Private Wildfire

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Dust and rock descended from the ceiling, and the cavern itself was shaken by tremors as the rebels made haste down a secret tunnel. No time could be wasted. The tremors grew more intense with each passing moment, and soon they would hear the staccato of autocannon fire, alongside the roar of explosions.

The hidden passage led them out and onto the hill. From their hiding places, rebel soldiers were unleashing heavy fire with concealed turrets and missiles. A drone caught fire and was downed. But no sooner had this happened, than a turret was struck by a missile and went up in flames alongside its crew, amidst agonised screams of pain.

"Spread out. Don't try to deflect their missiles, they're too fast and explode on impact. Grab those launchers...now!" Hazani shouted loudly to make herself over the roar of engines and the thunderous sound of explosions. "Anyone not helping out with air defence, head to the bunker and get ready for evacuation!"

"Come!" Zhaleh called out to Maeve, her Zari surging through her limbs as she ran while a barrage heavy rotary cannon fire roared through the air, explosions made the hill tremble and pained cries rose to the heavens. Throwing herself to the ground, she ducked for cover amidst high grass and rock. "Take these," a male Qadiri soldier called out in Zandri, passing out missile launchers.

Quickly, Zhaleh handed one to Maeve. "Lay it on your shoulder. I load...like this," she said quickly, sounding out of breath. Some sweat trickled down the young Zaldrani's neck, but she looked resolute, determined, and quickly loaded the weapon with the professionalism of someone who had become an experienced hand at this through trial and fire.. "Activate here, look through the sights and aim at the machine, wait for it to be locked in, then fire. Then we change position, and do it again."

Swiftly, she grabbed her own launcher, which had missile launcher, which was helpfully loaded by a comrade. Soldiers who didn't have launchers of their own helped with loading or manned turrets.
"Where's the Phoenix?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Incoming!" Sahmara, who was firing a turret, shouted, as drones swooped down from the sky like mechanical hawks of death, and Zhaleh balanced the weapon her shoulder, gazing through its electronic sights.

And she saw a sole figure, a woman wreathed in flames, gliding above ground towards the flying death machines. Zhaleh whispered a prayer to the Snow Mother, and depressed the trigger, letting loose a missile towards one of the drones.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve followed the other women through the narrow tunnels leading to the mountainside. There, she was instantly met with chaos.

What turrets that had been situated in the rocks shrieked with artillery fire, lighting up the sky, seeking out drones as they sped back and forth over the mountain. Another wave of bombs made the ground tremble at her feet, and she felt the warmth of an explosion touch her face, fire tearing through rock just twenty meters from where she stood.

She'd never expected Firemane to be so brutally relentless.

Maeve grit her teeth and planted herself behind a series of rocks with Zhaleh. She let the Force pool inside her, slowly building it back up. She'd exhausted a great deal of her reserves during her fight against the Firemane officer, but she wasn't weak or tired. Not even close.

"Wait, what the—?" she said, just as Zhaleh handed her a missile launcher. The weapon was startlingly heavy in her hands and she struggled to bring it to her shoulder. Gods, she'd never held a launcher before. She was a Jedi, not a blasted guerrilla soldier!

No time to argue. Zhaleh was already loading her up, and with her instructions, it wasn't like Maeve could refuse out of ignorance. She had to fight. For Kerrigan's sake.

Already, she could spot Elpsis flying towards the sky, a true firebird, wisps of fire and smoke trailing behind her. Maeve's jaw almost dropped a t the sight. Could she always fly? She hadn't expected that. Honestly, Elpsis looked like a goddess crowned in flame.

Enough, Maeve thought. Focus.

She squinted against the sky. Forget the targeting system. Forget waiting for it to lock in. She relied on the Force to guide her, and as she spotted a drone buzzing towards Elpsis in an almost suicidal charge, Maeve hit the trigger and fired. Then, in an eye-blink, her missile soared upwards, the recoil from it nearly enough to knock Maeve on her ass.

