunition was set alight, fanning the flames. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," the mercenary said. "It smells like victory."

"Used to know someone who could conjure up fireballs in her hand....scorch hordes of scum," Siobhan said, making a quick gesture to the soldiers from the heavy squad when they arrived. The enemy was in retreat, his escape routes had been cut off. Now it was time to strike the deadly hammer blow and crush him once and for all.

"Really? Sounds like a badass."

"She was," she said quietly, then raised her voice. "Let's go, boys! Showtime." Moving over the barricades the mercenaries charged across the small no man's land. The air strike had ripped walls apart, bringing already damaged buildings down. In principle this also gave Amherst's troops new opportunities to find cover and the mercenaries soon came under fire from entrenched insurgents. However, the destruction of their armoured support and the deaths of many of their comrades, not to mention the lack of reinforcements, had shaken morale.

Moreover, the still raging fires at the ammunition stores had been a severe drain on their munitions. The most fanatical insurgents could and indeed did with fight on by clubbing attackers with their rifles, striking with bayonets, daggers or force pikes. But, as the saying goes, one should never bring a knife to a gun fight. Unless you were magically able to deflect rounds with said knife, in which case it would be practical unless you were swarmed.

The heavy squad took brunt and thus the brunt of the salvoes lf laser fire. Grenade launchers and repeaters roared, an entrenched position of enemy soldiers set alight. A small pillbox went up in a fume of fire and several insurgents nearby were blasted off their detonations. Heavy duty grenades shot up in an upward arc and came tumbling down, penetrating enemy defences and setting soldiers ablaze.

The enemy soldiers fought on with the desperation of men who knew their fate, shifting positions and running while firing and mercenaries fell to their blaster fire. A mercenary carrying a flamethrower got close to a pillbox, covered by his comrades with intense laser fire, and squeezed the trigger, scorching the desperate insurgents. The crew was immolated in seconds before finally a blaster bolt to the head penetrated his visor and took him down. Siobhan led the charge across the barricades and entrenchments. The thick smoke made it difficult to distinguish between friend and foe, she had to avoid the raging fires, but then was in her element when she got close to the enemy and she could slice and dice her way through.

Cheers erupted from the mercenaries when more repeating blasterfire cut down scores of insurgents and some of the hostiles began to fall back, seeking out a more defencible position closer to the tower. Insurgents were still holding it, keeping up a constant salvoe of fire. But as the insurgents broke ranks and made a fighting retreat they literally ran headlong into dozens of mercenaries coming in from the other side. A furious barrage of grenades and laserfire slammed right into them. From the tower the insurgents kept firing, the ground shook under the hail of grenades they brought to bear, but their desperate attempts to help their comrades were futile.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea took a much less active role in proceedings than Siobhan, instead directing and controlling the Omega forces. Seeing that Siobhan had broken through in the centre she ordered additional support brought up. In this vein she ordered some concentrated fire with missiles and det-charges to blast the tower from several angles. When it finally began to collapse she knew the battle was won.

With the central tower down and the Omega forces pushing home the final attack it wasn't long before white flags began to appear, first from the local insurgents, then from Amherst's men.
"Siobhan, they're starting to surrender. Be careful, and don't let them get close for a sudden surprise attack. Bring their leaders to me...."

The city burned, but victory was at hand.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

"With blood oranges?" Siobhan asked innocently. Well, as innocent as the ex-Jedi could sound! The tower being blasted to smithereens broke the morale of the insurgents and several started tossing away their guns and raising white flags, or rather anything they could find that looked white.

The smoke rising out of the wreckage was clearly visiible to the people in the city and opened the floodgates of vengeance. A vengeful mob appeared at the gates of the general's "palace". A few soldiers were still posted there, looking terrified and nervous. Their sergeant frantically tried to radio the general, but no instructions came. Finally one of the afraid soldiers let a shot loose and then everyone started firing. Within a few moments, half a dozen civilians lay dead on the ground, but then one tossed a frag grenade and then they stormed forward, overwhelming the few soldiers by sheer weight of numbers, hacking and beating them to death.

Their badly mutilated bodies were dragged through the streets. One of the unfortunate militiaman was still alive and bludgeoned by civilians that saw him. A few militiamen in the city who'd been lucky enough to escape the onslaught ripped off their insignia and joined in the looting.

Meanwhile, Siobhan was working her way through the ranks of the surrendering soldiers, many of whom were eager to oblige. A few native militiamen were all too eager to attack Armherst's men and had to be restrained.

A native clad in rags tossed his slugger away and threw himself at her feet, holding the head of a traitor. "I...surrender. Please. We have nothing to do with this Tyrant...we just want peace," he said haltingly, speaking in broken Basic.

