Public When the Cards All Fold (Kaeshana/Invite)

[Hevana Martin]

"You are not well enough to just go home and sleep it off Coryth," Hevana said sternly. "Like it or not when we get back either you're going to the hospital, or I'll make damn sure the hospital gets moved to your place."

When Coryth moved to get up, Hevana placed her hand against her love's chest. She did not push down, she simply did not let Coryth push up. Given the difference in strength and Coryth's weakened disposition the outcome was easy to predict. "You need rest love. Unless you can use your fancy Force powers to heal yourself here and now, you're just going to have to rely on other people to make you better. Don't make me have to tie you down."

Then Hevana leaned closer speaking more softly so the medical staff would not overhear, but no less sternly. "You know how good I am with ropes. I'd rather our first time with bondage be a bit more romantic."

[member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Surprisingly Tegaea was not actually at the Villa when the call came through. Rather, she was supervising construction of a new fortification to the north and east of Santaissa. This fortification would be twinned by another one to form another formidable barrier to any attacker.

It was whilst she was on site, wearing an unflattering hi-vis vest, hard hat and steel cap boots, that Harmony came over to her.
"My apologies, Lady, a message from Lady Kerrigan. She says she will be arriving within the hour. Jedi Master Elaris is with them and very sick."
Tegaea nodded. "I will go there. Carry on here. If anything important comes up, contact me."
It wasn't like she was needed, so she finished up her work on site and headed back home. She'd likely arrive at almost the same time as Siobhan and her companions.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


"This is not up for negotiation, Coryth. In your state, you're not gonna be on your own. And don't even think of running off after the box alone because some creepy voice says it," Mistress Thuella said sternly.


See, Siobhan had lots of experience with possession and dark voices from the ether, prattling about how they would 'help you' if you only went to the generic place of corruption. Well, Shadow had been a good deal less blatant. Presumably Siobhan had by now been spaced and almost killed by time because the timeline is messed up anway. Never mind, one day she would tear him to pieces just like Xerxes had just been.


She briefly looked at Hevana. "I can make arrangements for the medical staff to put a bed in for you in her room." Not like they could not do what she told them to. In any event while this sweet scene took place the ship had pierced the atmosphere and was now in the process of landing at the landing pad of the Firemane villa near headquarters. If our three heroines had been in the mood they could have perhaps admired the beautiful sites, for change had come to Kaeshana. For one there was the gleaming city of Santaissa that even now was still a beauty to hold, and the new fortifications that were springing up.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth glanced frantically between Siobhan and Hevana. "Please .... guys ... I don't need a hospital. I just want to go home. To be in my own bed. Please..." She pleaded with them. The hospital being the last place she wished to be. "I'm fine, really I am..." Not that she was fooling anyone with that statement.

She tried vainly to push up against Hevana, getting more and more frustrated. "Hevana, let me up! Please!" Begging as tears formed in her eyes. Truly she didn't want to be in the hospital in the least. A healer, and being on the other side of it was fine, being the patient, not so much.

The little redhead was starting to pant at her exertion, as well as the panic rising up in her. "Please! Please! Let me go!" She cried as tears started to roll down her cheeks as she reached up to pull at Hevana's arm to try and free herself.

Panting, terrified for reasons unknown she glanced to Siobhan. "Please, Siobhan I don't want to do this." The redhead was getting more and more frustrated and certainly wanted her freedom and to not be trapped in a hospital bed.

Finally her frustrations came to a head, "Let me go!" Weakly in the force she reached out to push both women away with a small telekinetic wave. With that done, she rose from the bed, reaching to try and remove her IV's, hellbent on getting away from the hospital and the hospital personnel. She just wanted to be alone, in her own home, even if it was not in her best interests.

Even as weak as the telekinetic wave had been, it was really all the energy the little redhead had to fight with. As she managed to pull out one IV, the first step she took, ended with her collapsing to her knees in a fit of tears. "I ... just .... I ....." The poor thing broke into a sobbing fit, unsure what to do, but knew she was unlikely to be able to escape the fate of the hospital.

