Trial by Fire (Maelion)

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"], [member="Maelion Liates"]


'"If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skin into their clothing - and if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."


The instructions had been simple, laconic and to the point. In other words, typical for Archangel. Reavers had been sighted in the caverns. Find and kill them. She'd been given a Sith blade and a vibroknife. She strongly suspected that her benefactors had put the fiends there on purpose in order to test her and provide a challenge. Perhaps a few months ago this would've upset Enyo or made her question their motives. But not anymore. Not when she had a clear goal in mind: The extermination of Siobhan Kerrigan and all she loved.


Enyo moved through the cavern with great caution, trying to be mindful of her environment, for Gehenna was dangerous and had never been tamed. Everywhere was the sight of war. Here a corroding piece of metal, there a blaster mark on a scorched wall. Elsewhere though rusted wreckage lay, and the bones of beasts bred by the Bando Gora had been left where they lay. All the death and slaughter had left behind a psychic imprint, a disturbance in the Force.


The girl was on edge and trying to clamp down on her nerves. This was all preparation for what she had to do. She could not fear rule her, yet she'd never been fought opponents in the flesh before. She winced when she heard screeches and spun, feeling certain that she'd heard noise. No fiend pounced out of the shadows to meet her blade, so she relaxed.


As it turned out, she'd relaxed far too soon. Her only warning was a psychic whisper in her ear, then a mace came swinging towards her head. It had only been a whisper, but Enyo had the presence of mind to heed it and so she ducked quickly in the nick of time. The mace passed by her skull rather than bashing it but a horrible pain came from her shoulder. It was not a full-on blow, but it was guaranteed to leave nasty purple bruises.


Now the fiend came into view. Its eyes glowed a bright sapphire, its skin was grotesquely deformed and mutilated. The Acolyte fell to the cold, stone ground. However, instincts took over and she quickly broke into a roll to avoid getting smashed when the mace came for her once again. Her blade surged upward to rake across the beast's left leg, scoring a bloody cut. As it was, that only seemed to make the monstrosity angrier and so the Reaver came at her again. With great effort, she managed to overturn a strong blow and, calling upon her power, slam a burst of telekinetic energy into the beast to blow it away.


However, Enyo was still a novice when it came to the ways of the Force, and so the Reaver managed to grab her by her hair and pull her along with it as her telekinetic push sent it flying. The beast smelt most vile and its sharp claws dug into her head. The beast's grip was as tight as a droid's pincers.


A good, hard kick managed to weaken the beast's grip and she was sent sprawling across the ground. Her sword had fallen out of her grasp. She had been lucky to avoid crashing into a wall. Her reprieve was short-lived as the Reaver charged her. Enyo side-stepped at the last second and then made a valiant effort break her fist on the beast's jaw via Force-enhanced strength. The beast countered by swinging its own gigantic fist in an attempt to crack the Acolyte's skull open.


In a blur her vibroknife was in her hand and she tried to ram it into the beast's chest, aiming to drive it into its heart. The knife connected and blood seeped out of a wound, but before she could drive it through the beast simply wrapped both its hands around her throat and lifted her up to its height as it strangled her.


Her vision became blurry and things threatened to go dark as she felt her windpipe being crushed. Sheer rage and hatred coursed through her. She grabbed the beast's wrists and her knee surged upward to ram into the creature's jaw. Again and again. The sheer ferocity of her blows took the beast by surprise and it staggered.


Its own hatred and hunger animated her, giving her fuel. As she was released, a bolt of lightning leapt from her fingertips, coiling across the beast's hand like a snake. The beast lunged at her but more lightning bolts struck it. The beast spasmed as it was pretty much being cooked by the electrical onslaught, then she rammed the knife through its chest.
Enyo clutched her bruised throat and gasped for air after the beast had died, but there was no reprieve, for another fiend emerged from the shadows and charged her like an ox or battering ram. Her sword flew into her hand and their blades collided.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
And so Maelion had taken one of her new clones on a field trip. This would open the way for Enyo to receive some valuable training.

Though Maelion had not put these Reavers here she had taken the opportunity swiftly. Enyo performed well, though had almost been slain by a second monster, then almost choked by that same enemy. However she had overcome her enemy.

Maelion entered the cavern, delicately stepping over the husks of the two creatures.
“You did well, Enyo.” She did not lecture her on her almost fatal lack of detection nor her methods. For one she had Talsir to do that, and for a second the Force was not something Maelion was too capable of critiquing on.