Siobhan grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him up. "Give up your weapons and join the others..." Suddenly she felt a warning in the Force, saw the glint in his eye that soon vanished and dimly heard a counter ticking down. Immediately she thrust out her hand into his chest, force pushing him straight into the burning wreckage of the tower. As the surprised soldier was slammed into it, the timer of the grenade in his hand reached zero and it exploded messily, blowing apart his hand and most of his face along with spreading his guts over the rubble before the flames incinerated him.

"Crazy suicidals piss me off," Siobhan muttered, then raised her voice so that the survivors from Armherst's army could hear her. "Anyone of you try anything funny, you'll meet the same fate. Be smart, don't do anything stupid and lay down your guns if you wanna live! Battle's lost. Nothing more to die for." She turned to one of the mercs. "Gather the prisoners and filter 'em. You got the images of their bosses."

She heard a groan from under a pile of rubble and hastened towards it. A lone, beard and to her rather mad looking figure dressed in a dirty, dust-covered uniform bedecked with medals was trying to crawl out. "Look who's here! We got the Glorious Leader. Guess that glory got cut a bit short." One of the mercenaries grabbed Armherst, who swung a punch at him with a feral growl, his visage contorted into an expression of hatred, but the mercenary easily parried it and grabbed his arm, twisting it at an unnatural, bone-snapping crack.

Siobhan sauntered over, smirking. "Good work. General Armherst, I presume!" she said dramatically. "Or is it Supreme Leader of random backwater planet? Or Eternal Emperor? So many petty potentates out there, so many titles, it's hard to keep track."

"You fool," the general snarled. "Degenerate mercenaries, dogs of a corrupted Republic. Without my guidance, these people will wallow in ignorance and be helpless against Republican exploitation and corporate wage slavery. This was a beautiful virgin world, in a few decades I could've developed it, free from foreign interference. Now look at what you've done. If only the natives had shown greater vigour...now only slavery awaits them. Enjoy your ill-be-gotten spoils while you can. Today the people might cheer you, tomorrow they'll curse you when they labour in gold mines for foreign profit and my name will be remembered..."

Siobhan gave him a hard smack across his scarred face. "Yeah, yeah, as a totally irrelevant one."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea finally came face-to-face with General Amherst. After Siobhan's impressive diss, the General was looking even more surly.

"Excellent work, Siobhan. The General here is going to go to his fate with the Republic, and this planet will be freed from the rebels that have bothered it so badly. Let's get the General into lock down, and you get everything sorted out here. I'll organise for messages to be put out to the rest of the planet. I'll want a debrief from you in two hours about casualties both friendly and hostile. I'm going to contact the Republic and let them know that the deed is done, and get this officially approved."

With that Tegaea headed off, dragging the General along.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

"Freed," the General scoffed contemtuously. "Do even the dogs of war feel the need to mask their greed with flowery rhetoric? You came here to plunder the planet's gold reserves. Now the Republic will put a warlord in power as a puppet. You're just stooges of corporations. So send me to the firing squad. No court of your corrupted Republic has the moral authority to sentence me. Can't you see the fires raging, hear the screams? Without me, these people are slaughtering each other like savage beasts."

Siobhan just looked bored. "Could use a ball gag. You really like to hear yourself talk. Is it something you're compensating for? Not well-endowed? Daddy always said you suck?" she asked mockingly, whereupon he glared at her, snarling before Tegs dragged him away.

About two hours later the ex-Jedi appeared at Tegs' improvised headquarters. By now the fighting in the city had died down, though looting was still ongoing. She handed her boss a datapad with a preliminary list of fatalities friendly and hostile. Some Omega forces had been dispatched to keep things orderly, mainly to ensure that their own logistics were not affected and hostiles did not get a chance to launch a surprise attack if other insurgents got cocky.

Some of the insurgent groups that opposed Armherst had already sought to send emissaries to them, eager to get a piece of the cake and stake their claim. In theory, it was their planet, after all, but then the wishes of those with less power often get sidelined in power politics.

"Got got between eighty and ninety dead insurgents. Double wounded. Eighteen Omega wounded, five critical. A chopper got hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, but the pilot managed to bring the bird down safely for the crew. Ain't got a definite number on civilian collateral damage yet," she said.

"Looks like there's been some mayhem in the city since the tower went down. Vengeance killings, looting, random executions. Lot of insurgents came rushing to our lines to surrender cause they feared being lynched by the mob. Actual fighting's died down though, our gunships flying around scared 'em enough. Just looting and dragging dead bodies through the streets."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"The usual," Tegaea said di smissively. "They'll be anarchy for a while, but we need to bring in our forces and restore order, with force if needed." Tegaea seem ed aware that she was espousing the very things that the Sith and Empire used themselves. Still, it was the only solution.