The box entered her mind again, pulling at her, talking to her. Reaching up with both hands she clutched at her head. "It won't stop! It won't leave me alone! Make the voices stop!" She cried painful. But the thing had such a strong, powerful grip upon her mind, digging deeper by the moment. "Make it stop...." She whimpered.

[member="Tegaea Alcori"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Hevana Martin"] [member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]

Remember... The world of Traya. Malachor. You must come here alone - for if you do not, I will not be able to assist you. The one who possesses me will leave, and you will suffer the eternal consequences of being neglected by my power. You need me. You want what I can give to you in order to restore your body to the state it originally was in. And the one who possesses me wishes for a... second chance. To make up for what she once failed to get.

The box would speak to her once again, but not as forcefully this time. Circe had noticed the glow, and was grinding her fingers on the cube, trying to get it to stop glowing for the time being.

 

[Hevana Martin]

Hevana stumbled back at the Force push, but easily caught her footing from such a weakened blast. Still, it had managed to keep her off balance just enough for Coryth to get off the bed and collapse to the floor. The soldier felt spark of anger at the healer's refusal to accept necessity, but the anger vanished as quickly as it appeared.

As Coryth cried out Hevana rushed forward and fell to her knees wrapping her arms around the Jedi protectively. "It's okay, I'm here Coryth. Listen to me, not it. We'll find it, and we'll stop it. I promise. Just stay here with me, stop fighting us trying to help you."

Hevana looked over to Siobhan. "Instead of moving the hospital to her room, can we move a hospital to a ship? I don't think we have time to rest."

[member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Having felt the ripples inside the Force Siobhan was prepared as the force push came sweeping towards her. So she exerted her telekinetic willpower to dissipate the blast without losing her footing. However, Hevana had already caught up with Coryth and was trying to comfort her, so Siobhan saw no grounds to intrude there.


"Listen to Hevana. We just want to help you. We can do that better together than when you're alone. You wouldn't let me go off alone either," she said softly before turning her attention to the soldier. "She needs a full fledged. Help's coming from a Jedi healer I called. Phylis Alince. She saved Coryth's life back when she was at the Temple. Maybe you should charry her."


She took a few steps closer to the pair, though hopefully not too close since she did not want Coryth to think she was being cornered. "Cory, I know it's hard and it's painful. No one deserves this any less than you. But what is the box telling you? What is trying to get you to do?"

 

[Coryth Elaris]

The little redhead kept sobbing, clutching at her head. In truth it wasn't just her head that hurt but her entire body ached. The dark sludge that was spreading across her skin, her scars, was causing the woman so much pain. "I'm ... not trying ... to fight you... all." For that was a battle she knew very well she could never win. Cory was only just the stubborn sort, determined to have things her way.

"I... just don't want ... to be ... in a ... hospital." She managed to speak between sobs. "Seen ... too much... of them." With all her work as a healer, hospitals had been something akin to a second home to the Jedi Master. Even with Hevana comforting the little woman, it just wasn't enough.

The redhead gave a small nod at the name Phylis, the woman who had saved her life, bought her valuable time to try and find a cure was coming here to help her. But the question remained of how much Coryth could be helped with the ancient box still holding a powerful dominion within her mind.

She tensed as Siobhan approached, feeling a little bit cornered. She choked back her sobs as the question was asked. "It ... it wants me to come to it. To ... come alone. It says it can help me, make me whole again." She managed a sigh between, "But it's not alone. Whoever has the box wants a second chance with me...." She shook her head slowly, "And I don't know who this person is, nor how powerful they are." Once again she sighed, "It, they want me to come to the world of Traya ... Malachor." She managed before her head bobbed forward nearly sending her into unconsciousness. Coryth was simply too weak for travel right now. The woman needed rest, and much needed medical attention. Even if she was not willing to admit this.