Ashla's Light, she was not used to fighting like this.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

It was, in a word, mayhem.

Almost simultaneously with Maeve, Zhaleh depressed the trigger and a missile streaked out of her launcher on a trail of flaming exhaust. The recoil slammed into her into her shoulder, but she was able to remain upright. A brilliant orange fireball blossomed into the sky as a drone broke apart into flaming fragments along with the one Maeve had destroyed, with pieces of metal raining down upon the battle-scarred, burning ground.

The young Zaldrani would have smiled if not for the slaughter that was being perpetrated around her. She offered Maeve a hand to help stabilise her. "You shoot well. Spread out your stance forward and back, not side to side. Helps with recoil. Reload-" then her Force senses flared in alarm. "Run!" she called out. With her launcher on her back, she took off, and not a moment too soon.

A Deathstrike missile had locked on their position, and was soon soaring through the air towards them. Against this type of ordnance, neither Force powers nor a lightsabre would be any help. Not only did the missile explode on any impact, it was incredibly fast. The ground trembled under Zhaleh's feet, as if it had been struck by a quake. It broke bodies, and tore through rock. Zhaleh was knocked to the burning ground, still alive but with her leg lacerated by shrapnel. Heavy fire rained down from the drone.

Still, rebel soldiers were still fighting, animated by desperation, comradeship and sheer wrath. Turrets and missiles lit up the sky, unleashing an intense barrage upon the mechanical birds of death. Even as burning fragments rained down, Sahmara fired the already overheating barrels of her cannon.
Standing on one of the rocks, Hazani's golden eyes were raised skyward. The energies of her Zari - or the Force, as the sky people would call it - surged through her body, and as they were expelled outward, they harnessed the air around her to summon a strong whirlwind that gripped a mechanical terror unleashing flaming death from the sky and sent it spinning uncontrollably. And as she cast, she chanted, "Oh Azali, blessed mother of the flame, be my guiding light, in darkest night..."

"..In brightest dawn, to the fire I am sworn!" Elpsis spoke, soaring high up into the air, like a veritable phoenix. She was, in truth, not capable of sustained flight. Not like Siobhan had been. But she could glide for a time. It took a toll, of course. The cracks inside her face, neck and flesh hand burnt so intensely she felt like she was burning from the inside out. Her face was contorted in pain. Her long red hair, soaked in sweat, was burning.

But she was having the effect she wanted. Having become alerted to her presence, several drones had broken off from bombarding the ground troops and were now surging forth to engage her. An opportunity for the soldiers on the mountainside. The Force told her that missile impacts were only seconds away. Inside her, the wildfire was spreading, devouring. It begged to be unleashed. A large, blazing blast of flame, so bright that it was like looking into a white-hot reactor core, swept from her.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve had hoped the battle on the mountainside would prove easier than the tight quarters of the cavern, but oh, how wrong she was.

Light flared, explosions tearing through the rock around the mountain. How it hadn't ignited a landslide was a miracle, but she knew better than to trust in luck or chance. If she wanted to survive this disaster, she needed to be strong, determined, and most of all, stupidly fast.

Maeve followed after Zhaleh as another blast flattened their previous position. Shrapnel flew past her bright hair, and only thanks to a small shield of the Force was she able to deflect a few shards of rock from tearing through her face. Zhaleh, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. The woman was on the ground, blood trickling from her leg.

Maeve knelt beside her, taking a quick look at the wound. Not too deep. Quickly, she tore off a piece of her robe and wrapped it around the cut.

"Are you okay?" she said, picking up her launcher again. She expected the woman would be well enough to stand on her own, but if she wasn't, then by the Force, Maeve would hold this position for as long as she could.

Her eyes wandered back to the sky. Less drones circled the clouds, and it wasn't just because of her and Zhaleh's good aim. She saw Elpsis soaring above them, spitting flames, bright as a second sun. She looked incredible. Still, Maeve couldn't help but feel a stab of worry—power like that couldn't be maintained for long.