"Amherst didn't shut up the whole time he was there. I was tempted to get out a ball gag for him, but I only had yours with me!" she said with a chuckle. "Those losses are acceptable. See that our wounded are transported to medical facilities, and that the enemy wounded are patched up as much as possible. We'll be getting contractors from the IMG in very quickly to set everything up."

Tegaea sat back. "You did well, Siobhan. Thank you. I still think you're as crazy as a mynock though!"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

One was reminded of an archaic quote. They make a wasteland and call it peace. Or something to that effect.

"All these would-be warlords are the same. Show 'em who's boss, and they either rant until you shut 'em up or beg like whiny cowards. Sure. I'll give the orders about the wounded."

To be sure a warlord had been removed, but his methods would have to be used to "keep the peace". Given how backward Dahomey was, any government put in place would be autocratic. The new autocrat might be less arbitrary and put more effort into controlling his goons, but actual change would be minimal. Dimly Siobhan understood that. She might not like it, but wishing did not change reality. She had lived on Nar Shaddaa, after all, a planet that had never changed throughout the aeons and people only respected force.

Politics weren't her thing and she saw most politicians as variations of the same type. She hated Sith, but that was personal.

Siobhan grinned, she seemed pleased with herself. "Yeah, but admit it, Tegs, you really like my brand of awesome craziness! Life would be so much drearier and duller without it. Hmm...so you think there's anything to these tales about Dahomey Amazons? Didn't see any, alas," she chuckled. Was her mind going into the gutter again?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"I've not seen any amazons, Siobhan. If I do, I'll be sure to give them your number!" Tegaea said. "You're just the right sort of crazy for us. Now let's get going, Kerri. We've got work to do."

And so they set to work reorganising and getting everything prepared for the arrival of the mining companies. Tegaea had already received complaints from the 'Tranquillity Society' protesting the imperialist takeover. She deleted the message.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

"As I'm sure you understand, presently the MoD cannot comment on the rumours of an invasion of Dahomey," the Republic military spokesman said to the cameras of countless journalists in the briefing room of the Ministry of Defence back on Coruscant.

"Colonel, the HoloNet is filled with rumours of a well-equipped force landing on Dahomey. Informed sources claim there was fighting in the streets. Did the Republic sponsor an invasion to take out its rogue task force?" As usual, al-Jilani was the first to ask awkward questions. "After so many lives were lost and so many credits spent, the people demand an answer."

The colonel held up a hand. "As you undoubtedly know, Dahomey is outside the Republic's jurisdiction. Whatever these 'informed sources' tell you, it is not our business to interfere in foreign quarrels without the consent of the people. However, if a third party were to..."

Al-Jilani interjected, waving her microphone. "So you admit that the Republic sponsored the intervention of a 'third party' to topple the warlord? Who according to rumours was a former Republic officer? Will rogue soldiers be granted a fair trial before a military court so that the people can understand why this tragedy happened?"

"The key word is 'rumours'. While I would never tell a journalist how to do their job, they an obligation to make sure the people learn the facts. Republic soldiers do not set foot on worlds as conquerors. If the people of Dahomey have managed to rid themselves of an odious blackguard, while it would be improper for a military man to say what the Triumvirate will decide, the Republic military will be ready to extend a helping hand if asked for."

"Were any concessions granted to this third party, Colonel? Outside in Republic Square, countless citizens are gathering in protest against what they call 'flagrant imperialist aggression' in the name of gold and cobalt. Rightly or wrongly, they fear that lives and credits are being spent solely for the benefit of corporations. In the light of the Sith menace threatening our nation, can we be sure that Republic's strategy is sound and not based on private interests?"

"Ah, yes. Blood for gold and cobalt. We have dismissed that claim. It is easy to make such allegations when one isn't a position of responsibility. Rest assured, that should there be any validity to these rumours on Dahomey, we will be ready to aid. The Republic does not come as an oppressive conqueror, but as an elder brother bearing the torch of civilisation and prosperity."

Some time later the report cut to a few dozen protesters camped outside the Senate Building, waving various placards with inspiring slogans such as "No Blood For Gold", "Stop Imperialist Aggression" and "Down With The Oppressors".

"It's a lie, we see once again that democracy is a sham. Our Republic isn't run by the people, but by corporations and aristos!" Most of the protesters were students, probably from well-off families who had never left the core worlds. A female Zabrak dressed in Jedi robes, probably still a Padawan. "First they sent Republic soldiers to an innocent world to fight an imperialist war to seize gold, then when their leader realises the truth and turns his back on the imperialists and sides with the people, they send another horde of corporate stooges! After inventing stories about atrocities and war crimes. We all know those images were created in a HoloNet studio on Coruscant. Ask yourself, who profits from this endless cycle of violence? The 1& of profiteers and warmongers."

