Private The Lost Witch's Chrysalis

[Maiev]

One night as Elpsis Kerrigan was sleeping, a silent voice tried to ring out in her dreams. It was faint at first, but growing ever louder the longer the night went on. Female, familiar and particularly wispy. The voice was calling out for her, the panic tone not coming across until it became more clearer.

It was Kalax, the ancient spirit that had once inhabited Maiev's body. At least until the day they had to be seperated in order to save the witch's life.

"Elpsis!"

Speaking in a tongue that was not her native language, but simple Galactic Basic, something the redhead would recognize. After all, Kalax was not exactly there, still a spirit lingering within the Netherworld, attempting to bridge a gap and draw Elpsis' sleeping consciousness to her.

"Elpsis!"

When she did 'awaken', Elpsis would find herself in the middle of a murky mire. It seemed to expand endless in every direction you looked. It was a temporary mindscape, a sort of middle-ground between the Netherworld of the Force and the Physical Plane.

Ahead of her, was a cloaked woman, back turned to her and looking around somewhat frantically.

"Elpsis!"

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maiev

One might be inclined to think the day of the daughter of a quasi-dictatorial megacorp queen would have been spent with parties or, if she actually felt like climbing the corporate ladder to succeed to the throne, bureaucratic meetings and all that. Neither applied in Elpsis' case. Indeed, she was far from Firemane centre and the opulent luxury her family lived in. Her bed lay in a fairly Spartan room aboard the Forge. Being an officer, she had her own quarters instead of having to share a bunk, but that was really the only luxury of note. It had not been designed for comfort. But this was all by choice.

The day had been filled with running training drills, exercises, performance reviews and briefings with her bosses. A call back home to inquire about her mother's condition. Suffice to say she had been happy to grab some sleep. Soteria had still not been found. The Sith had not yet been brought to the only justice she deserved: that of the sword.

An insistent voice would not let her slumber though. At first she tried to blot it out, turning around to bury her head in her pillow. But then it only grew more frantic - and she recognised that voice. "What," she muttered. "Kalax?" Slowly, she was pulled back to consciousness - in a manner of speaking at least. Her eyes fluttered open.

And then she was in the middle of a strange mire. One strange aspect of being inside a mindscape was that Elpsis could actually see, as she had done before the reactor explosion had robbed her of her physical sight. In her dreams, her eyes worked. "Kalax, what are you doing here?" she frowned, expression serious. "It's Maiev." It was a statement rather than a question. "She's in trouble."

 

[Maiev]

Kalax had turned around, and for the first time in a very long time someone; that wasn't Maiev, saw her face. Hidden beneath a hood was long dark blonde hair, and a pair of light brown eyes. Her face showed a fair degree of youth, an anomaly given the woman's speculated age. But it did give an insight and when Kalax had been originally torn from her body.

She had opened her mouth to speak, but Elpsis had beaten her to it a moment later. Which honestly wasn't a hard conclusion to reach, as why else would the spirit have contacted Elpsis. It was going to be about Maiev, it always going to be about her.

Kalax smiled, but it was a grim one.

"Yes, I believe she may be." Kalax walked up to Elpsis. "Someone has been gradually drawing my spirit from the depths of the Netherworld, and towards the surface. It shouldn't be possible, unless they have an anchor in the physical plane."

And it didn't take much to add that particular 2 + 2 together.

"I'm really hoping it isn't the case, but I fear the worst."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maiev

Sadly, it would have to be another thread where Kalax invaded Elpsis' dreams in order to initiate a steamy ghost/pyromancer romance. Maybe Chaos was not ready yet? But ghosts needed love, too.

Sadly, Elpsis was less frivolous than her writer. Probably because her writer PTSDed her so many times. So she actually focused on the essentials. So they want to plug you back in, she thought, but did not voice, because Kalax had just said that.

"You left her body because she'd die otherwise," Elpsis remarked. "So I guess the question is, who'd have the knowledge and the interest in drumming you back into her skull? Can you trace her?"

 

[Maiev]

"Exactly, what better vessel to use but the one that had originally been the host?" And one that had been deliberately groomed to be such a thing from a young age. Between the actions of Maiev's own clan, then Kalax's manipulations, back when her intentions had been much more of a selfish nature.

The irony that she was now using her limited amount of power to reach out from the Netherworld, and try and find her former host. Not to reclaim, but simply to find and rescue her.

