The Sin of Pride (Siobhan/Firemane)

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
The Captain, who probably had a pretty good idea of what Siobhan could do to her, moved forward along with the defecting soldier and secured the humiliated ruler.
She then smartly snapped to attention and led Siobhan through the palace and down into the deep dungeons.

The Captain stopped, a bit anxiously. “The..uhh…former Mirza…she ordered that Mazarani be uhh…punished…daily. I had nothing to do with it though and I tried to stop her!” the Captain said hastily, trying to get her story out.
A crack followed by a scream came from a cell down the hall.

When they came to the source of the sound they found a Qadiri strapped to a frame, back bleeding from harsh lacerations. Older scars criss-crossed her back and it was clear this was the daily punishment.
The torturer, a Qadiri female in black leather, looked up from her work. “Who are you? Guards!”
Things would not go well for her, one assumes.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


In her mind, Siobhan was brought back to Kaelin's dungeon. And so she lashed out. Violently. Brutally.


"The Goddess' wrath." Telekinetic power seized the torturer's legs in a vice-grip. To be precise, the invisible vices concentrated on her tibias. For those without anatomical knowledge, those are the load-bearing parts of the calf. The ones you really don't want broken. Which was exactly what happened to the woman as telekinetic energy crushed them.


As she fell to the ground with a scream, Siobhan had advanced upon her. At close distance, lightning shrieked from her fingertips and blasted the woman. Screams, spasms, then the woman fell dead. "Get a healer. Now," she hissed at the Guard Captain as she turned her attention to the bleeding Mazarani, using her powers to loosen her bonds.


"It's alright. You're free now. I'm here to help," she spoke, tone suddenly gentle and soothing.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
The Captain ran from the carnage. She had learned rapidly that angering this offworlder was the path to imprisonment or death.

Mazarani looked up at Siobhan weakly, her face red and swollen. “Thank you…who are you really? Why did you rescue me?”

Healers came, both Firemane and native Qadiri, and they set to work tending the wounds as well as possible. It was a miracle the cuts were not infected, but they would still burn like fire whenever she moved.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


Siobhan was sceptical that the Captain had tried to 'stop the torture' as she claimed, but the woman seemed suitably afraid of her!


"I am Siobhan Kerrigan. I come from beyond the stars and am a friend of Semiramis. I've removed your aunt and Surana from power," Siobhan said softly. She reached down with a hand to gently caress Mazarani's cheek.


"You're the new Mirza. Don't strain yourself, you'll be taken good care of now." Alas, neither Eileithya nor Coryth were here, but the Firemane medics should take good care of her. Since a torture dungeon was not the best place for that, the woman would soon be lifted onto a stretcher and brought to whatever functioned as a healing room in the palace.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Mazarani seemed in a different world, perhaps not believing what had happened, or perhaps her confinement had unhinged her a little.
“This is a nice dream…most…not as nice,” she said, smiling dazedly. She shuddered when the medics came and started to treat her.

After some time she drifted off into unconsciousness. The medic came over to see Siobhan.
“No permanent physical damage, ma’am. There are some infections in her back lacerations but they are easy to treat. The psychological damage might be more intense though. I suggest we get someone skilled to evaluate and treat her. She shouldn’t be strained or have much exertion for a while though,” the medic added.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


Siobhan listened to the assessment of the medic, then gave the man a nod. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I believe Priestess Eileithya would be best equipped to deal with her. I'll give her a call. Please make sure she gets all the care she needs in the meantime," she said. It was always important to be polite to medical staff!


She looed over Mazarani for a moment, then turned away. Coming across one of her sergeants along the way, she gestured to the soldier. "Make sure she'd under heavy guard at all time. No Qadiri are supposed to enter this room without my permission." No, she was not suspicious at all. Then she walked away to find Tegaea and fetch the Priestess.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea was waiting outside, and having gathered what was going on inside she had the Firemane troops ready. Their weapons were facing above the heads of the Qadiri, but it was clear the aim could be shifted instantly if required.

The Priestess headed inside to assist whilst the medic briefed Tegaea before Siobhan emerged. Tegaea, having been the last one to suffer under Kaelin’s knife, remembered it only too well.
When Siobhan emerged, Tegaea looked at her wife, then darkly at Surana, who quailed under the gaze.

“Lieutenant Tay told me about what was inside,” she said, deliberately letting her translation machine fill Surana in. “Cruelty, malice, vindictiveness. The only reason why I am not going to do the same to you Surana is because I’ve been in Mazarani’s place and I would not wish that on anyone. Not even aristocratic slime like you. You will serve penance for your crimes, but not in blood.”

