Religion is the opium of the people

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


"This is an instrument of beauty," Nur Jahan exclaimed excitedly. As they boarded the speeder, she looked at the nerve gas canister as if it were her new favourite toy. Clearly whatever the Covenant's equivalent of Christmas was had come early.


"It should be readily aerosolised and will not even require inhalation. Skin contact will suffice for the gas to take effect. The infidels will die of asphyxiation as the gas cleanses their sinful bodies. They will spend their last moments in agony. If only we had more of this, we could accomplish great things together."

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]
In a deeply twisted way, this bonding between the two was kind of cute. Whilst others might express their mutual love of locations or popular culture, these two were expressing their love for weapons of mass terror and destruction.

“Yes, it would be satisfying to purge more of the scum, especially the Hutts. Repulsive, dirty creatures,” Illyria agreed eagerly. She might have called them sinful, but Illyria was one to equate sin and evil with dirt. It might be thought her priorities were just a little skewed!

Illyria mentally calculated the amount of nerve gas required to purge the lairs of the biggest Cartel bosses. It was a lot…but that was a project for later.

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


"Yes, yes. They are vile, filthy slugs. Degenerates. Vermin," the venom in Nur Jahan's tone made it sound personal. "Their entire race is composed of irredeemable infidels. We should gas them all. Napalm would also be a good choice. Let them be cleansed in the purifying flames."


Clearly Uriel did not love all races equally because it seemed that some were beyond redemption. She looked rather excited, but then awoke from her daydream. A fish could dream - and this one dreamt of using weapons of mass terror and destruction to purge the unclean.


She smiled slightly. "We shall accomplish great things together," she declared confidently. And so the murderous pair left the warehouse behind them, and eventually arrived at their destination. There was a lot of work that needed to be done, for every believer had to toil in the vineyard of the Lord.

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

Setting up the gas took precise and careful coordination between the two of them. Like Coruscant, the lower levels of the city were a warren of discarded passages and rooms, most of which the Bando Gora had not discovered. Ancient machinery pumped into the levels above air, water and took waste and pollution.

Of course, since nothing was labelled and it was a labyrinth of pipes and conduits it was no easy task finding the right locations. Finally though they located the air ventilation units, hidden away in an ancient fabrication unit fully five thousand years old.

Getting the gas to that point was taxing for Illyria, though she tried not to show it. Eldorai were not exactly weightlifters! Eventually, the dirty, tired and exhausted Eldorai was confident everything was ready.

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


If it was any consolation for Illyria, her new fish buddy was not a weightlifter either. She was built for agility, not hauling cannisters. However, she was less grumpy about the dirty tunnel because she was quite used to it. It was all for the cause.


At last, they were ready and all was in position. "Finally The savages won't know what hit them," she said quietly, sounding more than a little out of breath. "I shall ping Sister Sakura. She must be in position by now." Indeed, small squads of the Covenant's militia had been assembled at key points. They'd kept their numbers low to avoid premature detection. Gas pumped into the ventilation shaft. It was a steady stream of chemical doom that escaped the cannisters.


Meanwhile, deep inside the Bando Gora HQ, a ghastly ritual was taking place. Frightened innocents had been put in chains and assembled at an altar emblazoned with blasphemous sigils and runes. They were surrounded by a crowd of fanatics, who raised their fists and chanted, praising the names of Dark Gods.


A High Priest led the congregation. "We strayed from the True Path and the Gods punished us," he bellowed. "But now our eyes are opened. The Great Champion Archaon, Chosen of the Gods and Marshal of the Dark Legions, will arise and lead us to victory over our foes. The forces of Light will be drowned in blood." More chanting ensued, and his eyes fell upon the sacrifiial lambs. "May these wretched creatures feed our Champion. Blood for the Blood God!"

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]
It was at this point, rather than gloat and give the Bando Gora buttons to press, the gas was unleashed.
Yes, the unfortunates would die, but that was an unfortunate necessity. Their deaths would be for a higher purpose – preventing the cultists from preparing their ritual. Of course, neither Illyria or Nur Jahan knew about the ritual, but it’s the thoughts they have had if they did!