Maeve could only hope she would be okay, too.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"I-I will be, thank you," Zhaleh grimaced, searing pain rippling through her lacerated thigh causing her to wince. The piece of robe wrapped around her injury was soon stained by dark red viscera. Running was out of the question. Amidst all the mayhem raging across the mountain, her eyes turned skyward, with her expression equal parts awe and fear as she beheld Elpsis projecting flames in all directions. But a multitude of drones was hounding the 'Young Phoenix'.

"Holy Mother...she's going to get herself killed," the young Zaldrani warrior declared in alarm. Defiantly, she retrieved her missile launcher from her back, though the motion once again caused a pained wince. Crouching on her knee, she loaded a missile into the launcher, while mechanical terrors raged and the sky was being set aflame.

Drones were hounding Elpsis, their heavy cannons blazing and their missiles roaring. She managed to take evasive action and pull up fast enough to being torn apart, the effect of the shockwave thrust her through the air at tremendous speed. Like bloodhounds smelling weakness, drones closed in on her. As the 'Young Phoenix' rapidly descended towards rocks, Zhaleh took aim at a pursuing drone and her missile soared upward.

Hazani meanwhile had silently led a group of four rebels. They moved carefully and without orders took cover in a position where they could intervene but would not be easily noticed. Hazani gave orders with hand gestures, or whispering into a transmitter leading to her soldier's earpieces. The HUDs on their goggles and helmets lit up with targets. Each soldier was armed with an RPG or a high-calibre slugthrower and took close aim when ordered. "Baraz, take target 1. Jai Dazaha, take target 2. Target 3 is yours, Ariza. Karou, target 4. Weapons ready, prepared...." Hazani took aim on target 5. "3...2...1...fire." The missile launchers roared near unison and the slugthrowers crackled and three of the five targets went down, taken out instantly.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"I won't let her," Maeve said at Zhaleh's remark. She wouldn't let Elpsis die, not when they had just reunited after years apart. Absolutely not.

She scrambled for her own launcher. Of course, Maeve struggled to figure out how to load the next missile shell in properly. She'd seen Zhaleh do it effortlessly, and it seemed simple enough, but she was a Jedi and weapons like these never failed to confuse her. Shooting them was fun, but reloading them? Not so much.

Maeve didn't want to accidentally put the shell in by the wrong side and end up blowing herself up. That was a death too embarrassing to risk. Fortunately, she had another weapon up her sleeve—one she was well used to practicing.

Setting aside the launcher, Maeve stood back to her full height. Forgetting cover and moving up a small boulder, she watched as some of the last drones zipped towards Elpsis. The woman had done an incredible job of drawing their attention, and she looked like a falling star as she moved towards her, trailing smoke. It was time to make good on her distraction.

Maeve raised her hands out. The Force reached forward and seized the two drones chasing Elpsis. Strong and fast as they were, she was stronger, angrier, and far more protective. With a strained grunt, Maeve forced her hands together and the drones smashed into one another, exploding into a brilliant flash of light.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Like a falling star racing down from the heavens, Elpsis descended, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Luckily, her spine was metal. One of many sacrifices. Where flesh had failed, metal had taken its place - all for the cause. Nonetheless, pain spread through her body. Above her Maeve's telekinetic might had smashed drones into one another, like giant toys being sent on collision course.

Both machines erupted in an explosion of light, splintering into burning fragments. Shrapnel flew everywhere, and Elpsis narrowly managed to summon a shield of the Force to keep her face from being shredded. One last blast of power erupted from her, blowing away fragments of metal and slamming into drones.

Amidst the fierce turret and missile fire as well as the occasional fireball that burst towards those few drones still in the sky, words were spoken through Hazani's transmitter. "Acknowledged, Xalda. We're on our way," she whispered into the device. Raising her voice, she called out, "Karou, help Elpsis! Code Shaarab!"
"Shaarab," Zhaleh muttered, realisation dawning upon her. "Maeve...we're pulling out, can you help me walk?"