"Unfortunately I can't right now, I'll need to be further drawn out for that. Alas, due to my absence from the Nether for millenniums, when I fell I was pulled down deep. The only reason I'm here, is because someone started to summon me at the very last second." She had almost been at peace, her spirit finally becoming one with the Force again.

"It's why I'm doing this, you're the only real active connection Maiev has left. And with your permission, I want to form a temporary connection, allowing me to appear in a physical form. A small one albeit, probably a bird."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maiev

Little ghost bird on my shoulder, Elpsis thought, but again did not voice. It was not a moment for levity, and her ability to display any of that was woefully limited as of late. "Ok, alright...let's do that," was what she said instead. "What do I have to do?"

"Once we've got this connection and have an idea of where Maiev is, I'll have to talk to my boss. Maiev was still doing jobs for Firemane before she vanished and I can't just steal away in the middle of the night without telling anyone." Her CO was the exact opposite of the boss in name only type who just existed to praise the 'hero' and rubberstamp whatever they were doing,

 

[Maiev]

Kalax had paused for a moment, as if noticing something but said nothing of it. She walked up to Elpsis and raised her arms up, turning them around so her palms were visible.

"Simply take my hands, and open your mind slightly. We just need a simple baseline connection for this to work." Something that wouldn't have been doable if she was still deep within the Netherworld. But given she was already been pulled towards the physical plane, she could do a little mental connecting with a person who had a prior connection with.

Well, Maiev had at least. But it was something Kalax could loophole her way into doing given she was technically part of the witch at the time.

"Hmm, well a good place to check would be that Firemane station; forgot it's name. I believe Maiev set up a home there after we...parted ways. Someone there has to know where she went, or her place might have clues."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maiev

"The Arx," Elpsis muttered. That had been the main one at the time. In many ways, it still was. In the meantime, Firemane had built an even bigger one that amounted to a miniaturised, mobile planetoid. Elpsis would never understand her mother's obsession with moon-sized stations. Perhaps they just matched her ego.

Thinking about her mother in such a way brought forth pangs of guilt. She pushed the thought aside. "We should also look for her ship. It'll at least be wherever she was abducted from." If they were fortunate, there'd be a recording of some sort. Elpsis was not one to believe in luck though. They would probably need help. "Anyway, let's get started." She stretched out her arms and took Kalax' spectral hands. At the same, she started to slightly lower the mental walls that encased her mind.

 

[Maiev]

"Hmm yes, good idea. That is assuming though, that whomever took her also didn't take the ship with them."

Once Elpsis had taken her hands, Kalax closed her eyes and started to chant quietly. As the redhead began to lower her mental walls slightly, she'd feel a small presence reaching out and through the gap. A foreign entity that became familiar the closer it got, until it finally found a place beyond the mental defences.

She could now feel Kalax within close proximity. Nothing akin to a full on cohabitation, but rather more of a hand against her shoulder. The 'ghost' you think you see in the corner of your eyes.

"All done, now we'll be able to communicate much easier, and I'll be able to manifest some actual eyes on the physical plane."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maiev

Kalax chanted softly, speaking words of power in a language alien to Elpsis. However, it did not take long before the pyromancer felt a presence slip through the small hole in her mental walls. Then she felt Kalax. It was not like there was suddenly another presence inside her mind and body - and thus not close to what Maiev had experienced practically since infancy - but more comparable to being touched by a spectral hand only she could see.

Perhaps, in small way, Elpsis could feel how Maiev had grown so attached to it. It was the certainty that someone would always be with you, even when things were grim and you were all alone otherwise.

"Ok, good." She ran a hand through her hair. "The Arx is on the other side of the galaxy, so I'll to chat with my CO now." Her battalion commander was probably asleep. Elpsis was not looking forward to waking her up. "Sec, I'll get dressed." Presently Elpsis was wearing...very little. She had a higher than average body temperature...so she did not bother much with clothes while sleeping. Her boss could easily take things the wrong way if she showed up at her doorstep in her present state.

 

[Maiev]

The spirit nodded as she had stepped away, slowly fading into the surroundings they were in, getting more obscured as Elpsis began to shift from her dream and back to reality.

"Sounds like a plan...I think I'll remain until you have dressed." Was probably for the best that Elpsis' CO didn't suddenly find there was a strange bird on her shoulder.

That, and Kalax was reminded of when Elpsis and Maiev had first met, and the aftermath of when they had returned to the latter's ship. Remembering how she had opted to throw out an excuse of checking on mental damages, only to retreat to the recesses of her host's mind instead.