“For the next area I will come with you, support you. Would you prefer I be at range or close in?” She didn’t usually give Enyo such choices, but the clone was growing and one day would need to command as well as fight. It would aid her to learn about roles here.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Enyo thrust her blade through the second Reaver's black heart. The creature gasped for breath one last time, fell forward and crashed to the ground, falling like a sack of potatoes. The Clone of Siobhan Kerrigan was left standing. Her detection skills needed a lot of work, she'd almost been killed, but she'd won in the end. There was a lot of room for improvement, but the bruises would be lessons for her. It would only make her stronger. At this point, she wholeheartedly believed that. Talsir's indoctrination had clearly left its mark on the young clone.


She breathed in deeply, sucking in air. However, she was more alert now and thus was not caught off-guard when Maelion came, though the HRD could move very quietly. This was a useful trait for an infiltration droid...or an assassin.


Enyo tilted her head to the side when her benefactor spoke. It was a quirk she'd unconsciously picked up from the Archangel HRDs. "Thank you," she said simply. There was no lecture, but Enyo knew she had much to work on. No exaggerated praise, but that was fine with her. She wasn't like Siobhan, who presided over a court of fawning sycophants who hung on her every word.


Maelion's question gave her pause for a moment. "You can handle range. I'll go closeup," she responded. Maelion was obviously a lot stronger than Enyo, but that's why the human should take the front to learn. Moreover, it meant there was no risk of damaging the HRD if Enyo resorted to lightning. Besides, Maelion was a more precise shooter.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“Understood,” Maelion replied simply. The droid drew a pair of heavy blasters and checked each in turn. With that done the pair set off into the caverns further.

The lava tunnels still showed signs of battle, but they soon passed into an area where Enyo had not been before. Enyo would further sense a rise in the Dark Side clinging to everything, something Maelion naturally could not feel.

Finally they came to a chamber larger than any others, the walls honeycombed with holes like a sponge.

“The Bando Gora sent their initiates here and they were consumed by a creature or creatures called the ‘Nightmare Brood’. They later sent captives here to appease the creatures. When you step into that room you will be a target, but they cannot leave it. They come from the walls. I will support you from here, but the danger is real, there is no easy way to make it stop except through victory or death.”

However, she did offer a band to tie around Enyo’s waist so she could be, in theory, hauled back quickly if needed.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


The surge of Dark Side energies was palpable. Darkness clogged the air, it slithered and seethed across the ground like a mass of tentacles. The disembodied, impotent spirits whispered and wailed, lamenting their terrible fate, for there was no escape from this place.


Unless they were set free or consumed. A large chamber stood before them. Enyo listened grimly while Maelion spoke. Not so long ago the oppressive darkness and the wailing of spirits would have troubled her. She might have felt hesitation or sympathy. But not anymore.


She nodded curtly. "I read about them. It's said they devour the souls of their victims, denying them rest. Perfect for a crazy cult," she quietly. It was easier to motivate Enyo to pick up a book and use it for something other than a club. Trying to resist the darkness made her feel nauseous, the voices only grew louder...so she stopped.


Instead she drew upon its power, just like Talsir had taught her. The anger, hatred and fear of thousands permeated this place. Anyone who let these energies flow through them would be shaped and corrupted, but the clone didn't care. "Victory or death. It's my trial by fire. Let's do this," her grip tightened around her sword and she cautiously stepped inside.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“Then go. There are lessons to be learned here which you do not yet know you will learn.”
Unexpectedly mysterious from the HRD.

As Enyo would step into the chamber she’d hear distant hissing and slithering. Suddenly, from one of the many holes, a glistening black tendril would emerge and shoot towards her, trying to seize and drag her away!

Maelion did not shoot yet, but she was ready.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


As soon as she crossed the threshold she heard hissing noise. Something was slithering around like a snake or large worm. Enyo kept her ears peeled, feeling on edge. It was so dark that she could barely see anything.


So she didn't try to. Instead she let the Force guide her vision. Or rather she willed the Force to give her insight and provide her the direction she needed. She was no Jedi, she was not afraid of the darkness. She had been raised and moulded by it in the of Gehenna. Perhaps on the day she saw sunlight again it would be nothing to her but blinding. Moderately plagiaristic references aside, a glistening black tentacle suddenly emerged and shot towards her, trying to grab her!