The tiny woman managed to look up to the group around her. "I want to sleep now. Can I sleep?" She asked in an almost childlike manner, but her body had been exhausted as well as her mind. It was to be expected that she'd be a bit out of sorts.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Hevana Martin"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"] [member="Enigma"]

 

[Hevana Martin]

At this point Hevana really had no idea what to do. Coryth needed to be in a hospital, but was adamantly against it. Not to mention she was hearing creepy voices in her head, which only had to aggravate an already tender emotional state. While the soldier could easily force Coyrth to stay if push came to shove, that would not necessarily help the smaller woman. So rather on focusing on the things that she could not do, Hevana focused on the ones she could.

"Don't matter how many are out there, we'll crush 'em. Heck, you have two whole armies standing at your side, how can they possibly stop that?"

She gestured to Siobhan and herself when she mentioned armies, a wry smile on her face. At Siobhan's suggestion and Coryth's request for sleep, Hevana picked the sick woman up and gently laid her onto a medical bed, Reaching down she gave Coryth a kiss on the forehead. "Rest well, my love."

[member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


"It's a Sith trying to manipulate and toy with you. Whatever it says it's a lie to get you into its clutches. Otherwise it wouldn't be causing you pain like that or try to convince you to go a Sith death world to the academy of an omnicidal madwoman," Siobhan said seriously, upon hearing the Obviously Evil Plot. The whole 'come to the planet of doom that reeks of Sith and you'll be whole again. A nice person wants a second chance with you' line was not fooling her for even a moment. She happened to have plenty of experience with semi-demonic possession, voices whispering into your mind from the ether and artefacts of doom. "Lay down and rest, dear. We'll help you. We'll find the bloody box and thrash it to pieces. You won't be a Sith's toy ever again."


Afer Hevana had laid the ill redhead on the medical bed and given her a kiss Siobhan turned to her. "The box is the key and some Sith has their hands on it. Malachor's an old Sith stronghold but now a burnt-out husk. The Silver Jedi recently claimed the planet for some reason, so I doubt the Sith has a legion of beasts conveniently hidden there unless their security really sucks. So it wants her alone in the one place where it can control her. Main problem is Cory's health and the box messing with her mind. Phylis can provide a reprieve and stabilise her condition for a while, but we need to get to Malachor. Whatever Sith magic is ailing her, the box is connected to it, and we only got half the cure on Tatooine." That, and kill whichever Sith was trying to mess with her.

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Hevana Martin"]

A fair way across the galaxy, on Ossus, Jedi Master Phylis Alince was wrestling with a formidable opponent. It was a creature which had come from where she knew not. Insatiable was its hunger, and relentless was its pursuit of its goals.

<Hungry!> the Jester demanded.

Phylis sighed and offered it another cracker. It rapidly consumed it and continued to look expectant.

“Where did you come from? I bet this is a prank by Siobhan,” she grumbled.

The little Jester, annoyed at being annoyed, came forward and butted his head into her ankle.

“Ow, you little horror!” Phylis cried. “That’s it, you’re going to the pound.”

The little Jester looked up at her with wide, innocent black eyes.

<Don’t want! Like you! Hungry?>

Phylis was far too kind hearted to cast the furball out, so she picked it up and looked it in the eye.

“Alright, but you’re not to make a bother of yourself. Understand?”

<Me be good!> the Jester said eagerly, purring.

Phylis sighed and put the creature down. Then she remembered. She had a message…yes, a message. Where?
Rooting through her work she found her datapad and activated it. It was a message from Siobhan. At first she suspected it was a smug email asking her how she enjoyed her new Jester. Rather, it was a touching request asking for help with Coryth Elaris.

Frowning, Phylis considered, but not for too long. She composed a reply;
“Siobhan, I will be there within two standard days. See you then.”

She looked down at the Jester, who was industriously trying to eat the table leg.