Unfortunately the ancient system was not perfect, and some areas of the hideout were not gassed enough or at all. However, a host of the cultists started to drop dead, and those who tried to flee did so into the unrelentingly purifying fire of the Covenant. Blasters, explosives and flamers tore through those who tried to escape.

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


The death of the poor unfortunate souls was sad, but it served a higher purpose. If their souls were pure, the Lord of Light would welcome them into paradise, where they would live in eternal bliss. To kill the infidel was not a sin, it was the pathway to oneness with the Force.


The fleeing cultists ran straight into the purifying fire of the Covenant. Of course, some believers would lose their lives, but all great movement required a few martyrs. Blasters, flamers and explosives would thin the ranks of the impure. Then they ran into the final trap when illusionary horrors assailed them. Angels, both beautiful and terrible to behold, seemed to assault them, smiting them with purifying flames or pulling them straight into a hell from which there was no escape. Sumiko drew deeply upon her power as she assaulted the minds of the Chaos worshippers.


"Uriel fights with us!" one of the cultists, who was sort of her aide, declared excitedly. But then he looked a bit unnerved when he saw that blood was dripping out of his prophetess' palm. "Revered Sister, you are bleeding."


"Blood is potent. The grace of Uriel demands sacrifice," she explained.


"Yes, Revered Sister. Praise be," he said piously.


"Now is the moment to strike. In the name of the Lord, charge the infidels and slay them all," she commanded.

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]
As it seemed that the warriors of light and goodness had prevailed there came a great howling, like hellhounds were unleashed.
From an upper floor a gigantic armoured juggernaut of a figure leapt and slammed down. Blasters and flames no more stopped him than a light breeze. With massive axes in hand he attacked, and the Covenant fell back before him or fell in pieces.

“Who here dares challenge the Dark Gods!” he roared.

All eyes turned to Sumiko.

Meanwhile, Illyria, in full suit and mask, was coming up from below with Nur Jahan. With her lightsabre, the Eldorai quickly and efficiently euthanized any who were not already dead.

It was as they cleared up one of the rooms that she saw the massive warrior menacing Sumiko.

At first Illyria was pleased to see her Mistress get a good challenge, even amused that it was not her down there. However, she knew Nur Jahan would wish to help.
“That armour will resist lightsabres. How would you penetrate it?” she asked the Mon Cal casually.

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


I guess I need to indulge in time consuming and energy intensive swashbuckling, Sumiko sighed internally. She was powerful and not afraid to get her hands dirty, but disliked duelling. She also had an aversion to losing limbs. That's what minions were for. [member="Vaylin"] would probably enjoy this, if she were here.


But it seemed she had to be heroic to impress the peons. Eh, whatever. I suppose I need to say something dramatc and cheesy because the sheep love that nonsense. All those times when mother had dragged her to the temple were paying off.


"In the name of the Great Lord Uriel, I challenge you, slave of Azrael," she declared dramatically, feeling a bit silly. "Know that hellfire awaits you." Stepping forward to confront the Bando Gora berserker, she ignited her lightsabre. She'd replaced the red crystal with a blue one.

xxx


"Hmm. The joints would be vulnerable. They'd lack the heavy plating, otherwise he'd be immobile," Nur Jahan observed after pondering Illyria's question for a moment. She could actually say stuff beyond yammering about Uriel.


"He does not look that agile, so one could slip beneath his guard and strike there. Or just use a disruptor. That ignores armour entirely by atomising molecules. So would paddle beamers, but they paralyse."

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]
Illyria nodded. “Knock him down and he will struggle to rise.”
She glanced at Nur Jahan. “Do you think Sister Sakura will defeat him?” she asked curiously.

The Champion below roared and came at her, axes whirling quickly. The weapons themselves were made of Beskar, heavy and lightsabre immune. The sheer weight behind them was something as dangerous as their cutting edge.

As she watched the fight, enjoying the karma that for once it was Sumiko having to risk her life she began to ponder something. If her Mistress was on the verge of defeat, would she attempt to save her? Would Sumiko if the places were reversed? Almost certainly not.
However, stepping in to save her Mistress’ life when it was threatened…that could be a rich reward to harvest.

