Terror on Terax

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


"Uh, ok. Can you do it next time?" Elpsis looked a bit overwhelmed. She could not deny Laira's logic, but it sounded painfully like...responsibility. Something she was generally very adamant about avoiding. It was why she'd never trained anyone in the Order of Fire, despite nominally being a mistress of the order. And why she had no formal rank in Firemane. It was a comparatively carefree life.


But it seemed she'd have to do the responsible thing now. So she straightened her back and tried to calm her nerves when the camel riders surrounded them. She was not concerned about their personal safety. If they came to blows, she could hit the accelerator and dash away. No, she was worried about messing up in general. She took a breath when one of the riders yelled something in archaic Catharese, before repeating his query in broken Basic.


Speaking of Cathar, they were the bipedal, sentient felines, not the Gnostic sect that was wiped out during the Albigensian Crusade. Elpsis kind of liked the felines. Their fur was warming and nice to touch and they were wild in the sack. Anyhow, on with the plot.


"Hiya. We come in...peace," she began. It was the first phrase that happened to pop into her mind. She put some empathy into her words. "We're...explorers from another world. We mean no harm to your tribe or its territory. I am Elpsis, this is Laira. Sorry if our ride startled you a tad."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Laira wasn't as experienced as Elpsis and thus had no real input about felines, but she also wasn't very picky about species. The redhead eased back off Elpsis, careful to keep a hand on her companion in case things turned sour and they had to fly off in a hurry. Better to keep hanging onto her lovely pilot's belt than get thrown off by the acceleration.

The cathar that spoke grumbled at them, sniffing the air quizzically before growling catharese at his companions arrayed around the two redheads. Given how they looked they could be mistaken for sisters, Laira mused. Wouldn't that be funny? "Off-worlder." The single word caused a hush to fall over the Cathar around them before they began whispering amongst each other. Despite that the leader doing the talking relaxed, letting his spear tip fall from being pointed directly at them, the others following suit with reluctance. "What you want Offworlder?"

"Um, we were just out surveying the canyons for the morning." Laira pipped from behind Elpsis, deciding she couldn't just sit back and be silent. Not because she wanted to help, but because being hushed and keeping your hands to yourself was boring. "Looking for signs of Krayt Dragons, but we haven't seen anything I recognize." Not that she was experienced at what signs they would leave. The Princess was a good enough tracker to recognize animal signs, but without having seen a Krayt Dragon, she could only guess what markings they would leave.

The leader pursed his lips, thinking to himself for a moment as he turned he and his mount to wave in the direction the carvan of banthas were heading. "You come with us. Oasis that-a-way has water, we reach by nightfall." It seemed like an order, as though he wasn't giving them options but conditions, however there was no evil or darkness in his voice. The others whispered among themselves or spoke quietly in Catharese as they followed suit, no longer expecting danger or startled.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


Elpsis kept her hands away from her weapons, though she was not shy about showing them. The sun cast bright light upon the lightsabre hilt that rested on her utility belt, along with the Cylix bolt pistol holstered on her hip. Should the talks go ill, she was ready to kick the bike in gear and dash off.


However, to her relief, things went well. She observed the Cathar carefully. Being blind, she could not really discern facial expressions. This made reading the felines rather difficult, though then again nonhumans were more difficult in that regard. However, she could sense their emotions. She perceived wariness and suspicion, paired with a degree of curiosity. However, she could sense malicious intent. So she nodded when the leader spoke.


"Ok. Lead the way. I'll keep the bike's speed down to match your pace," she said in a warm tone. "May the Heavenly Mother bless you and your tribe." One of the female Cathar seemed to be staring at them. Turning her head towards the feline, Elpsis gave her a wink, whereupon the female looked away, laughing and muttering something in her native tongue that the empath did not understand. One of the Cathar seemed to take offence and chided her fellow feline.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The fell in with the cathar carvan, travelling at a significantly slower pace than the speeder was capable of. Both redheads were on guard, but Laira liked to give of an aloof air, and so she didn't bother to worry about her weapons, acting as if they weren't there and as though she was right at home with the nomadic felines.

Some of them passed around bottles of some hot, but sweet smelling alcohol Laira took for herself. At first she gave it a tasting sip, the warmth of the liquid not quite what she was accustomed to but very good before turning the bottle up and drawing deeply from it. Once she was satisfied, she passed the bottle forward, getting close and comfortable with Elpsis to rest her head against her companion's back. "So, what do you think? Think they will help us?"