But this time Enyo was prepared and quickly sidestepped, then stabbed down to cut in twain. She whirled around and spun as a second tentacle shot towards her from behind and slashed at it. Pieces of flesh and the foul ichor of the strange beast coated her blade, but there seemed no end to the tentacular onslaught. It made Enyo wonder whether the source of the beast might be hidden somewhere...assuming it had one. The book had been silent on this.


She pulled the Force into her muscles and leapt over a tentacle, blasting it with lightning as she somersaulted. But during mid-flight her legs were suddenly seized in a vice-grip. Her legs felt like they were being squished, she could feel the monstrosity leeching her energies. The clone struggled against the python-like grip as the monster tried to drag her away.


The tentacle was lined with sharp, venomous teeth that sliced into the young clone's flesh. Pain surged through her when the poison coursed through her body. Images of horror flashed through her mind, as if the monster was forcing her to relive its kills. Darkness filled her eyes as they turned into orbs ob obsidian. Summoning her rage, she brought a massive telekinetic hammer down upon the tendril in an attempt to completely crush it.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Maelion went into action to protect her charge. Accurate streams of blaster bolts sliced through tentacles as they closed in on the clone. Yet, for every tendril blasted or hewn apart, another one came in its place. It seemed like the creature…or creatures…was finally waking up fully, and more and more tendrils started to come forth.

It seemed like the attacks would never end…and perhaps this was part of the lesson. Enyo would have to learn that there was not always an easy victory, that sometimes one’s pride must be tempered with prudence.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


There was no end to the onslaught. For every tentacle blasted or cut down, another sprung out of a hole to take its place. This was not a creature that could be slain or tired out. It was an entity of the Dark Side and their intrusion had awoken it.


Enyo fought like someone who was possessed by a daemon. She hewed down tendrils with her blade, blasted them with lightning or broke them with telekinesis. All the pain she felt only seemed to make her angrier and heighten her rage. The dark side energies heightened her aggression, throwing her into an almost bestial rage so that she had to struggle to control herself. Soon the chamber was littered with broken tendrils and the floor was coated by their foul ichor. But she was in a good deal of pain, tiring and frustrated. Blood spilt out of an injury in her leg where she'd been bitten earlier. Her body was drenched in sweat.


There was no easy victory here. Perhaps no victory at all. Sometimes it was better to fold and retreat. "There's no end to them. We need to pull back," she exclaimed just after ducking a tentacle shooting down from above and electrocuting it with a blast of lightning. A warrior she might be, but she was not suicidal. Her entire body ached and she was panting.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
As soon as Enyo said as much, Maelion pulled on the line to draw her back, but escaping the tendrils was no easy matter. So, reaching to her belt she pulled out a plasma grenade.
“Enyo, shield now!” she ordered and threw it.

Mindlessly the tendrils grabbed the grenade and so it exploded in the midst of them, severing or burning dozens. With this done, Maelion was able to haul Enyo free and back to safety!

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


The iron fist of the droid gripped the line tight and thrust her back with superhuman strength, but a mass of tentacles was hot in pursuit, swarming them. Enyo was hard-pressed to keep them at bay with her blade and lightning. At this point she'd abandoned finesse and was simply hacking and slashing. Her body ached, but she responded to Maelion's command on instinct and pulled upon the tangled web of power. The Force wrapped itself around her in a protective, albeit rather basic cocoon, shielding her.


Boom. The chamber shuddered when the grenade exploded. Tentacles burst or were burnt. Blood and their fleshy bits smeared the walls and floor. Enyo was showered by dust, tentacle ichor and flesh. Once she had been hauled out of the chamber of doom she dropped down to the ground, panting. "I guess the lesson was 'you're never too badass to not get beaten and fighting for pride's sake is dumb'?" she asked rhetorically with a slightly sarcastic edge once she was able to formulate a coherent sentence.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Maelion continued to look impassive as she helped the clone up.
“Precisely. Your mirror suffers from pride and arrogance, often fighting for no reason than because of her dignity. You must learn different. A lesson told is never as effective as a lesson learnt.”
Surprisingly philosophical from the droid!

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Enyo frowned, but seemed to understand. Of course at this juncture it was rather easy for her, for she was still rather weak in the Force. "Cuts down limb replacements, huh?" Clearly she'd heard about her mirror's proclivity for losing limbs all the time. "I heard about Roche. Her troops paid the price because she was too proud to admit she was horribly outnumbered." Well, that and her writer had been given incorrect information about the asteroid! "So what's the next trial?"