The young, eager (as far as she could tell) face of the fishy gave her pause though.
“The heel is vulnerable,” she pointed out. She looked through the room and produced a savage looking disrupter rifle from the dead and handed it to Nur Jahan.
“But of course you may not need to strike if Sister Sakura disposes of him easily.”

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


Nur Jahan did not respond immediately. Doubt? Perhaps. Or maybe it was just calculation. After all, a 'wrong' answer could be easily used against her. The Covenant was no more immune to Byzantine power struggles than the debauched court of the Eldorai Star Queen.


"If it is Uriel's will, she will prevail over the abomination," she said piously. "If she falls, she will surely be a martyr." That said, she took the profferred disruptor rifle into her hands. Judging by how she held the savage weapon, she was familiar with it.


xxx


Meanwhile, Sumiko and the Bando Gora berserker faced one another. He was a giant of a man, ripped with imposing muscles and clad in even more powerful beskar armour. He came at her like a bull, bellowing so loud that the ground shook beneath him. His axes whirled quickly.


Sumiko stood her ground, assuming a defensive stance. She radiated confidence. After all, he was just a brute, right? Pulling at the tangled web of power that was the Force, she pit her mind against his, aiming to strike at the linkage between mind and body.


The seizure he would surely suffer would put her in a good place to strike at the critical weak spots not covered by his beskar armour. It was a good plan. The kind of mental trick that had worked many times. Except...nothing happened. For as she sought to penetrate his mind, she was blocked.


It was like hitting a wall as strong as the beskar that encased his body. Too late did she realise what exactly was blocking her: His helmet. But now he was upon her and all she could do was dodge as he swung his mighty axes towards her.


One of his weapons missed, but the other scored a graze across her head, cutting across her forehead. Luckily, the cut was not deep, but it drew blood and caused a shot of pain. The kinetic damage pushed her back. She grit her teeth, sensing that the crowd had taken notice.


The berserker gave her no reprieve, and she parried one strike and jumped to avoid her legs being chopped from her torso. Her leap took her above and behind him, but he spun and charged her. Drawing upon the quick acrobatics of Ataru, she tried to find an opening, but his offensive was unrelenting. Dodging laterally to avoid a brutal but clumsy blow, she slashed at his elbow joint, but he had adjusted and so her lightsabre only kissed his forearm, causing sparks to fly. A torrent of lightning shrieked from her fingertips, and he howled, but charged nonetheless, assaulting her without pause.


As she cartwheeled away, he struck. One of his axes missed and slammed into the ground with such force it split the pavement, the other struck her left hand, removing it. Agonising pain swept over her like a storm. Blood dripped from the stump that was left of her arm. A cry of pain escaped her. Fury surged through her and, drawing upon her power, she somersaulted backwards. It took all her discipline to stay in the game.


Exhaling power, she pulled at the tendrils of energy, wrapped them around his manhood and crushed it. An agonised, ear-piercing roar escaped his throat as he charged, losing one of his weapons. She ducked under a furious blow and her burning blue blade kissed his hip joint. He grunted, but the pain stoked his fury and when she tried to make her next move, he grabbed her with an invisible grip and proceeded to ram her with his armoured shoulder. As she fell, he put his boot on her throat.

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]
From above, Illyria watched the battle. There was a small element of doubt in her mind. If she let Sumiko die, she would not learn the secrets from the Sith. On the other, if her Mistress could not defeat this metal-headed oaf…perhaps she should seek her own counsel.

However, it was wise to hedge one’s bets. Sumiko would be angered if Illyria just left her, and then the Sith won. Likewise if she charged in after Sumiko was dead then she’d be the one facing the enraged enemy.

It was when the axe took Sumiko’s hand that Illyria let out a soft sigh. She wasn’t very moved to defend her Mistress, but it was still a brutal blow.
Drawing her blaster pistol she decided that she owed Sumiko enough to give her a little help.

Aiming for the weak joints she had already identified she fired a hail of shots, quite noticeably, from above.
There was little more she could do from here without getting down…or using her terramancy. That was something she preferred to keep hidden though.