Although there was something different about the redhead now, Kalax could feel it just being in a limited vicinity of her. Nothing specific, just a change in how the woman's presence felt. Something told Kalax the Elpsis she remembered, and the one here and now were quite different.

For the moment, Kalax remained in darkness and focused her energy. She needed to maintain her connection with Elpsis for as long as possible, until they could find Maiev at least.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maiev

If there was one thing being in the army taught you - aside from marching and saluting, that is - then it getting freshed up and dressed very quickly. In all fairness, Elpsis had never been particularly fussy about her appearance. And now she was blind anyway. Long as she was clean and her uniform was well-maintained, things were fine from her perspective. It was, in part, a deliberate rejection of her mothers' life style, as both were fixated on appearances.

So once she had been pulled from the dreamscape and found herself back in her bunk, she quickly got dressed after slapping some cold water on her face. She donned her simple olive green uniform and slipped into her combat foots. Then she was off. The hour was late, so the corridors of the Forge were all but deserted, save for some guards. These tended to be droids, as the automatons did not need to sleep. Eventually she reached the wing her commander was billetted in. She took a breath and then knocked.

"Lieutenant Alcori, here to see you, ma'am," she said, shifting awkwardly. Strictly speaking, it was Lieutenant Kerrigan-Alcori, but she never used that. Guyenne had once said that if she did not shorten it, she'd call her Lieutenant K-A. Keeping things brief suited Elpsis just fine. She did not want to throw it in people's face that she was the boss' daughter. She knocked again. "Sorry to wake you, but it's..."
She did not get to finish her sentence. Indeed, she had to take a step back to make sure the door did not hit her when it opened. A rather annoyed Colonel Lucille Guyenne stood before her. "Business," Elpsis finished.
The severe-looking, silver-haired woman gave her a stony look. "I see you're in uniform, Lieutenant," she said sternly. "So I assume this isn't a poorly-thought out seduction attempt. If you're really that stupid, you have five seconds to leave and you can forget about getting any leave for the rest of the year. If you're not that smart, you can pack your bags and leave the Forge."
Elpsis held her gaze. "I've got information on a Firemane associate who may be in danger."
"Continue. Keep it brief."
"Maiev. Dathomiri witch. Fought during the Serenade incident, helped Lady Kerrigan recover after her stroke. Went AWOL a few months ago. We've got reason to assume she may have been abducted." The words burst from her mouth.
"And you just happened to come by this information in the middle of the night?" Guyenne asked sceptically. She raised her hand. "Explain it without mystical hocus pocus, if you would. And what do you mean with 'we'?"
"The spirit Maiev used to be the host of contacted me. She left Maiev a while ago because being a host was putting her life in danger. Whoever abducted her seems to be trying to put her back in."
"And this spirit just so happens to be a good ghost on your shoulder?" Elpsis was not sure whether this was a rhetorical question, so she gave no response. "You're either dumb enough to waste my time with a tall tale, or you're telling me the truth. I suppose you wouldn't tell me a story this absurd unless there was something to it. Well, did your ghost tell you where this Maiev is?"
"She doesn't know. Maiev's last known location was on the Arx."
"I see. In short, you have whispers from the void and no actionable intelligence whatsoever."
"Just gotta connect the dots. I'd like to request permission to investigate her disappearance."
Guyenne cut her off. "Let me guess, you're sleeping with her. The army doesn't run on your personal feelings, Lieutenant."
"It's not about anyone's feelings, ma'am. Maiev helped Firemane on several missions. The fact that Lady Kerrigan got her memories back is because of her and..." She did not get to finish. This was becoming a trend.
Elpsis did not see it, but her last words had caused a slight shift in Guyenne's expression. "You haven't taken your leave so far, haven't you? You have a window to see if you can discover anything useful."

 

[Maiev]

Kalax had opted to make no physical appearance even after Elpsis had gotten dressed, instead she surfaced to the redhead's consciousness, that familiar presence at her shoulder filling a small space in the woman's mind. She could see things around her via the connection, although it was a somewhat disorienting affair.

The spirit couldn't see through Elpsis' eyes, but instead via a disconnected view that could hover around the woman.

Even for Kalax, it took a bit to get used too.

If someone who could see spirits; and not regular run of the mill Force Users mind you. They'd find a hooded spectre floating just behind Elpsis, their bottom off fading into nothing the further you looked.

