Trial by Fire (Maelion)

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


There was predatory gleam in Enyo's eyes when she heard these words. She looked like a kath hound who'd smelt blood and was finally getting the chance of hunting prey after being caged for so long. It amused her how greed could make people act in such a petty - and foolish - manner. The smuggler was just another cretin on a planet full of scum.


Vess got a silent "I'll handle him myself. Instruct your minions to track him and make sure his ship doesn't take off. I'll requisition a speeder. Daria, take your team, you'll help block his escape." There was no time to be wasted, so she was already in motion and quickly headed out of the audience chamber.


One of the Hutt's mercenaries guided her out of the Hutt's palace and provided her with a speeder. Her HRD companion was waiting outside the garage and Enyo quickly hopped into the craft. The speeder's engines roared to life and it shot into the polluted night sky.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Swiftly it was accomplished. Enyo and Vess set off at great speed, reaching the spaceport just in time to see the great doors closing, trapping the freighter within.

However, the freighter was not without fangs, and when some of the Hutt goons launched an unwise foray into the hanger bay a ship mounted blaster cleaned them up.

Daria fell in beside Enyo in cover. “So, is this where we see your great and mightiness in action? I’ve heard stories about you, always wanted to see you crush a ship like it was a bug,” Daria said expectedly.

Vess meanwhile had a more realistic appraisal of the situation.
“We will stage a diversion. You get in close and cut your way in with the lightsabre,” the droid suggested.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

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


Unfortunately for Daria, this 'Kerrigan' could not use her awesome powers to crush a ship like a bug...yet. She could play the part, but Enyo was not Siobhan. This rankled with her more than she would have liked to admit. But it also fuelled her desire to surpass her.


"Smashing the ship like a bug would be fun, but the crystals wouldn't survive it," Enyo said dryly. Certainly better than admitting she could not do that. Not yet. One day she would. Envy and wroth were the young clone's deadly sins. She peeked out of cover to spie the ship's blaster cannon while it unleashed a hailstorm of red-hot bolts into the general direction of the intruders. The salvoes were not very precise, but effective at keeping the Hutt's goons and mercenaries suppressed.


"Give me some covering fire, and get me a couple grenades. I'll use the Force to get them to the turret and blow it up," she ordered her minions. Minions. She liked the way that word sounded in her head. It felt right.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Minions were very useful as her mirror had discovered. It was all very well to have great power over the Force, but without minions there was no ‘human’ element to it.

Daria and Vess obeyed, splitting into two groups and moving to fire blasters and move between cover.
The blaster cannon, not sure where to turn, fired wildly and missed, but gave Enyo the time she needed.

The mercenaries had prepared some thermal detonators and wrapped them up with stick-tape, ready for Enyo to do her levitation show.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Now was her moment. The blaster cannon belched out crimson beams of death, missing by far. The mercenaries weaved a path between cover whilst unloading their blasters upon the freighter. Time for the little clone to step up and use the Force.


So Enyo pulled upon the tangled web of power that was the Force. This display would probably not be considered impressive by a seasoned mage. It was something her mirror had done many times. After all, Siobhan could easily use her might to crush this vessel like a bug. But it was a big step for Enyo. It was a strain for her given her lack of experience, but she persevered.


Time to swallow her doubts, time to stop trying to be Siobhan and just be herself and act. A wind coalesced into being around her and the thermal detonators were abruptly primed, pulled into the air and thrust through the hangar towards the cannon. The heavy blaster swivelled around, but too late. Boom.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Thermal detonators were curious things, not explosives in the usual sense, but capable of vaporising any matter in their blast radius.

And so it happened here, the turret vanished, leaving a burning hole in the ship and a bright afterglow.

Now unarmed, the freighter sat and waited for them to board.

Daria stepped forward. “It’s over, Arn! Surrender or we’ll come in and root you out!”

“Alright, alright! I give up, kark, I don’t know what I’ve done. Why are you people so aggro?” a voice asked from the burning hole. It was a soft voice, one with only a little accent, male and sounding young. They didn’t show themselves yet, not until terms had been decided.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


"I am Siobhan Kerrigan and you have something that belongs to me. I want those crystals. No funny business, if you try to deceive me, I'll know. Come out and give them to me," Enyo commanded, stepping out of cover and allowing the smuggler to see her.


She was unconsciously drawing upon her powers to reinforce her words, for the Force could have a strong influence on the weak-minded and make them open to suggestions, stripping away the layers of resistance in their mind and instilling them with compliance. "Then I'll let you live." Thus she took another step into darkness without even knowing it. It is such a quiet thing, to fall.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
The smuggler seemed to think about this for a moment, then the hatch slowly opened.