She had heard that Siobhan had disposed of the torturer, and she approved of that. She would have done the same, though probably with a single shot.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


Siobhan narrowed her eyes when she looked down on Surana. "You have my wife to thank for the fact that I'm not tearing you apart or robbing you of your mind," she hissed hatefully. The urge was very strong, but she respected her wife's wishes. It was probably one of the reasons why their relationship worked despite their alignment differences.


"But you will pay. Let your fate serve as a warning to others. Your name and that of your mother will be erased from the annals of Lakish. None shall speak your names again, none shall remember you. You will be taken far away across the stars to work and toil the fields like common labourers. No luxury, no power, just filth and hardship. When you die, away from people, no one will perform the sacred rites to guide your soul to the Goddess."

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Surana had learned a fraction of sense because she made no reply, just glaring hatefully at the pair of them. When prompted, she obediently followed her guards away.

Tegaea looked at the assembled people, mainly courtiers and soldiers.
“The Lady Mazarani will be tended by our healers and she will rule you, as dictated by the Shahbânu. Vengeance will come against the Dark Ones soon, but for now, return to your tasks.”

Sahal had been following her two Mistresses around, but took a step back when Tegaea turned to her.

“What now for you, Sahal? Do you wish to stay here with your people or come with us?”

Sahal looked at Siobhan briefly. “I would like to stay with you both, Lady Mistress.”

Tegaea nodded, glancing at her wife to see if there were any disagreements. She suspected there would not be.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


There would definitely be no disagreements! Sahal was her Knight now and would serve her Mistress well.


Yes, yes, Siobhan, your ego is big enough. Anyhow, Siobhan gave Sahal a bright smile. "Excellent, Sahal. I am glad you've joined us. It's a new world you're entering. Some of our customs may seem strange to you, but we'll try our utmost to be respectful of yours."


Firemane was a model exemplar for multicultural tolerance, as seen by the diverse nature of its employees. Well, for some reason no manling ever rose to become a prominent employee, but you cannot make every special interest group happy. "And I'm sure some will be very familiar to you." Like, serving your Lady in every way imaginable.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea gave her wife a sidelong knowing glance. Maybe she can be the start of your private Sacred Band? Tegaea thought, not hiding a smirk at the idea.

Sahal meanwhile looked between the two of them anxiously.
“Yes…of course, Lady Mistress,” she said softly.

And so the three boarded the ship, departing presumably for the not egotistically-at-all-named Fort Kerrigan.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


Siobhan would really love the idea of a private Sacred Band! After all, she knew how much Silaqui had enjoyed hers. Maybe she could call them...the Shadow Knights!


Anyhow on with the plot, for there is sort of one. "Welcome aboard, Sahal," Siobhan spoke jovial, giving her new pet a cheerful smile. And so without further ado they boarded their gunship, where minions and freed slaves awaited, took off into the sky towards Fort Kerrigan.


Located on an island that had once been a Xioquo fortress before Firemane soldiers had seized it, the base was mainly meant to help protect settlements from Xioquo orders since it at sat at a vital point in the waters of Tygara. From here, Xioquo had launched bold assaults against Qadiri settlements and ships. Hence why the base had a 'yard to accommodate surface ships, along with defence guns such as Ballista and Javelin turrets to keep out intruders. A single Tempest cannon had been built into the mountains, which could put a capital ship under fire.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Fort Kerrigan was designed with a decidedly old style of defence in mind. Things which in a modern fortress were foolish such as long, partly-enclosed trenches, a landing pad and a shipyard were all laid out. A defence shield was installed and there was a Tempest cannon some distance away, but fundamentally this defence was designed to resist less advanced enemies.

Ballista turrets commanded each point of the octagonal defencework, with lighter Javelin and e-webs spaced in between. Economy of defence was key here; Firemane did not have vast manpower even for this relatively small fortification, and so the ability to defend it with minimal manpower was key.

Armoured vehicles, artillery and a half dozen shuttles or attack craft could additionally land at any one time. The base also featured a barracks, armoury, prison and cantina dug into the rock of the cliff.

As they came in it looked so neat and geometric.
“Fort Kerrigan this is Firemane 1, transmitting code for access,” Tegaea said into the communicator.
“Access granted, Firemane 1. Welcome back, ma’am,” the controller on the other side said, obviously motioning others to roll out the honour guard. It did well to make a good impression on the bosses!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


It was indeed a wise idea to make a good impression on the bosses. Especially since Siobhan loved being the centre of attention. So without further ado the gunship touched down at the landing pad. The ramp was lowered, then Firemane guards along with minions emerged and took up position on either side of it, then the bosses stepped down along with Sahal and the two freed slaves.