As Elpsis talked with her CO, Kalax was very tempted to just pop up into her bird form just to prove the point. But the spirit refrained and allowed the redhead to continue speaking. Although the temptation continued to grow the more it seemed they're were getting nowhere, but then at the last moment Guyenne seemed to do a complete one-eighty, and permitted Elpsis some leave.

"If I might ask..." Kalax finally spoke up again, as Elpsis was making her way somewhere. Either to grab some stuff, or heading straight for a ship. "What is the relation between you CO and Siobhan Kerrigan? Because the moment you mentioned her and her lost memories, her expression changed."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maiev

Elpsis did not respond until they were well and truly out of earshot. "Guyenne's ambitious. Trouble is, this station's on the arse-end of the galaxy. Means little support if something bad happens, but high chance of being overshadowed by someone who's got a more glamorous post and friends high-up if you do something right. If you want to become a big deal in Firemane, you gotta have my mother's ear - or that of someone she listens to."

She kept her voice low. "I don't have the full picture, but looks like she trod on some toes in high command, so she's here. So she needs a new card to play. Whenever Mother wakes up again." Elpsis shook her head. "Not the best motivation, but I'll take it. She's a queen, but does her job. Least I know where I stand with her. Anyway, we..." she stopped mid-sentence, for suddenly a new sentient had appeared in the corridor. "Shikoba."

"I sensed a tear in the ghostlands," the Vashyada spoke in her soft, melodic voice. "The spectre coalesces around you, part of you, and yet not." She stared right into the space Kalax had occupied. Her gaze was piercing. "You are not meant to be here. The void calls; rest calls. Why do you break from the cycle?"

 

[Maiev]

"Ahh, that does make sense. She seeks to do you a favour, in hopes that it'll lead to good word being spoken to the Kerrigan Matriarch." Kalax found herself concerned about Sio, hearing she was asleep again, and not a regular nap from the sounds of things. She had never spoken to her much beyond their interaction on Arkas, where they had helped Siobhan through a ritual.

There had indeed been a lot going on since she'd last been on the physical plane.

She had been listening to Elpsis explain further, but was summarily cut off. Kalax had felt a presence a moment before, but not earlier enough to conceal herself. Not like it would've made a single bit of difference given the species of the person.

"A Vashyada..." She whispered quietly, it had been a long time since she had seen one of their kind.

"I am aware of that, young one. My presence here is not wholly due to my part." Given Shikoba's preception, she could see as Kalax hovered around Elpsis until she was instead in front of her. A bit of symbolism, showing that the spirit wasn't using the redhead as a shield. Not knowing the woman was a friend of Elpsis'

"I was due to rest some time ago, but my spirit has been slowly siphoned back into this realm. I contacted Elpsis because I am in need of assistance, I fear my da-" The word died on Kalax's lips, doubting herself as she thought of Maiev. Once upon a time she had seen the newborn as simply a host, but the years spent guiding her had changed her completely. "I fear my daughter is being used as a host, forcefully this time."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maiev

"You can see her," Elpsis spoke, then felt foolish. "Of course you can."
"I see all that is of the void, and all that should be there. All the lost things who are trapped and cannot move on to the next stage of the journey ere their cause is satisfied, but whose wails go unheeded. And all those who violate the cycle and cling to existence here, even at the cost of those who are still of flesh." She spoke Basic, but with a pronounced accent. Her diction was a bit old-fashioned.

She tilted her head slightly. "This time? So she already was one. Of you, I take it?" Her piercing brown eyes fixated on Kalax as the spirit placed herself in front of Elpsis. "'Tis a crime if you are being dragged into this world. Even more so if another is being sacrificed for it. I shall aid you."

And so Shikoba invited along herself to join the party. "Yes, you can come," Elpsis said after a moment. "Just so you know, this isn't a mission from above. Unless we find something, we're doing this on our off-hours."
Shikoba shrugged indifferently. "The laws of the living are a fleeting construct, the natural order is eternal."
"Fair. Do you whether Nyssa and Diona are up?"
"The haunted knight is quiet. The Flayed One is noisy - very noisy."

 

[Maiev]

Kalax said nothing more when Shikoba correctly deduced Maiev had already been her host prior. Even after all these years the spirit still felt a weight of guilt of how she was back then. Hindsight is what it is, she knew why she was like that back then. But all the time spent looking after Maiev, training her, the once selfish spirit had a change of heart.

It still didn't lightened that weight.

She always figured her eventual passing into the Netherworld would be when she'd finalyl be free of it. But fate had a cruel sense of humour at times.