A blaster pistol slid down the ramp to land on the docking bay floor.
“Alright, I’m coming down,” they said, stepping into the light, hands raised.

“Hey…the Siobhan Kerrigan? Big fan of yours, maybe not the ceiling dropping, but the standing up for the weak, yeah. I didn’t know you were involved, Areenu owes me a deal of credits, and I figured he’d never notice anyway. So I’ll give you the crystals and we’ll be square, right?”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Standing up for the week? You know nothing. Once again, Enyo felt a surge of anger rise inside her being. Kerrigan was no defender of the weak? She was a monster who needed to be eradicated.


The fact that she was on a path to become someone far worse than the Butcher of Roche seemed to escape her. But as she clamped down on her anger, some of what the man said resonated with her. He was unarmed, helpless and had surrendered. Just a normal guy living in a wretched hive of scum and villainy.


Killing someone a helpless person. cold blood was not something she'd do...yet. Perhaps it was simply inexperience, perhaps Archangel had indoctrinated her too well. The slug was useful, but she was not his enforcer. "Yes, give me the crystals and we're square," she responded. "And you'll have to pay the Hutt back." After all, he'd inconvenienced her! Someone more conniving would have tried to deceive the slug, but Enyo wasn't like that. Ironically this might be because of her Archangel upbringing because while the droids were evil, they were lawful evil.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
At this point the smuggler was eager to please and conciliate if it meant not being crushed by The Kerrigan.

“Sure, of course! Come right on board and I’ll give them to you.”

Vess stepped forward. “I will bring the case down,” she said so that the smuggler couldn’t retreat back inside.

Left alone, the smuggler tried a winning smile on Enyo. “Well, I wasn’t aware I had such an esteemed person after me. But, now I know….”

His features blurred and shifted, and in the place of a slightly feminine man was a very feminine woman, bust and with long blonde hair and bright eyes.

“I am so very sorry for inconveniencing you. Is there some way I could make it up to you?” she asked flirtatiously.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Enyo was not Siobhan Kerrigan. She lacked her experience, her worldliness and was technically less than two years old. Moreover, her mechanical caretakers had not seen fit to give her proper sex-ed. Suffice to say, the slightly effeminate man's transformation into a gorgeous woman surprised and flustered her. In a way, the clone was still rather innocent, so the sudden display of wanton sexuality shocked her.


After all, her caretakers were droids, Phaedra was her sister and Talsir had been her teacher. How Siobhan would have acted was obvious...but not Enyo was not her. She was torn between her mission and the fact that she could not take her eyes off the woman. Like Siobhan, Enyo was attracted to women. Her mirror had felt no desire for men until a mind meld showed her how pleasurable the other sex could be.


Uh, you're a shifter? The clone was suddenly assaulted by feelings she could not understand. Lessons about self-control were a bit hard to follow when a woman was practically throwing herself at you and it seemed her breasts looked like they were about to spill out into your hands.


The warmth of her breath caressed Enyo's ear, then she felt a hand touch her shoulder, pulling her closer. "I...uh...well...you're very attractive...but I'm not...," she stammered, making a complete fool of herself.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“Aww, what’s the matter, Lady? Sand-cat got your tongue?”
The smuggler’s hand was gently placed on Enyo’s toosh.
“Come on, come on board and I’ll repay you in person….”

Vess at this moment appeared and put the case down loudly on a crate.
“Her Ladyship is not interested in that,” the HRD said sternly.

“Like hell she isn’t!” the mercenary called jeeringly. “Surprised you needed an invitation, you’re not known for modesty, Lady Kerrigan.”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


At this point Enyo's cheeks had turned lobster red. She could not handle the blatant come-ons, the teasing and mocking jeerings. Vess' commanding tone only exacerbated. She was angry with the droid for not letting her decide for herself, angry with the smuggler for having this effect on her and angry with the mercenary for mocking her. Above all, she was frustrated with herself and her lack of self-control. Same applied to how good the gentle hand on her butt felt. She was supposed to be better than Siobhan Kerrigan!


These feelings found an outlet in an explosion of rage. "I can speak for myself, and I'm not interested. Leave," she said coldly. Her power manifested an invisible hand and she unleashed her telekinetic willpower upon Daria, enveloping the mercenary's throat in a Wookiee hug and squeezing hard. "You did not heed your lesson." This time she did not loosen her grip.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
The smuggler took the distraction like a true champion, and skipped up the ramp, shutting it tight. S/he’d not be able to take off into space because of the hole in the ship, but could get airborne to get repairs.

Daria meanwhile choked and struggled, but her hand fell to her blaster, and pulling it loose as she started to pass out she fired wildly at Enyo.