The redhead's hands squeezed Elpsis's thighs while Elpsis drew some attention from the other Cathar. In her sweetest, breathy voice, she asked her beautiful companion, "You aren't trying to make me jealous are you?" Because if she was it would probably work!

"Ever since I was little my mother always said I had a problem sharing." Laira was grinning having herself a grand old time while they were travelling, her inhibitions a little repressed and her desires a little brought up to the forefront.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


An expression of puzzlement crossed Elpsis' features, when Laira's sweet voice caressed her ear. For an empath...she could be a bit dense sometimes. "Make you jealous? Me? Nope." The denial was a bit quick, but sincere. Making someone jealous required planning, at least a bit. Elpsis did not do that. She simply went with whatever felt good at the moment.


"Sharing is caring, babe. Can really enhance your own fun, if you catch my drift," she said in an amused tone while keeping her eye on the road ahead. Or rather the endless desert. The bike was moving at a significantly slower speed than it was capable of, but she did not want to accidentally run over a Cathar. Or hurt one of the animals. Elpsis could actually be responsible, though she did not like it.


"I think the folks here are ok. Guess they'll want something out of it if they help us, but that's fine. Way I understand, Cathar are big on honour and stuff. Hopefully we don't get pulled into strife with another tribe or something like that."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

While pleased with Elpsis's response, Laira wasn't thrilled about the 'sharing is caring' comment. She knew it was a joke, but that was not how she felt about romantic things, at least not especially. She understood that most relationships did not turn into happily ever after, but she knew what that looked like, and unless her father or mother were incredibly discrete, it didn't include a parade of other people.

The princess also knew that she wouldn't be willing to settle down any time soon either, so perhaps for her youth Elpsis had a point. "I suppose. If all parties involved are the right people," And if its not in perpetuity. If in the long run someone is willing to commit to another, what does it matter how wild they were at first? But those were considerations for a time much further down the road. For now it was supposed to be about fun and hunting. She decided to play a little more coy than the subject might otherwise make her feel. "And if they are all hot enough."

One of the male cathar rode closer to them, pointing at a dune ahead of the caravan. "There is Oasis. There we stop, water animals. Last Light, we take you to the Pits." The name sounded ominous, but Laira assumed there had to be a name for everything. Supposedly there were inert geysers that had dried into holes that went deep into the ground further north on the map, which would probably connect to an underground cave complex where their used to be thermal vents and an underground lake. Perfect hiding sport for a predator like a Krayt dragon to call home.

"Thanks hun." Laira said, getting a little better hold on Elpsis. "Sounds like the natives are gonna be helpful." Unless they were planning something a little more human-sacrificey at the Pits.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


One of the differences between the two redheads was apparent. Both were extremely flirtatious, but had divergent ideas about relationships. Elpsis was remarkably promiscuous, commitmentphobic and flighty.


Perhaps this tied in with her passionate nature. Monogamy was something she neither liked nor understood. This made her a good person to have a fun time with, but also made it awkward when you wanted something that was both long-term and exclusive. She could be very sweet and loving when she cared about someone...but that someone tended not to be the only girl she was sweet on.


Regardless, at the far end of the canyon, the oasis was in sight. The cerulean lake and palm trees promised shelter from the merciless sun. By now, Elpsis was sweating profusely as well. She might be attuned to the heat as a pyromancer, but even she could use a cooldown.


"Sure, sounds good," Elpsis agreed eagerly, then furrowed her brow slightly. "Long as we're not on the menu!" Pits sounded just a tad ominous, though she had not felt any malice from the tribespeople. "Y'know, there's a bright side about the heat. Well, aside from the fact that you're not wearing much. It's perfect to play with fire," she commented wryly. "How's your Fire Shaping going?"

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I do alright Fire and Earth Shaping." She wasn't amazing when it came to her esoteric training in the Force, focusing mostly on her other control based skills that were wide spread like Force Speed, Tapas, Control Pain, Healing, and the like. Her father liked her and Theo to be well balanced in the Force with a strong foundation. "The Sand and Heat make good conditions for practicing."

