To Trap A Battering Ram (Siobhan)

[Darth Shadow]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Siobhan Kerrigan….

As the Sith Lord Darth Shadow contemplated his plots and schemes this name came to the fore repeatedly. It was not that the former Jedi was wise or virtuous, as she was neither. In the Sith Lord’s opinion she was a battering ram, a brute animal useful only for rending and smashing. Yet…she was a very powerful battering ram. Properly focussed, she was only of the most dangerous anti-Sith forces in the galaxy. She would need to be removed.

The Sith Lord’s mind considered the Jedi Trap, devised by his spiritual predecessor during the Clone Wars to such devastating effect.

A successful Jedi trap consisted of four elements:

An irresistible bait.

Example: The presence of Darth Shadow would draw Siobhan Kerrigan to him like a moth to a flame.

A remote location, that was easily fortified, with a sharply restricted field of action. It was also preferable for the location to belong to someone else as major damage usually ensued.

Example: Darth Shadow was in no mood to give up his flagship, but an otherwise abandoned space station over Gromas. This was sensible, as the Phrik mining operations on Gromas had been extremely important to the Sith Empire.

A powerful warrior to fight the Jedi. It was also advantageous to have an overwhelming number of troops stationed nearby to ensure that the Jedi could not escape. Having the killer as the bait was an efficient choice as the Jedi would continue to advance, even after they realized the extent of the trap.

Example: Darth Shadow had specially designed droids to fight Siobhan Kerrigan and hopefully defeat her. If not, she would battle through to reach Shadow himself, no matter the cost.

Establish a win-win situation. If the Jedi lost, then the plotter succeeded in their attempt. If the Jedi won, then the weaker would-be Jedi killer was removed and thus saved the plotter the trouble of removing them later. It was also possible to have a third win, by which the Jedi, by answering the trap at all was prevented from interfering elsewhere.

Example: If Siobhan Kerrigan was slain, all the better. But if not…Shadow had other plans in play to ensure that she would be so overcome with emotional angst and fury that she would not be a threat to him anymore…and even an unwilling asset.

So decided, Darth Shadow decided to put his plan into motion. There was much to do. It would be weeks or months before everything was ready.

And so when it began, two months later, it began in an understated and not obvious way at all. Small amounts of Phrik would begin showing up on Dahomey and Kaeshana. Rare and very unusual materials in this area except in concentrated amounts used for forging weapons. Doubtless it would come to the ears of the Firemane leaders and they would be bound to investigate…and the trail of breadcrumbs would lead from there.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Darth Shadow"]

Siobhan Kerrigan was the exact opposite of intelligent or virtuous. Frankly if chance - or the will of the Force if you wanted to argue in metaphysical terms - had not endowed her with superpowers she would never accomplished anything beyond being a simple thug amongst the dregs of society. Likewise she would probably not achieved much of anything if it were not for Tegaea Alcori. These days she lived the high life on Kaeshana, a far cry from who she had once been.

She was powerful, very much so. Her strength was not that of a subtle manipulator or genius, for she was neither. Or that of a healer, for she lacked the compassion for that. Rather it was brutal, unrestrained ferocity of a predator, a nexu on a leash. Powerful, but therein also lay the root for her fall because it made her predictable and easily manipulated if the right strings were pulled. She had also acquired an unwarranted belief in her own invincibility, her ability to survive anything.

The road she had walked was coated in the blood of thousands upon thousands, too many dead for her to remember. Those she had butchered, those she had sacrificed along the way. The dead of Roche and Gehenna who had paid the price. One wondered whether sometimes from the depths of the netherworld, the endless void that claims all souls and swallows them up like a gaping maw, they sometimes watched her flourish and cried out for vengeance to be meted out. Or justice, as they would say, but then the difference between the two could be blurred so easily. Illyria, Goddess of Death and Destruction, cares little for the wails of those who dwell in the abyss over which she claims dominion, for the dread mistress of the dead who sits upon a throne made of the bones of the wicked is beyond them. However, she delights in bringing down those who have become haughty and self-righteous, for no one on this plane can escape the mortal coil.

Karma, so the old saying goes, is a bit of a queen. The Fates relish dragging you down you are at your zenith and believe yourself invincible.