“ You are coming with me. Maybe Siobhan will want another waif and stray. Gee-six-nine, get the ship prepped!” she called.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

[member="Phylis Alince"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Hevana Martin"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

For all her desires, even Coryth knew the she'd have to go to the hospital. Her beloved friends would not allow otherwise. Nor were any of the doctors or nurses on the ship. So upon landing at Kaeshana, the little redheaded stack of fire was taken to the hospital, and promptly setup in a hospital room, under the most watchful eyes of highly skilled doctors and nurses. All while the little redhead slept somewhat peacefully.

It was a momentary break without Coryth that the others would be able to discuss the situation, and debate and perhaps decide the best means for moving forward. Siobhan had good points about the Sith being in control of the toy and manipulating her. Though it was a very ancient force at work paired with a more modern one, that didn't really change the threat.

 

[Hevana Martin]

"I'm sure we don't have a bunker to bust again, but we have no idea what kind of powers this box has," Hevana said to Siobhan. "We need to be prepared for anything."

After they arrived back at base, she accompanied her love and the medical staff. Once Hevana was sure Coryth was settled in the hospital, she met up with the others. Standing slightly off to the side, she was flipping a knife in one hand as she tried to keep her focus aware from Coryth's health. This was why she preferred action to planning, too much time to think. To worry.

"We need to keep the war party to a minimum. Otherwise we're more likely to take each other out than the target in unknown conditions like these. If there are only one or two enemies, then an army will just hinder us."

[member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Phylis Alince"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Phylis Alince"]


"Corvette to get us into the system. We'll take a Firemane specops squad, with bolters, other anti-force user-gear, lots of explosives. The box is an evil Sith artefact of doom, so I doubt destruction by conventional means will work, so our best best is to Force Light it. Phylis can do that if she tags along. She'll be here in two days."


For the record, this one would like [member="Coryth Elaris"] to Force Light the box of evil into oblivion. Of course, there was the possibility of getting the Silver Jedi involved, but Siobhan did not trust them. "If there's a horde of beasts conveniently hidden, I'll pull the Trayus Academy down. We deal with the box and get out."

 

[Hevana Martin]

"One specops unit would probably be good, though I don't think we should have them at the front." Hevana stopped flipping the knife and started examining the blade idly. "You and I are more suited to determining the threat, I don't want to get people killed if its something they can't deal with."

For a moment she considered the next step. If they were waiting on Phylis then there was nothing they could do to hasten that two day window. "Let's get everything ready by the time your Master Phylis arrives so we can depart as quickly as possible. Anything else we need to prep in the meantime?"

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Coryth Elaris"] [member="Phylis Alince"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Hevana Martin"],

The door would open and a droid dressed in a green stained poncho with a rather exquisite looking hat would enter,

"You are not going there without me, a delicate operation could use a veteran of both covert and Sith hunting operations."

He would take off his headware and the cloth covering his metal frame,

"Thanks for leaving me back there, by the way, you have no idea what I had to do to get back here and catch up with you. Ever heard of a Balrog? Neither did I but I had to fight one from the lowest tombs of that Sith's laboratory to the highest of peaks on Tatooine."

The machine muttered, now free of his ridiculous disguise he would cross his metal arms at his waist, looking at Siobhan and Hevana.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Coryth Elaris"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="HK-36"]


For once, HK's LOTR references would not fly over everyone's head. "Actually I have. My dead ex girlfriend killed a balrog once," Siobhan responded smugly. Adril Tythorin had even said 'you shall not pass!'. And then Siobhan, thinking that her teacher was dead and devastated by it, did what we all wanted to do and told star brat to feth off, then ruined his retarded red-green-blue ending by blowing up his stupid machine.



"Good to have you back. Ever been to the Trayus Academy?" He had missed the hardcore torture scene where she tore the Sith Lord to pieces. She turned her attention back to Hevana to respond to her points. "They're people I trained for this sort of thing and they've got the experience. They'll cover our backs and provide fire support if there's legions of doom conveniently hidden."


Truth be told, it was unlikely that the Butcher of Roche cared much about casualties, what with having once dropped a building on friend and foe alike to deny the enemy a tactical objective, but she did not say that. "As for what we need, stock up on ammunition, explosives, medical supplies."