Laira laughed at Elpsis's words, squeezing the other redhead around the waist. "You think that but when we met I was wearing less, and I have a dancer's outfit on my ship I might have worn if you had picked a temperate locale." She did actually have a belly dancer outfit in a closet somewhere back on her ship. Perhaps if Elpsis played her cards right she would get a chance to feel it.

"I don't sense any evil or malice from the locals, so that's good news. It sounds like we will have some down time once we get to this oasis. Fancy joining me for a dip in the water?" Laira would have winked but instead tried to make sure her tone relayed her teasing affection.

The oasis loomed before them in the valley of the dunes, and the front of the caravan was already circling the small amount of vegetation, camels and banthas leaning over to begin drinking from the cool desert water. Laira had plans to strip to her skivvies and take a short swim while they waited for dusk to arrive and their travelling companions to feel comfortable leading them to the so called Pits.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


"If I'm a good girl, will you dance for me on the ship?" Elpsis asked with a smirk. She would certainly appreciate Laira in a belly dancer outfit. Speaking of dancing, as both [member="Makai Dashiell"] and Spire would confirm, Elpsis really, really sucked at it.


"Since we're on desert planet, we can do so some fire training if you want. No better place. It's weird, y'know, there's so many single biome planets in the galaxy. Desert planets, ice planets, city planets, volcano planets...it's almost like the Creator thought it would be a fun cosmic joke to make planets with a diverse biosphere super rare," she rambled on as they approached the oasis.


"Sorry, rambling. Down for a swim with you. Let's get wet," she declared eagerly. No lame innuendo at all. The bike came to a halt near the oasis. The native felines wasted no time with leading their animals towards the warm water, and the beasts drank heartily. Some of the Cathar watched the newcomers with a combination of curiosity and wariness. For her part, Elpsis turned off the noisy engines and climbed from the bike. Then she proceeded to strip down without the slightest hint of modesty.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"But you're never a good girl." Laira grinned at Elpsis, playing with her hair nonchalantly. "But perhaps that can be your reward for helping me construct a Lightsaber." The princess did want to show off for Elpsis after all, let her check out some of her other skills and talents she had a knack for. Dancing was just one of them, one that she had refined with the help of a pretty Zeltron instructor.

Practicing Fire Shaping certainly was an option, something they could do after or during relaxing in the water. When Elpsis parked the swoop bike, Laira swung her leg over it and began pulling off her thinskin suit and boots down to her skivvies. She made sure to glance around and see some of the Cathar doing likewise on one side of the glimmering liquid pool while the opposite side had creatures watering and the nomads filling their canteens. The redhead certainly didn't want to spoil the water and upset them by getting sweat and grim into their drinking water.

"Come on, we can practice a little from the water. Maybe put on a little show for our hosts." Laira winked, slipping out of her clothes with a slow, seductive shimmy until she was standing in just a pair of low riding short-shorts that showed off her hip bones and sports bra stepping into the cool liquid. It was probably still warm by normal standards, but after having spent a long time driving in a hot, dry desert it was perfect. She strode in until it rose up to her thighs and then turned to posture for Elpsis.

Clasping both hands in front of her with straight arms, the princess's grey eyes turned into a bashful look, batting eyelashes at her flame haired friend. "Elpsis, won't you join me?"

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


"You really have to ask?" Elpsis asked with a smirk. With no sign of false modesty, she stripped down. All that was left was a sports bra and a pair of shorts. In terms of build, Elpsis had less muscle mass than Laira. She was also less curvaceous in the frontal areas, though the overall package was still quite fetching. Besides, there was a lot of junk in the trunk.


So she quickly followed Laira into the warm water. After a long drive at top speed through the blazing hot desert, the comparatively cool liquid was a welcome reprieve. She savoured the feeling as the water rose up to her strong thighs. Her milky-white eyes locked with Laira's grey ones. Because this was Elpsis, she had to cop a feeling on the other redhead's strong shoulder. She liked the feeling of firm muscles.


"So...what have you done with fire so far?" she asked, before taking a few steps back. She opened the falm of her right hand and concentrated. A small, blazing fireball manifested inside it, morphing until it had assumed the shape of a firebird. The firebird moved up Elpsis' arm.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Fetching indeed. Laira's budding little crush on Elpsis wasn't unfounded, the other redhead was quite attractive after all. Plus they had a great deal in common, they only really differed on the subject of commitment. "I don't have to, but it still makes me all fuzzy inside when I hear you say it." She grinned broadly, relaxing in the water not far from the cathar. Their feline eyes watched them closely, some with curiosity, others with other things in mind.