It was yet another day at Firemane Industries when news of discoveries of phrik were being made. The metal was very rare, weapons and armour made out of it were prohibitively expensive for anything other than limited production even for the militaries of galactic empires, hence why it was so precious and jealously guarded. To be more precise phrik was appearing shipments, some legal, others as contraband. Likewise it was being used for trade and sale. Even a few grams of phrik could fetch a substantial price on the market, such was its value.

Needless to say this did not escape the attention of Firemane, which was not just a weapons manufacturer, but also engaged in mining valuable metals and minerals. If there was a phrik source to be had, it was worth investigating in order to stake a claim and exploit it. Likewise it was important to prevent those who opposed the corporation and its allies from getting their hands on the phrik that was right now being spread through the free market. Such as the Dark Eldorai insurgency, which even after its rout during the brief civil war still refused to go the way of its icon Princess Nalia and perish. Or slavers who might be emboldened to plague Dahomey, not to mention Sith. Some arrests had already been made for smuggling small quantities of the metal as contraband. None of them large enough to make much out of it, but still important enough to warrant looking into it.

So the natural corporate drive for profit and security concerns intermingled in a desire to investigate this. First order of business being a friendly chat with one of the traders who had come to offer phrik, seemingly innocently. After all, it was valuable and all that and Firemane supported capitalism. So it came to pass that a meeting was called in the imposing - and fortunately air conditioned! - Firemane compound on Dahomey, a hothouse of a planet that had been her first conquest. There would be cold drinks and such.

Poor Tempest had been conscripted to help in the investigation. Assuredly she would at some point get the chance to shoot lightning at someone. Little could anyone except the fathomless Shadow know what dark twist a seemingly innocent series of events would take...

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

For Tempest, being back on Dahomey at the best of times was not a particularly nice experience. However being in the imposing Firemane compound, within sight of the old slaver dens where she’d been made captive…that was somehow even more unsettling.

However, she had a job to do, and so she did it. When the trader was led into the room and sat down, an armed guard watched from the corner as Siobhan and Tempest entered.

The trader was a native Dahomene, a youngish man a few years older than Tempest.
Tempest put the small piece of Phrik onto the table in front of him.
“Mr Rush, where did you get this from?” she asked. It seemed to be a tradition that the Dahomenes gave themselves expressive or directly translated Basic names rather than use their local dialect.
“An offworlder sold it to me. He used it to pay for his order. It’s pure Phrik, I had it checked by my droid! And since I know the boss ladies are always looking out for the rare stuff….”
“Which offworlder?” Tempest pressed.
“His name was…Dusk or something like that. He said he knew someone who had lots more of it if I was interested.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]

Siobhan stood back and let her aprentice handle the first part of the questioning. It was how Adril had done things back in her training. Oftentimes when she teaching students or on missions with them she found her thoughts drifting back to her dead teacher and lover, asking herself what she would think of her now.

Dahomey was not exactly a planet with a sizeable proportion of people who could afford phrik. It was true that there were substantial amounts of gold on the planet, which ironically back in the Warlord era had been bought in tonnes by the Independent Mining Guild for food, weapons and primitive tech, but now it was controlled. Acquiring phrik was a difficult enterprise because the rulers of the planets where it was found would jealously guard it.

Phrik is immensely valuable and rare. Too much to ship lots of it to a planet as backwater as Dahomey and get a decent price. The few places where it occurs naturally are tightly regulated. The bribes alone to smuggle it out are hefty,"Siobhan thought to herself before she focused upon Rush, as he was apparently called. It was easier to get than beskar, but then the Mandalorians had a monopoly on that.


"Can you describe this Dusk for us, Mr Rush? Species, appearance. Anything that stands out. And where did you meet him?" she asked. Her tone was softer than that of Tempest, but then she did not need to press to be intimidating. Even if she was dressed to the nines she had a reputation that preceded her.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Mr Rush turned to Siobhan. There didn’t seem to be any recognition there.
“He was a white-skin like you,” Rush said. Tempest had told Siobhan that it was a term rather loaded with hidden meanings. It certainly wasn’t a compliment.
“Where?” Tempest asked smoothly. She could tell that the man was much more likely to talk to her than an outsider. “You’re not in trouble, but we need to find this man. He is working with the odolosh,” she said meaningfully. It was a native Dahomene word for exploiting outsides, sometimes but not always slavers.
Rush seemed to make a decision. “He’s coming back tomorrow to docking bay 8. His ship’s called the Crimson Harpy. So that’s what he wants is it? Cheating white-skin, make sure you make him sorry!” It seemed that even in a galaxy of a thousand species, common racism still existed.
“We will.” Tempest gestured to the door. “You can go, Mr Rush. Keep the Phrik you have, but mind who you sell it to!”
“I will!”
The man left, the Firemane guard seeing him out.