WIth Shikoba inviting herself to their party, the group continued their path. She idly listened as Elpsis spoke with the Vashyada, mentioning Nyssa and Diona. The names gave her pause.

"Nyssa...she's the..." There was an unnatural pause as Kalax frowned, realizing she couldn't quite remember, not easily at least. "The Pureblood?" Even then she was unsure that was the correct answer.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maiev

"We call her the Flayed One," Shikoba spoke up. By 'we' she probably meant Tygarans. "She looks like a flayed Qadiri."
"Shikoba, go get Diona," Elpsis said with a hint of impatience. "And, yes, the Pureblood."
The Vashyada preened herself. "I am to be an errand girl then? As you wish." She turned to go, then glanced back at Kalax. "Has a means been determined to slow down this foul rite? This, I trust, will be important, lest your daughter already be turned into your shell ere she can be saved."

"We'll work on it. You'll contribute." Time was short, so Elpsis was curt and more than a bit terse. Fortunately, they had reached Nyssa's room. As Shikoba had said, it was rather noisy. The noise sounded awfully like moans. Elpsis slammed her fist against the door. "Not now," Nyssa grunted. Nonetheless, Elpsis opened the door and walked in.

Because this is a PG-13 side, the covers were conveniently placed to conceal what needed to be concealed. It could be clearly made out that Nyssa was in a heated lip-lock with a young Zabrak. "Unless you want to join in that is," Nyssa finished. "Get naked and join the fun, or go away."
"Nyssa..."
"What? She's not in my chain of command and I'm giving her...useful tactical advice, aren't I."
"Lieutenant Vykaris is...teaching me a lot. Especially the value of a good offence."
"Maiev's in danger."
"Witch girl?"
"Yes." If Elpsis had been in better humour, she might have reminded Nyssa of the box incident. "You in?"
"Am I going to get paid for this? Or is this a pro bono job?" Elpsis glared at her. "Worth asking."
"It'll be dangerous and bloody."
"Better be more interesting than fighting the Firsties," Nyssa muttered. "Fine." She rolled off her lover for the night.
"What about us?" the Zabrak girl pouted.
"I'll get you a trophy, babe. Remember to do those exercises I showed you."

 

[Maiev]

The spirit was far too preoccupied to focus on where she was going, not that it was of any real concern. It wasn't like she could walk into someone or something as she floated along. She was concerned over the fact her connection to memory was slipping. Kalax had split off a part of her consciousness in order to reach Elpsis. It as a whole couldn't be moved, else the chances of alerting whomever was behind this would've become much greater.

One's spirit was already fragile as is, when entering the Netherworld. Seperating a piece of it was highly irreversible . But Kalax knew this, knew it would likely lead to her end. It was that, or be forced back to the physical realm, taken over her former host's body in its entirety.

Which if the culprits knew anything about them, they would've known how screwed they'd be. A resurrected Kalax would just tear them apart for their transgressions.

Kalax shook her head. No, that was not going to happen. Ever.

The spirit rolled her eyes upon reaching Nyssa's room. She was now floating behind Elpsis again, opting to avert her gaze although unfortunately not her ears. Eventually after a bit of talking, the Pureblood was out of bed, dressed and following.

"I see Nyssa hasn't changed much." Her words went unheard by the Pureblood in question.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

"No, she hasn't," Elpsis muttered to herself.
"Are you talking to someone? And are you telling them how fabulous I am?" Nyssa demanded.
Elpsis suppressed a sigh. She tended to alternate between finding the Pureblood's ego annoying and oddly endearing. "Kalax."
"Kalax," Nyssa frowned, "the spirit who used Maiev as a meatsuit? Why's she here? Does she want her body back?"

"She's a friend, ok?" Elpsis retorted with more vehemence than she had intended, but she was not in a patient mood. "Bad people want to plug her back in, she wants to stop that."
"I see," Nyssa said softly. Her expression was unusually contemplative. "Must be taking a toll on her."
"Yes."

At that, Shikoba returned with Diona in tow. "I have fetched the Yedai," the Vashyada announced.
"It is 'Jedi', and I am not one any longer," Diona corrected firmly.
"You've been briefed?" Elpsis asked
Diona nodded curtly. "Yes. I find the story confounding." Her tone betrayed her scepticism. But she trusted Elpsis' judgement enough to know the pyromancer would not joke about things unduly "But I'm ready. Where do we begin our investigation?"
"Maiev's apartment on the Arx. Time's short, so grab your stuff and let's get going."

Maiev