"Fire Shaping. Okay, check this out." She held her hand up, four fingers pointed towards the clouds. Steam rose from them, then finally flames in a tiny shape between her fingers like webbing. After a moment, they formed into burning words 'HOT' and shifted into 'STUFF'. Laira even managed to convince the flames to change colors a little and shimmer, much to the delight of their onlookers.

"I can get a little creative with it, but its not very hot like some people's." The redhead smiled, adjusting her footing in the wet sand beneath her so that her weight shifted to one hip where she could put her free hand. "I can't use it to cut through industrial metals or stuff like that yet." Fire Shaping and Earth Shaping were only two of the skills she'd been practicing since last they had met. The Aing-Tii teachings and sensing natural energy were some more exotic lessons she'd delved into as of late.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


"Nice," Elpsis had trouble seeing...but she could read the ripples in the Force - and detect heat signatures. Such as the heat surging across Laira. "So pretty." Was she talking about the fire or Laira? It was probably a bit of both, truth be told. It would be accurate either way.


"I can cut through metals by summoning a thermic lance if I concentrate enough. That's enough to mess up a walker's legs if I really focus. queen of a headache sometimes, though. No good at earth shaping, but I can play with air." Fire tornadoes looked cool...though they could easily be just as damaging to you as to your enemy if you weren't careful. And obviously weren't an option if there were civilians around. Unlike some 'Jedi', Elpsis took that into account.


"Wanna play with the firebird? See how you handle the heat." Said 'firebird', which had found its way on to Elpsis' toned shoulder and nested on it, suddenly flew towards Laira, as Elpsis willed it to. Suffice to say it the firebird shaped fire construct was very hot.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Laira held her hand out for the bird. One of the things she could not do was redirect flames she couldn't touch. It was one of her weaknesses in the Force, something about her bloodline that limited her ability to use telekinesis and many other things similar to it. In order to fire shape, she had to generate the flames and when she projected them, she no longer had solid control over them. With Earth Shaping she had to be able to touch the earth most of the time. Even something simple at a distance was draining and gave her a serious headache.

"Thermic lance huh, I'll have to keep practicing if I wanted to mess with that I suppose." Her fingers touched the blazing firebird, searing the tips of her digits as she worked to pull the heat from the flames and protect herself from the inferno. The redhead grimmaced and furrowed her brow as she concentrated. "Its uh, hotter than I'm used to." She managed a wink at her companion, "But so are you."

She was managing to keep the heat from cooking her fingers or searing them black with char, but it was too hot for her to handle well and she reluctantly retracted her fingers, sticking them into her mouth due to the burns. "Ouch." She muttered, sucking on her fingertips. "I think I charred some of my fingerprints off," she held out the hand to Elpsis for her to inspect. The damage wouldn't be long lasting. By the end of the night the little necklace hanging between her bosom would have her healed completely.

"A little too hot for me."

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


"Melts durasteel and the like pretty easily. And if you can't pierce someone's armour, you can make them all hot and bothered inside in a way they really don't wanna be," Elpsis explained. Naturally she was unable to keep mild innuendo out of her elaboration. "Ain't fun when you're being cooked inside."


She looked a bit concerned when she perceived that Laira had a bit of trouble with the flame, but then her comment caused her to giggle. "Flattery will get you anyhwere. Maybe even me to cook for you. Or give you a massage," she joked. Perceiving the heat that had gathered on Laira's fingers, she reached out with her hand to inspect them, touching gently.


"Sorry about the burn," she said apologetically. The damage would not be long-lasting, but she still stretched out with the power. Laira could feel a slight tingle as the Force flowed from Elpsis, mitigating the pain and cooling her fingers down a bit. "Heat absorption is tricky. All you can do is practice really. We're attuned to heat, so we can handle a lot more than the average person, even use absorbed heat to fuel our pyromancy or other powers. There's a limit though. Pull in too much energy and you'll light up like a Life Day tree. Try to convert the excess heat into energy. If I toss you a flame, can you redirect it to me? Don't be worried about making it too hot."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I want a deep tissue massage." Laira grinned while Elpsis healed her slightly burned fingers a little, "Would things like, your backside is enthralling or you just make me feel all hot and bothered in the right way be enough, or would I have to keep going?" The redhead was certainly testing her luck, but it was about time for her to make a decision regarding Elpsis. Would she be willing to just have fun or would she stick to her desire to build a meaningful relationship?