Tempest looked at Siobhan, frowned. “So, we want to grab this guy when he comes and see where he’s getting it from?”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]

"Indeed. If I had access to phrik, even if only in tiny qualities, I'd use it for something more better than pay off a small-time trader. There's a lot more profit to be had. Even small amounts can fetch exorbitant prices," Siobhan said, somewhat tactfully leaving out the fact that Dahomey was a minor planet as well.

"Maybe it's just me, but something about such a rare metal suddenly being shipped to the two planets we have major investments in seems suspicious." She she got up from her chair and headed out of the interrogation room and towards the garage where they would get a speeder. "Oh, and by the way, I'm a whiteskin? I go out in the sun a lot!" she declared with mock indignance.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tempest held up her own arm. "Not as much as me, honey!" she said with a laugh.
"You're right, it does sound suspicious. Of course, it might be happening to other planets around the galaxy. We need to grab this Dusk guy and see what he knows."
Tempest called up the spaceport schedule on her datapad. "Says he's coming back from a trip to the western continent tomorrow in the morning. We should be there when he steps off, I guess?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]

"Yes, but...," Siobhan paused, trying to think of a 'witty' retort, before finally settling on a very relevant observation. "Your hair's all white!"

Having satisfied herself with this stunning observation she gave Tempest a nod as she brought up the spaceport schedule. "Yes, definitely, and bring him in for a chat. I still know some people from the old guard in MICO. I'll go check with them if there's been any sudden appearances of phrik on other Protectorate planets. And make a call to HK's on Abregado-Rae if he's available."

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Tempest gave her a 'is that your best?' look. "That's not my skin though, is it?" she explained patiently.
"I'll check in with some friends of mine as well further a field and see if it's happening elsewhere too."

Siobhan's contacts in MICO meanwhile confirmed that Phrik had shown up on a handful of Protectorate worlds. They had traced it back to one person whose ship matched with the Dahomey sighting. It looked like 'Mr Dusk' was indeed the man behind it all.
One of her contacts in the Order meanwhile agreed to have some of the Phrik metallurgically examined to try and find a source.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]

"It still counts! You, Eyrecae and Hecate should found a club." Apparently Siobhan was fated to lose this battle of wits.

In any case they did their research, for as surprising as it might seem to the dear reader being with Firemane did actually involve actual work, and it appeared they were not the only ones being blessed with sudden manifestations of phrik. This one wonders whether it could be used for a tech sub.

Regardless 'Mr Dusk' - undoubtedly that was an alias and if not he must be pitied for having such a name - seemed to be behind it and so on the next day Siobhan and Tempest would be at the spaceport awaiting his return from the western continent of Dahomey at docking bay 8. The guards at the port as well as Sky Patrol had been alerted and notified about his ship, but instructed to stay out and only make sure he did not suddenly turn tail.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tempest let that last comment go. They were part of a club after all, the Order! Though admittedly it was not unique to those three!

The next morning shortly after dawn the heat and humidity had not yet reached oppressive levels. Abomey was mostly quiet save for the occasional engine or bustle from the market. In the distance a Cylix called out a hunting cry.

The Crimson Harpy descended to the ground. The small freighter had only one crewman, but several droids emerged to help unload crates and boxes of cargo.
Mr Dusk had been allowed to land, but Siobhan, Tempest, and several local police and Firemane agents were standing ready….

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]

Apparently Siobhan had a thing for beautiful women with white hair. Of course, nothing could come close to her obsession with redheads. Redheads reigned!

Anyhow, it was the dawn of a new day with all the promises it would bring. As the hour was early it would not be as oppressively hot and humid as it would soon become. Likewise traffic in the sky and space would still be low. Abomey had progressed much since the end of the warlord era, but it was still very much a frontier town.