"So, you say the denial of any Republic intervention is..." al Jilani asked, but then she was cut off by a human student, who wore his hair very long and practically ripped the microphone out of her hands.

"A bloody lie, of course! Just look it up on the 'net. The general they sent to Dahomey realised that what he was doing was evil! He sided with the people. Is it coincidence that this happened after the Jedi joined the Republic? Course not. It's a aristo-plutocratic conspiracy! The people must band together and bring the imperialists to justice! If we don't, we might be next! You think those capitalist pig dogs will only use their armed of trained killers on innocents on the rim?"

It went on like that for a while. Siobhan felt like facepalming at what she considered the stupidity of the universe...or like breaking out into amused laughter. "Oh, goodie. We're a top news item! Dump any of those fools somewhere on the rim, outside of their ivory towers, and they'd piss themselves and start crying for their mummies and for 'corporate stooges' to save them. Whiners," she muttered.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea looked over at her. "You love watching that shit, Kerri. It's like you enjoy being pissed off at the universe most of the time. For me, I don't give a crap what people say. All these civilians whine and complain. That's the problem with a democracy; because people vote they think they know things. I don't like democracy, it gives power to people who have no understanding."

Her political discourse over, Tegaea went back to work.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

"I hate politics," Siobhan said, but then dropped the topic and returned to work. She disliked aristos and, in her informed opinion, whiny civilian protesters in equal measure, as contradictory as such a viewpoint might seem! "I'm pretty good at my job when I'm pissed off. That pompous Republic spokesman had some funny lines though," she muttered to herself. She had to remember the line about dismissing claims! It sounded very witty.

Fortunately, our courageous heroines - or imperialist warmongers, depending on your political standpoint, which this writer does not want to dictate ! - were spared further emails and broadcasts from would-be liberators. As the hours passed and the sky darkened, some measure of calm returned to Dahomey. A few bodies hung from lampposts, a sizeable pille of dead bodies slaughtered by the mob had been thrown into mass graves. It was virtually impossible to ascertain whether they were former goons of the regime or just civilians murdered because someone held a grudge against them and that wasn't the mercenaries' job in any case.

Hours later Siobhan returned to Tegs' provisional command centre. She still had not found any amazons, but had done her part to make sure enough debris and corpses got cleared away from the spaceport. Former Armherst militia had been conscripted for this important task, which kept them from doing mischief. "Got word from the guys at the spaceport. Seems like the mining guild people are landing."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

"Good, get them to work as soon as possible. What we need is for these places to be cleaned up and get things happening. Go and meet them, Siobhan, get them started. Meanwhile I'm going to go meet the locals and get them on side if I can."

The rest of the day passed with the Omega Forces rounding up the last enemy, establishing control over the city and getting the miners going. Tegaea's meeting with the locals, though sadly no Amazons, went well, and by the evening she was able to go back and meet Siobhan, happy that things were in order.

"Everything go well on your side? I'm planning to leave some of our people here and head back to Fondor."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan had still not found any amazons, but fortunately it seemed like there had not been any difficulties at the port. "Yeah, IMC sent people down to the mines to set things up and take stock. They'll send a report to you soon enough, but suffice to say there's lots of gold. Looks like the miners down there are cooperating. Couple of our boys accompanied them. Spaceport's been cleared of most of the debris, so ships can land. Things go well on your end?"

Siobhan took a step closer, running a hand down Tegs' muscular arm. "So...there gonna be a private victory?" she asked innocently. "Since we conquered a planet and stuff. Well, I did most of the hitting."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea gave her an amused look. Perhaps tapping into the universal spectrum of Siobhan Kerrigans she saw this one was as oversexed as others were angsty or cynical. Still, it didn't really bother Tegaea, as she certainly got something out of it!
"Yes, I think a victory celebration is in order...when we get back home, and not before," she said sternly. They had a job to do, and Tegs wasn't going to be distracted until the time was right.

"Things are going well enough. I want to stay here one more day to conclude matters before we return to base," Tegaea stated. That meant that Siobhan would have to crave her desire for sex for several days more!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Considering this Siobhan was pretty much the same person as another one in a different version of this Galaxy several centuries in the past and had the same events happen in her life, one wondered how she had largely replaced angst with an extreme degree of horniness.

Siobhan gave an exaggerated, theatrical sigh, but then relented. After all, she didn't want to see all of 'her' good work undone just because they'd been negligent! "Meh...duty, you're a harsh taskmaster," she mock-grumbled to herself, then sat down in a chair, grinning for a moment. "Ok, you've got a point, I'm totally focused on work. Got to secure our great conquest and all that so that no one snatches it out of our grasp. So anything important you want your very dedicated employee to do, oh Grand Commander?"