 

[HK-36]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Coryth Elaris"],

He would tilt his head to Siobhan,

"Briefly, I went there once, long time ago to hunt down my father's murderer. But I was too late a Jedi took the kill before I got to it. I watched the Academy shatter along with the planet once the Shadow machine was destroyed. I was hoping it would remain shattered, unless some Mad Man decided to rebuilt it along with the planet."

The machine would shake his head,

"It was a place of great evil and darkness back in my youth, I do not expect it to be any different now if it was rebuilt. Allow me to summon my copies, they are some of the most advanced assassin droids in existence, skill in arts of stealth, marksmanship, and close combat."

He would toss to Siobhan a holodisk with Abregado's early armory manifesto,

"Anything I am able to supply equipment wise I can send, but be wary, much of this are still prototypes from what we call Hammer Guild of Abregado Rae Government With Purpose Of Advancing Technology To Serve And Protect the Pyre."

HK shrugged after the mouthful,

"Still working on the name."

Considering this still took place a bit before ARGH and its weaponry really made its appearance in the Galaxy.

 

[Phylis Alince]

[member="Hevana Martin"], [member="HK-36"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Coryth Elaris"]

And where-oh-where was Master Phylis Alince? She was actually closer than supposed. She’d gotten herself ready with relative speed and was now close to emerging from hyperspace at Kaeshana.

She assumed that the Eldorai had sort of forgiven her act of sacrilege when she discovered they were all a big genetic science fair project. Or at least enough to save her from a burning at the stake.

And so, when she emerged from hyperspace she sent out a message.
“I’m looking for the location of Countess Siobhan Kerrigan. This is Jedi Master Phylis Alince.”

She didn’t know that this visit would involve a vacation to Malachor V. Joy.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Phylis Alince"]


At present this thread takes place on Kaeshana, but there has been a disturbing lack of space elves. And so this writer has decided that Kaida Taldir should get a cameo for...no objective reason really. Other than wanting to maximise her post count since they want to get her to Master one day. Or Elder. Speaking of which, this writer vehemently refuses to acknowledge the 'Witch' part. It was not there when she originally got her Spellweaver tag.


Anyhow, on with the actual plot. As it happened the Captain was on duty in the command room of the Tirathana Skyport when Phylis' message was received. Wait, had the space station actually been built yet? At the start of this quest Firemane had still been a very small company and Coruscant had not yet fallen to the Sith. Ah, who the hell cares?



"Transmission received from Yedai Master Phylis Alince, ma'am," one of the Eldorai comms officers spoke as Kaida did her rounds. For some reason she had a ridiculously heavy and brutal bolt pistol holstered. Perhaps because it looked cool and badass to walk around with a hand cannon. Presumably the Angelii Captain had an actual reason to be on the station and some sort of authority. One imagined it had a small force of Angelii to keep order, but then you did not argue with a woman who seemed terribly obsessed with freezing everyone she did not like.


"Play it," Kaida said laconically. She actually sort of liked Phylis, as much as she was capable of liking anyone. After all, thanks to her she had discovered the true origins of her people, been exiled and seen the Galaxy. Which was sort of the reason why she was an officer now. The fact that Phylis vehemently refused to sleep with Siobhan was just a bonus.



“I’m looking for the location of Countess Siobhan Kerrigan. This is Jedi Master Phylis Alince.”



A frown creased Kaida's placid features as she heard the message. Hopefully the two were not going to dig up more of Kaeshana's secrets because she'd probably have to be bury them again if it happened. However, she had heard down the grapevine that [member="Coryth Elaris"] was in a bad way, so perhaps Phylis' coming had something to do with that.


"Grant her permission to land and inform her of the 'Great Countess' whereabouts," she ordered.


"Wasn't she declared an enemy of the Goddess and ordered banished from Kaeshana under pain of death a few years ago, by Tirathana the Sixth?" the Eldorai comms officer asked.


"Yes, send the message." Dating would probably be horror for Kaida because she would not be allowed to be laconic all the time.