As for Cylixes, Firemane actually had one of these delightful big cats with a double row of needle sharp fangs. Her name was Valriya and her fangs were always slick with the blood of slavers, for any that were taken alive were fed to her! In her heart of hearts she desired to devour the flesh of annoying, cryptic space elves though. Alright, perhaps they did not feed bad people to her. For some reason moralists tended to complain about things like that, but life on the frontier was rough.

In any event, Firemane agents were in wait as the Crimson Harpy came down from the sky and touched down on the landing platform. One crewman, several labour droids unloading crates and cargo. Again, this writer wonders whether the phrik could be used for a tech sub. After all, another thread showed Shadow acquiring it, so it should totally count!

As the crates were unloaded the door to the hangar suddenly burst open and Siobhan would storm in with Tempest in tow, several Firemane and police agents likewise appearing on the spot. Sky Patrol had been alerted, so if Dusk tried to escape things would badly for him and in any case Siobhan could stop a freighter from taking off.

"Tempest, secure the crates, if the droids cause trouble, fry them. Mr Dusk, we're with Firemane, you will come with us. We have questions about your...business dealings. It's a matter of security. Don't attempt resist, you know it's futile," Siobhan declared as Firemane agents fanned out, weapons ready in case. She had her lightsabre attached to her belt, but did not ignite it, for she did not need to.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
This one suggests that the Cylixes would find the flesh of Eldorai too anemic and pale to be too enjoyable. Probably quite bitter in some cases too!

Regardless, Mr Dusk looked startled as the armed soldiers burst in. This was replaced by a look of outrage.
“What is the meaning of this? I’m here legitimately. You’ve got no right to detain me!” he blustered.
His hand dropped casually to a concealed blaster, but he didn’t draw it yet.
“We’re leaving!” he decided, gesturing for the droids to take the items back aboard.

Tempest, typically, was fed up already. “Fry the droids and stun him,” she ordered.
Dusk drew his blaster, but three stun blasts caught him dead on, and he fell nerveless to the ground. The droids likewise were soon reduced to blasted components.
Seemed that Firemane was not above using warlord tactics when needed either!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]

This one could wax endlessly about the fact that there was no difference between Siobhan, now a decadent, corrupt aristocrat of the most stereotypical type, and a common warlord of the Mobutu Sese Seko type.
Yet another reason why this one wholeheartedly approves of Shadow's desire to get rid of the 'battering ram'. Not like Siobhan was in any way better than the Sith. If she hated them so much, she should have fought on Teta!


In any case Dusk fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been pulled and his droids were blown to scrape. Siobhan was obviously satisfied, once again demonstrating her contempt for civil rights, property and commerce. After all, it was not like trading with phrik was forbidden, but then she was probably the monopolist sort.


She gestured to one of the Firemane troopers, who promptly picked Dusk up and cuffed him, then motioned to Tempest. "Well, that escalated quickly. Good work. Let's get him to HQ. Take the cargo. I want that freighter thoroughly searched. Only authorised personnel boards it, she said and so within a few minutes a still stunned Dusk had been hauled into a Firemane speeder and was being sped through the air to the Firemane compound, where an orderly interrogation room awaited him. Fortunately Moira Skaldi had moved on and did no longer handle the interrogations. At the port business went on as usual and the security guards politely looked the other way. The crates and boxes of cargo were likewise confiscated by the Firemane troops and taken with them.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
When Mr Dusk came to he was in a foul temper.
“What in the hells is this?” he growled, trying to stand up
“Sit down!” Tempest growled. She took out a piece of Phrik and put it on the table. “Where did you get this?”
“Never seen it before in my life,” Dusk said without even looking at it.
“Think harder! It was found on your ship.”
“Then you probably planted it there, darkie!”
Tempest’s eyes narrowed. Her fists clenched and a building of static electricity indicated she was about to go Storm on him. “Say that again, Mr Dusk,” she said politely.
Perhaps realising his peril, Dusk just shrugged. “Easy, darling. Nothing personal.”
“Then tell us where this came from or it will be very personal!” Tempest said grimly. He still seemed uncooperative, so Tempest turned to where Siobhan was hidden in the corner. “I think Mr Dusk could use some encouragement….”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


So far Firemane was proving itself as not being above the methods of warlords and tin pot juntas. One wondered what Tegaea Alcori, whose writer called her Neutral Good, thought. Perhaps she was in the dark, which would not be to her credit. Then again, she had once ordered Moira to 'persuade' a scientist to hand over her reactor to the Leviathan project. Fortunately Siobhan Sese Seko would get what she deserved in this thread.