Suddenly, Vess was there, taking a blaster bolt meant for Enyo to the chest and stumbling, but not falling.

The other mercenaries, seeing their leader choking and a HRD in their midst, drew their weapons to fight….

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, like in one of those cliched action movies Enyo's mirror loved to watch. Daria chocked and struggled in the clone's iron grip, being forced into unconsciousness as she found herself unable to breathe. A blaster bolt meant for Enyo caught Vess in the chest. The mercenaries drew their weapons for a fight...and what did little Enyo do?


Enyo experienced a Force awakening of her own. She stopped doubting, stopped fretting and gave herself over to the liberating power of her own rage. Her own anger was fuelled by that of the mercenaries'. Their anger, rage and fear was like a drug for her. She gourged herself on them, letting them amplify her own power. Enyo had a long way to go before she could become a Master of the Force, but she was taking another step into darkness. Snap-hiss.


The blue beam of her lightsabre sprang to life, casting her face into a sapphire light. A blaster bolt was batted away by the blade and reflected into a shooter's knee, then she leapt into the fray with a nearly inhuman leap, jumping straight towards surprised mercenaries.


She held the weapon's hilt with both hands, and jabbed at the first mercenary who engaged her with a horizontal stabbing motion, with a big forward thrust into his belly, letting his guts sizzle. Caught off-guard, the man was run through and died.


Adrenaline rushed through her blood and she whirled around to engage another attacker. The elegant weapon hummed and sliced his hand off before he could use his vibrosword, then she cleaved him from shoulder to belly. However, then she cried out in pain, snarling like an animal, when a mercenary's pike slashed across her right leg, slicing through the leather and drawing blood.


The clone stumbled, narrowly missing a blaster bolt. A kick to the face knocked her over and broke her nose, making her feel dazed and momentarily disorientated. Acting on instinct, she cartwheeled when she found herself getting cornered, parrying away a blow meant for her head. She drew strength from the darkest recesses of her mind and unleashed a blast of telekinesis.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
The mercenary in the path of the blow was hurled at the wall like a ragdoll and there was a crunching noise and they fell lifeless to the deck.

As one came forward though from her flank with blaster raised they were suddenly knocked down by a blaster bolt coming from Vess. The HRD, not looking too much worse for wear, advanced, firing and gunning down another two mercenaries.

In moments it was over.

However, they had a minor problem; the Hutt’s soldiers were watching, and had not intervened but looked like they might do so. However, the sight of the bloodied yet triumphant Siobhan and the bloodied droid persuaded them that discretion was the better part of valour and dispersed.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


And so it was all over. The floor of the small hangar bay was littered with corpses. Enyo was panting and in pain, her hair was in disarray, her eyes a radioactive shade of yellow. Blood seeped out of the wound in her right leg. But she was still victorious. Seeing that the Hutt's goons had dispersed, she switched off her lightsabre and reattached it to her belt.


"That's what happens when I'm crossed," she said flatly. Her rage had given her strength. She looked like she was coming down from a spice high. The rush had passed, now she just felt tired. But equally she felt hungry. Exerting dominance and slaughtering the scum had felt good. Was this what her mirror felt when she unleashed her power?


It might explain a few things. The cravings frightened her a bit. "We have your leader's credits for him." It was time to wrap things up and leave this accursed moon. Fighting the pain in her leg, she retrieved a medpac and bandaged her wound. Then she limped towards the crate and peeked inside. The crystals were the genuine article.

 

[Maelion Liates]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Vess’ thoughts were of course hard to read as the HRD pulled a coat over herself to conceal the injury. It hadn’t hit anywhere too vital and the droid did not seem to be especially damage. Not feeling pain was an advantage.

Vess hauled the crate of crystals into the hover sled and soon they were on their way. The bodies of the dead mercenaries were soon being picked over by scavengers and disposed of. More dead to feed the maw of Nar Shaddaa.

“I will have our ship prepared,” Vess commented.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maelion Liates"]


"Thank you. Let's go." Enyo's voice was mechanical and devoid of emotion. In other words, a lot like the HRD's. She gave the dead bodies one last look when the scavengers picked them up, after looting them like carrion would. More dead to feed Nar Shaddaa's gaping maw. It always hungered for more. Her rage had been liberating. Just as the power had been intoxicating. And yet...she had completely lost control due to what had been a trivial matter. She had gone mad and turned into a raging berserker.


However, she was alone with her thoughts. Vess was not someone to confide in. HRDs were not known for pep talks. So she buried her feelings when they boarded the ship. She was tired and so, after transmitting a quick report to Maelion, went to sleep in her bunk. Siobhan Kerrigan's face stared back at her in the mirror.