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


Sumiko was a very proud woman. She felt humiliated and furious. Her anger have her strength. She gasped, trying to force oxygen into her lungs while his boot dug into her throat. Despite the sharp pain, she forced herself to focus, but her energies were dwindling.


She would have to act fast. She refused to die here on this wretched moon. Especially at the hands of a brutish ox who barely counted as human. Her lightsabre was out of reach, for the warrior had placed his other boot on it. "Your false idols are weak. Bow to the Dark Gods and beg for mercy," he bellowed.


From above a hail of blaster bolts peppered the huge berserker. He howled in pain and rage. Some of them bounced off his armour, others struck weak spots and cut into his flesh. He swayed, off-balance.


So she raised her hand - her remaining one - and activated a mechanism inside her glove. As her life force ebbed away, there was a bright muzzle flash. The beam of light missed his throat, but sliced through his right shoulder. It freed her.


He dropped down on one knee. In a rage, he summoned the Force and unleashed an omnidirectional blast of telekinetic energy. It would sweep in all directions - towards Illyria and Nur Jahan, the cultists and Sumiko. The ground beneath them trembled and quaked.


Sumiko met the blast with her own. Her body became a conduit of energy. It was, for a moment, like staring into a white-hot reactor core. So bright was the beam of dazzling hatred that it was almost blinding. She was furious and desired to see her opponent suffer. The Atrisian was blown away and brutally hurled into a wall. The Bando Gora champion was cooked inside his beskar suit. Rather than protect him, it became a coffin.

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]
Illyria saw the blast coming, and grabbed Nur Jahan and threw them both to the ground as the blast hit. The wall cracked, the building shifted and the window blew inward.
In the aftermath she rose and looked down at the battlefield. Many of the cult had been knocked down, some injured in the crush.

She could feel her Mistress’ presence, still alive…just. Her eyes fell on her from the upper window. A glance from the blaster in her hand, to the fishy now getting up, to the Sith Lord.
No, not yet.
The blaster hit the ground and she quickly descended and moved across to Sumiko.

“Sister Sakura, I’m here. Get a healer!” she ordered. No need to break character, and besides she was actually pretending to be more heartbroken than she actually was.

Sumiko’s stump was bleeding heavily. The power axe had only slightly cauterised it. Sumiko would die without the bloodflow being stemmed.
The idea came to her instantly. The lightsabre blazed, and before the horrified and shocked spectators of the battle she cauterised Sumiko’s stump with the lightsabre. It’d hurt, of course it would, but her Mistress was likely unconscious, and better this than dead.

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


Sumiko was still alive...barely. Perhaps this was supposed to be a lesson to the Atrisian. Pride was a sin all Sith cultivated, but if it was consumed in too high a dosage, it turned out to be fatal, as many, many Sith Lords had discovered in the past.


Everything hurt and her vision was hazy. She beheld Illyria...and then saw the flash of a lightsabre. You. Being a Sith, it was only natural that Sumiko's first impulse would be to suspect treason. However, there was nothing she could do.


Darkness claimed, just before the lightsabre cut into her stump instead of piercing her neck. She did not see Nur Jahan rush towards her with a healer in tow. The realm of Morpheus beckoned and refused to let go of the cult leader.

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

Nur Jahan left with the healers, leaving Illyria with the crowd. Presumably this meant she’d need to give a speech. Illyria did not like giving speeches.

“She will recover,” she said. A glance towards the body. “Salvage anything of use and then destroy the building. Burn the bodies.”

There was some murmuring. “Problem?” she demanded.

“She…was badly hurt. Can she have the favour of Uriel if she was so hurt?”

Illyria didn’t buy into cults or deities, but at this point she was sick of these people. She summoned all her considerable scorn for a speech she really didn’t want to give.

“I am assuming you would do better?” she retorted. “We are fighting the forces of darkness, and you expect everyone to come skipping home smelling of roses and sparkling with joy? This is a war, and in war people die. To even kill this creature, Sister Sakura had to sacrifice much, but that is what we all believe is it not? What use is victory if it is unearned? Sister Sakura was protected by your lord, and that’s all that needs to be said. Now do as I command!”