Regardless, our would-be warlord and decadent aristocrat stepped out of the shadows in the corner of the room as she heard Tempest. Her coming was heralded by a cloud of smoke caused by her smoking. Perhaps she had watched too many spy movies, "Control yourself," she ordered Tempest before she affixed her gaze upon Dusk, cold eyes boring into him.



"In your own interests...I'd advise you to change your tone. This can end fast and civilised and you can go free without a mark against you...or it can get very unpleasant for you. You know what I can do. I doubt any of the natives would care if I threw the key away and left a, what's it called again, odolosh, cheating whiteskin, to rot and languish. I don't have the patience for you playing games. Now, where did you get the phrik from? Who is your supplier? she demanded icily. Her tone was strangely controlled, perhaps surprisingly so for her, but there was steel behind them. Siobhan was not even remotely capable of mentalism beyond the simplest mind trick, but there was a piercing quality to her eyes as if they were boring right into him, something emphasied by the flash in her bionic eye.



Of course, maybe Dusk would remain stubborn.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
This one notes that good does not equal nice, and that Tegaea was not above reasonable uses of authority. She would frown on torture or such really evil or illegal acts, and tolerated Siobhan’s actions because they accomplished a greater goal under her direction. Excuse, reason or justification? That is for the reader to decide.

Mr Dusk though was clearly not as big league as he liked to think he was, as he cracked pretty much at once.
“Alright, alright! Kriff, I don’t know what it is with you people! I got the Phrik dead cheap from a supplier on Corellia.”
“Who?” Tempest asked. When he hesitated she slammed a fist onto the table, making Dusk jump. “Who?!”
“His name’s Gaiseric. Look, don’t tell him I told you. I don’t know where he got it from. Honest!”
He seemed genuine, and it was clear that as the bottom level distributor, he wouldn’t know anything about the actual origins.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


This one does not dispute that 'good is not nice', but notes that OP did use torture, both physical and psychological, during the Bando Gora War. In any event, without a Tegaea-shaped restraining bolt Siobhan would probably end up being no different from your typical murderous Sith lord if she wound up in a position of authority. Hence why this has described her as destruction on a leash.



That said, this one was not criticising the writing. After all, they have a strong appreciation of irony.



"Thank you for your cooperation," Siobhan said dryly without a hint of irony. "You would not mind giving us a description and location where you met him?" After this had presumably been provided she gave a nod to one of the guards. "He doesn't know anything more, untie his bonds and release him. Not a word of this to anyone, Mr Dusk."



She gestured to Tempest and led her out. "We'll deal with this Gaiseric. I'll have Heli check-up on the name. Perhaps we can arrange a 'meeting'."

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
“Heli? Your catgirl friend? Do we pay her in balls of yarn?” Tempest joked.

She grew serious. “Do we really need to? I mean, Dusk is out of the game now. Does it matter if some people are selling Phrik? Not our problem, more the Protectorate’s issue, right?”
The universe pivoted on the decision to come. Did Shadow really know his target as well as he thought?

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


"She has a nice tail. It's sexy," Sio chuckled. Just how many fetishes did she have? Well...


But then she turned serious. Part of her felt a bit annoyed about being questioned. She did not like that! Tempest did bring up a valid point, but Siobhan was not the type to let things go. "True, but I wouldn't rely much on the Protectorate," she said a bit bitchily. Apparently she could not abide the fact that the Protectorate was doing just fine without her! "We're not the space police, but he may find others to deliver into our territory. Besides, if this guy's sitting on a big phrik deposit I would not mind having it. Could make shiny toys out of it or sell it."



Apparently Sio's cardinal sins were wroth, lust, pride and greed. It was quite a list! That left envy, gluttony and sloth.



"Who knows, it may be going to the One Sith. They don't need even more assets now that Jedi are switching to them left and right at the drop of a hat. I'll have Heli dig up if she can find anything juicy. Can't go now anyway since the rest of today is packed with...meetings. I want the phrik we recovered to be metallurgically looked over and analysed."