Siobhan looked radiant and in high spirits, mixed with a touch of smugness, when she saw the honour guard. Muscular men and women ready to kill her enemies for her, presenting arms. Here and there her eye fell upon a specimen who filled out her uniform particularly well. That is, who had honoured the uniform through particularly valorous acts and would be rewarded by her for this.


However, further away, the Xioquo were preparing their assault, for they had grown bold after their victory at Underrealm. Soon Firemane patrol boats and gunships would pick up on their fleet of men-at-war and their flying machines...

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Looking around the base, Sahal was clearly intimidated by all the technology, and especially by the large weapons. The Tempest Cannon drew her attention for a long moment before she looked away.

“Ma’am, we’ve got contacts on long-range scanners,” an officer said, hurrying over to Tegaea and Siobhan.
A datapad was produced to show that a half-dozen large ships and several dozen small ones were approaching swiftly.

“Put the base on alert! Get all batteries ready to fire and prepare on my mark to engage. Get gunships and bombers ready,” Tegaea ordered. She looked to Siobhan. “Did you want to handle the frontline, I’ll handle reinforcements and support from the command centre?”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


So much for spending the rest of the day relaxing and initiating her new pet! This abrupt turn of events rankled Siobhan a bit.


As the images on the datapad showed, a Xioquo fleet was heading straight towards Fort Kerrigan. "Yeah, I'll handle things here. Get our ships into position." Since seat battles were so frequent, Firemane had some Triton-class surface corvettes and Wayfarer-class patrol boats stationed here.


"Move it, girls. I want mortars and shattercannons manned. Sahal, you're with me," she called out to the Qadiri as klaxxons blared and the entire base was thrown into hectic activity. Fortunately Siobhan was still wearing her armour and this did not need to spend time changing.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
The base was swiftly mobilising, and two Triton class corvettes headed out into the water to engage the Xioquo ships. These ships had divided to cover their transports and give naval bombardment support.
The Valiant, the leading Triton opened fire with both turbolasers at the nearest Xioquo capital ship. The first shot hissed past, but the second one struck and…dissipated on a shield of purple! Following behind, the Gallant managed to hit with both shots, but again they were defended!

“Ma’am, we have a problem. They have some sort of shield over their ships. Our turbolasers are proving ineffective so far!” the Captain of the Valiant contacted Tegaea and Siobhan.
Sahal couldn’t understand what they were saying, but she could see what was happening. “It is their dark sorcery!” she said, pointing. “We have seen this before on their warships. Even a whole broadside could not pierce it, but they cannot use it if they fire their cannons!”
Swiftly, Tegaea was in the control room and looked at the map. “Two of their ships are preparing for supporting bombardment. Siobhan, wait for them to fire, then hit them with everything you have. Artillery, ballista cannons, whatever it is. Valiant, Gallant, move in and torpedo them. They can’t shield below the waterline and if they open fire, hit them with your cannons!”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Magical shields that can repel turbolasers? I need to learn that sometime, Siobhan thought to herself. Not feeling a bit jealous at all. Clearly this was another reason to create a coven of dark sorceresses. In any case, there was no time for such plotting.


"Understood," she spoke tersely into the comm when Tegaea messaged her. Pressing a button, she transmitted a message on the Firemane frequency for the artillery. "All units, fire on my mark once the enemy unloads. Full artillery barrage. Fire for effect," she said commandingly.


She stood calm and almost as rigid as a statue as the Xioquo capital ships traversed the waters, preparing their heavy guns to fire. Opening herself up to the Force, she could dimly perceive the web of power that had been woven across the enemy warships, creating a web of protection. Magicks fuelled by arcane sorcery and blood sacrifices.


The enemy cannons were primed. Primitive as they were, getting shot by one would still you. "Fire." In this moment, just as the air was filled with the loud roars of the Xioquo cannons. the Titan of Telekinesis unleashed her power in a massive wave of unadulterated Force energy that swept towards the nearest capital ship through the waters, with such force it sent water splashing in droves, as it would hit with the force of a bomb blast. Ballista and Javelin cannons unloaded a hailstorm of laser fire, artillery cannons roared and there was a loud whoos when the Typhoon multiple rocket launch systems let loose a barrage of missiles that swept through the air towards the ships like birds of prey.