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Maelion, who had been with the Republic at that time, tilted her head to the side. “Amongst other things, yes,” she said.

“Your next trial will not be as clearly noticed, and not as easily defeated. For this you will be leaving Gehenna and performing a mission for us. A mission only an organic can perform.”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Actually Maelion had already joined Omega Pyre by then. She left the Republic some time after the Onderon annexation since the Supreme Commander didn't appreciate here. She and Siobhan first met during the mission to take down Massive Dynamic, which had taken place before Roche.


Enyo knotted her brow together in contemplation. She felt a stab of enthusiasm at the prospect of finally leaving Gehenna and not being observed by machines 24/7! But at the same time she felt a bit fearful. "Tell me what this mission is about. I won't fail," she said. Eagerness won out.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“You will go to the moon Nar Shaadda and meeting a contact. You will be impersonating your mirror on this occasion. They are aware of Siobhan Kerrigan only by reputation, so you need only play the persona of her. They will have scanners which will detect droids, so you must go without our assistance to that meeting. However, one of our units will accompany you and provide assistance outside of that.”

“There is a Hutt who is selling some items, and we will acquire them rather than your mirror. Your methods for acquiring them, be it by payment or force will be your decision. Playing your mirror is distasteful, but to defeat her you must know her and be prepared to do things outside of your comfort zone.”

She looked around, sparing no attention on the mass of tendrils in the arena. “Now we will go.”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Enyo didn't like the idea of impersonating her mirror! It was a most distasteful assignment to her. "So I have to impersonate a pompous, power-hungry queen who tried to bed anything pretty and with a pulse. Ok. Got it." The sarcasm was strong with her. "But I see the logic, so I will do it."


Admittedly she probably didn't have a choice in the matter, but though the idea was odious to her, she saw Maelion's point. Besides, part of her saw a certain thrill in thwarting Siobhan, even if it was only a minor thing. "What are the items you want and how will I identify our contact? Any information you can give me on the Hutt and his gang?" Snark mode had passed, she was all business now.


She remembered that Siobhan had grown up on Nar Shaddaa, but that had been almost 20 years ago, so 99.9% of the people would only know her by reputation, assuming the name meant anything to them in the first place. A thousand thoughts were shooting through Enyo's mind as they left the cavern. One thought popped up. "Siobhan has red hair. I don't. I suppose I need a wig or hair dye."

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“A wig would be the easiest to obtain,” Maelion commented blandly. “The items we require are powerful Force conductive crystals which we hope to use for some of our machines. We cannot tell if they are genuine; that is another reason you must go.”

“I have hired some local mercenaries who will provide backup. Their leader, Daria Kaz, will be waiting for you. They do not know you are not Siobhan, nor your true purpose. When you have acquired the items you are to either pay off the mercenaries or dispose of them, as you wish. We have a safehouse where you can find sanctuary when needed. You will have complete control over our unit which we send with you.”

“The Hutt is from a lower family in the Cartels, attempting to gain more power and influence. Its name is Areenu.”


“Do you have any further questions?”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Enyo nodded. It was a lot to absorb! As strange as it might sound, the young clone felt honoured. From a certain point of view it could be argued that she was being thrown into cold a river and expected to swim, but it did not seem like that to her.


She was finally being offered the chance to leave the sterile, mechanical nest and get a mission of her own. She was being given responsibility. Being able to potentially screw with Firemane was just icing on the cake. "No, I believe I understand. I thank you for giving me this chance," she said.


Her voice was not particularly emotional, but the sincerity of her tone was obvious. Her lips curled into a feral smile. "I'll got get patched up and prepare myself for the mission." It was a probably a good thing that it was going to take place on such a rough world as Nar Shaddaa since it meant she probably would not be expected to strut around in a sissy dress.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Maelion nodded.
“A shuttle will be prepared for you. The unit assigned to you will be waiting for you there. Be ready within one standard hour.”

When Enyo appeared the HRD assigned to her would indeed be waiting. This one, a pretty blonde in a paramilitary outfit, tilted her head to the side as she approached. As usual she looked just tough enough to be taken seriously, but not enough to stand out and draw unwanted attention.
“This unit’s designation is ‘Vess Mirak’. I will assist you in any way possible. I have a selection of clothing and weapons on board similar to what Siobhan Kerrigan uses.”