Exhausted from so much talking, she stalked off. She would check on Sumiko.

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


Illyria would have to be careful, lest she get infected with the virus of wordiness! Regardless, no one dared argue with the grumpy Eldorai - and so the crowd dispersed. Anything that could be carried away was salvaged, then the Bando Gora temple was burnt down.


Meanwhile, Sumiko had been put in the care of the healers. After returning to the Covenant's 'temple,' they set to work. Unfortunately for them, Nur Jahan insisted on staying in the room to watch over them.


She did this by standing in a corner and looking at them in a moderately creepy manner. This was quite disconcerting for the healers. One of the nurses could not help looking at her, before getting back to Sakura.


"Is there a problem, Sister?" Nur Jahan asked coldly, glaring intently at the poor woman. "Or is Azrael infesting your mind with impure thoughts? Do you not want to save our Sister?"


"No, no, Sister. Of course not. I...just."


"Sister Nur Jahan, please it would be helpful if you left us to our work. Sister Sakura has suffered serious internal injuries."


The Mon Cal waved his words aside as if they were buzzing insects. "The Lord of Light wills that she recover. You are his chosen instruments. Because if she does not, you will join her. So proceed."

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]
Illyria brooded in her room, the lights low. She was very good at brooding, and she had much to consider.
Sumiko was wounded, but Illyria saw this as an opportunity. Perhaps the Sith Lord would be more willing to teach. If she wasn’t, or continued to favour a possible replacement…well…she had some contingencies in place.

Meditation was something the Eldorai did not do often, but tonight she found it useful. It strengthened her connection with the Force and helped her relax. It would pass the time until she learned the fate of her Mistress.

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Illyria"]


Meanwhile, Sumiko was dreaming...


"Well, it appears matters have not worked out well for us, have they?" A voice spoke. It sounded exactly like Sumiko


The real Sumiko sighed. "I see that I am not spared the indignity of receiving abstract visits from mirrors of myself."


"Perhaps your subconscious is trying to tell you something."


"Or I'm just delirious from painkillers. Or bored. Well, state your point, if you have one. Begin the dull lecture about how the path of the Dark Side leads to ruination and I should convert to the side of stupidity and puppy love. Truly, at times I wonder if the self-proclaimed servants of the Light might not have wracked up a larger body count than I. I've yet to wreak havoc on a medical space station."


"I shall skip the lecture because you are too pigheaded for it. You've become overmistress of a cult of deluded fools. I congratulate you. They will forsake you the moment someone holier appears."


"Tell me something I do not know. I shall make the peons bow to me when I arise. They will worship the ground and walk on and love the invisible chains I force upon them because freedom scares them."


"The one who travels with you will turn on you."


"Illyria? Of course she will one day. I have contingencies in place, should she make the attempt and against all odds succeed."


"Ah, yes, that contingency. It worked out poorly for Zash, Bane, Palpatine. Be careful not to jump into a zombie or, worse, a manling."


"Oh, spare me the waffle and be gone, impotent, allegorical shade."


"One day you will be on your knees and stare death in the eye. And you will realise that all your more or less competent, all your experiments and murders to attain power for the sake of power were ultimately...for nothing. You will feel hollow and then Death will claim you and never let go." Sumiko would have struck the apparition, but it vanished.


Sumiko blinked, then shrugged. "We shall see about that."

 

[Illyria]

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]
Illyria was also plagued by visions. She handled them in a different way to Sumiko however.
“She will betray you in time,” the voice whispered.
Illyria ignored it.
“The Sith are a path to ruin. You are being used, you are not in control.
Illyria ignored it.
“Come back to the true path, the Eldorai do not need the humans and the Dark Side. We forge our own way!”
Illyria ignored it.
Clearly irritated, the shade was getting insistent. “Will you do nothing? What say you?”
Illyria ignored it. She hadn’t even opened her eyes.
“Listen to me, I am trying to help you, traitor! If you ignore me you will suffer eternal damnation!”
Illyria ignored it.
Finally, with a howl of frustration, the ghost left.
When it was gone, Illyria smiled ever so slightly.