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
The Xioquo never knew what hit them. As they had moved parallel to the shore to provide a full broadside they opened a deafening salvo. At that moment though, timed expertly, the Eldorai struck, and two of the Xioquo ironclads were torn apart by devastating explosive impacts.
The shells fired by these ships though were not entirely wasted. Those at too high an angle hit the energy shield, but many struck home in the base and there were casualties. One manticore was hit by a sizeable explosive shell and was torn apart in a fireball. Another hit a speeder loaded with rockets which had carelessly been parked, and turned it into a shattered wreck. Further shells had hit the trenches and turrets, but aside from some casualties, the destruction was minor.
All told though the salvo had achieved little permanent damage.

Meanwhile, the two Tritons had moved forward, firing as they went, even though their attempts were useless. At the last moment though they suddenly turned hard and unleashed torpedoes. The hissing missiles skimmed just below the water. One skipped above the waves and impacted the shield, but the other three struck home. Soon all three Xioquo ships were heeling over, great holes ripped in their sides.

Only one ironclad remained, and it was clearly dismayed at the turning of the battle. However, it did not hesitate. It opened fire with all guns on the Valiant at close range. Some shots went wide, but many hit home, tearing great gaps in the corvette’s armour plating and starting several fires on board.
Moving to aid its compatriot, the Gallant swung around and delivered a double turbolaser volley into the approaching behemoth. Unfortunately the dark shields evidently could be restored quickly, and so the shots were absorbed. Bearing down, the last Xioquo ship attempted to ram the Tritons, but they were too agile.
Finally, the Gallant was able to move around and fire a torpedo into the stern of the ironclad, finally bringing its rampage to an end.

However, the defenders had little chance to savour this as boats landed on the beach and from them came dozens of Xioquo warriors with rifle, spears, swords and daggers.
“All fighters, take off, energy shield is down, target enemy infantry. Ballistas, target and destroy enemy landing craft.”

The Xioquo were fanatically brave, but they had little chance against entrenched blasters and bolters backed up by anti-personnel support weapons.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


At this point, it was less a battle and more of a massacre. The Xioquo were brave, spirited, and even fanatical. But courage and willpower could avail them little against the overwhelmning firepower provided by entrenched blasters and bolters, along with powerful anti-personnel weapons such as flamethrowers and shattercannons.


With their warships destroyed, they lacked fire support from the big guns. Moreover, there was little cover to be found on the beach. Those rocks that might've served as it were easily blown apart by explosives as the entrenched Firemane soldiers, hidden behind mobile barricades made of durasteel. Pained screams and cries of the wounded were heard as hordes of Xioquo bravely but futilely death charged towards the enemy lines, firing their weapons as they went.


The air was thick with ozone when some of the Xioquo warriors unleashed blasts of lightning and fire upon the defenders. Here and there, a Firemane soldier was indeed struck by the onslaught and taken out. Flames spread in one of the bunkers, and a hail of missiles detonated prematurely, blowing apart a soldier. But far greater were the casualties the Xioquo sustained, many falling shortly after having landed upon the shores. Others were soon caught in barbed wire made out of Echani Graphite, their blood staining the cables.


Siobhan watched impassively as the slaughter unfolded before her eyes. Brazenly, she had elected not to put on her helmet, exposing her scarred face for all to see. By luck or good aim, an arrow fired by a Xioquo shooter managed to embed itself inside her cheek, drawing blood. Without missing a beat, she gripped the offending projectile and broke it in half, even as blood seeped out of the wound. A shot from a musquet just bounced off her armour. Drawing upon her telekinetic might, she lifted a landing craft into the air and brought it crashing down, smashing the soldiers inside.


"Keep shooting, girls. Load up APE and buckshot, and prepare flamethrowers for close combat. Affix bayonets," she shouted as it seemed some Xioquo warriors were managing to ascend over the bodies of their comrades and get in close. With reckless abandon, they fell upon the Firemane soldiers and were greeted by volleys of blazing heat as flametroopers unloaded their weapons upon them. Their sorcery shielded some Xioquo soldiers from the effects, though many of their comrades were turned to charred husks, but then they buckshot and APE fire from bolters, which was ideal at closer range. Here and there, a fierce melee developed as troopers hewed them down with bayonets or vibroswords.


"Deploy the droids. Mop them up and kill them all." The droids in question were the Iron Legionnaires. Originally designed by the Guild of Hammers, Firemane had adapted them. Heavily armoured, endowed with sophisticated combat protocols and with shields, they would advance, implacably and deliver bloodshed. Moreover, the Xioquo would not be used to fighting such machines. Having been held in reserve until now, they would close in upon the beleaguered and increasingly decimated Xioquo.