She almost asked Elpsis to kiss them to make them feel better but thought that might be a little too far given that she hadn't decided anything just yet. Perhaps before they went and risked their lives to go get a Krayt Dragon Pearl they should know where they stood for each other, or maybe that would cause a ton of issues going into a dangerous situation.

The princess rubbed her fingertips together, testing them and seeing how tender they were. Not so bad anymore. "Uh, yeah, I can redirect it. I just have to touch it first. I can't stop it midair. I can attract it a little, and manipulate it, but not mess with it midair or in transit." Her limitations were inherited from somewhere, but they weren't so bad. They didn't stop her from being able to fight and perform under normal circumstances.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


There were many differences between Siobhan and Elpsis. On average, Elpsis was considerably less high maintenance and far more cheerful - but also less responsible. However, both women shared a weakness for compliments. Especially when their looks were concerned. "Sweettalker," the empath giggled. "Keep it up. You're on the right track."


Anyhow, as enthralling as Elpsis' backside undoubtedly was, she focused on fire training again. Listening to Laira outline what she could and could not do, she nodded. "Ok, we'll work with that. Fireball incoming. Just focus on it. Touch, redirect, kay?" she gave Laira a few moments to make sure the girl was ready, while a ball of flame manifested inside her hand. Perhaps Elpsis was being a little too nice, but she was a softer person than Sio or Kaida. In any case, the ball grew in size and intensity, then shot towards Laira.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"More? Well that might have to wait then." Laira smirked, but overall she was quite pleased with her surroundings. The Cathar were still lounging nearby, some watching for the display in Force power in awe, others watching because two scantily clad ladies. Elpsis was having a good time and was likewise warming her up, the relative cheeriness infectious and growing.

As the fireball came towards her the redhead stuck out her hand in its path, twisting at her wrist. As the ball came in contact with her she pushed it, waving her arm in a figure eight, the fireball following it with a little tail like a small comet. She waved it around her for a second, getting the feel of it and of its flow before tossing the burning ball of flames back towards Elpsis in a lazy arc.

"This is kinda fun, playing catch with fire." She giggled a little bit, thinking of a recent holofilm where the hero played catch with the antagonist with a ball of energy they manifested. It was similar, however the holofilm didn't have the same romantic overtones between the two characters. "You think that's enough practice?"

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Vereen"]


"It is, isn't it?" Elpsis exclaimed joyfully. "I do it with Taryc sometimes. Good way to get, y'know, warmed up." Little did she know that Laira and [member="Taryc Ap'Irae"] had already met. The fireball shot towards her like a small comet and she stretched out her hand, as if she were seizing it with her fingers.


She grimaced slightly as sheer heat washed over her hand and arm, but as she assimilated the fire and pulled the energy into her, she seemed unhurt. "We can carry on for a bit if you want, or go for a swim. Y'know, since you've got some Earth Shaping skills, maybe you can incorporate that and get a combo going. Like, if fire comes rushing towards you across the ground, manipulate the earth to direct it."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Taryc? I know her!" Small world indeed. Taryc was a woman who had spent some time with the young princess at one point, however they had never developed romantically. Laira had mainly been interested in her squat regimen but never got a solid answer. Perhaps it was all just a 'gift'. "She and I did a little investigating months ago about some Primeval cell they had cropping up." In hindsight, that cell may have turned out to be the Sith Empire that had formed since that time and begun conquering the outer rim, which meant they weren't the best detectives.

"Yeah, I can do some stuff like that. The sand makes it harder to do here than it is with more compacted soil." The loose ground meant that she had to make pillars of sand to do much of anything and concentrate pretty hard to get it to solidify, "But I can make really nice sand castles. On solid ground I can make small walls and spike geysers." Granted even that required her to have contact with the earth for the most part. Even something as simple as catching herself from falling took most of her stamina to do.

"Here, I'll show you." The redhead took a wider stance in the wet sand, holding her hands out before her to making a gripping motion which she then pulled in a fluid motion around herself. The sand at the bottom of the little oasis began shifting, building up beneath her to lift her partially out of the water until she was only knee deep. That much wasn't all that difficult, but it might seem a little impressive.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]