With their base compromised and Firemane aware that their strength was greater than anticipated, the rebels had to relocate, though their new sanctuary would still be in the same general area. The mountain range was large, after all.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"I got you," Maeve said with a curt nod.

She helped Zhaleh to her feet. The Qadiri wasn't terribly heavy and the wound was not severe enough to call for her immediate attention, but she was certain to need a healer soon and a likely overnight stay in a bacta tank. Maeve was just glad the woman was alive. So many rebels had died already.

Maeve felt personally responsible for what had happened. She had led Firemane's strike team to the base, allowed it to bomb the mountainside to hell, and all because she failed to see the evil behind the corporation when she first arrived. How could she have been so foolish?

Looking to Elpsis, if only to make sure she was okay, she turned to Zhaleh again, shouldering her as they climbed back uphill. "I didn't mean for all this to happen. I'm sorry. Had I known Firemane was this cruel, I would have mowed through their headquarters the second I was invited to join them."

One look back and Maeve could see the final shreds of the drone attack splintering away, destroyed or retreating. The rebels had suffered heavy losses, but Firemane hadn't done very well either. That was a good sign, at least. A sign to hope that tomorrow would be better.

"Where will you go now?" she asked. "Is there somewhere else for us to recoup?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"Yes, but Firemane's deceptions lulled in many," Zhaleh said sympathetically. "They came from the skies promising peace and offering baubles. I aided them in their wars in the void, and they repaid my kin by pillaging our land, poisoning the seas and luring my kin into servitude with liquor and lies. I cannot change what happened, but I can bring them to justice and by the Snow Mother and the Goddess I shall. So can you, Warrior Maeve of the Yedai." Her words were filled with deep sorrow and shame, but also resolve.

The drones had been driven away, but many rebels lay dead, burnt or maimed. Soldiers were rushing to help their comrades, and Hazani was shouting commands to get the retreat organised. "There is another base deeper in the mountains. We must make haste for the tunnels," Zhaleh continued. As they passed the dead body of a badly burnt Qadiri, she looked solemn, made a V sign with her fingers and took his dog tags.
"You have hurt, sky-warrior?" a male Qadiri medic asked Maeve in broken Basic.

Elpsis had crashed hard upon the ground. Her barrier had shielded her from being shredded, but she was in pain. Moreover, her body was trembling. After the rush came the low. She tried to rise, and grimaced in pain. Just then Karrigan'Karou's strong hand grabbed ahold of her. The heat still radiating from Elpsis made the Xio soldier wince a bit. "You really are a phoenix."
"'m fine. Help others," Elpsis insisted, speaking Xio with a very thick Basic accent.
The scarred Xioquo veteran would not budge though. "Xalda would have my head. Come on...sister Commander."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"I'm fine," Maeve told the Qadiri medic, even though she was, in fact, not. She had suffered a great deal of bruising from her fight with the Firemane officer, and then there was the sting of shrapnel in her leg, a memento from one of the many explosions that had torn apart the mountainside. But that wasn't what concerned Maeve.

Her wound was deeper, something that a bandage couldn't fix.

Guilt.

For all of Zhaleh's comforting words, Maeve still regretted her involvement with FIremane, short-lived as it was. She had let this tragedy occur. If there was a way to make amends, then she'd do it. She'd turn Firemane to ash and salt its grave, long as it made things right.

Maeve shouldered Zhaleh back to the tunnels. Other rebels followed, carrying wounded and what supplies they had left, and it was with them that she spotted Elpsis, hair almost ruby-red, cracks spread across her face. The gray-skinned rebel from before was helping her up, and Maeve felt relief that Elpsis had managed to land safely on the ground.

"We should hurry before they send more drones," Maeve said. "Who knows what else Firemane might have up their sleeve, especially now that they know we're here?" She looked to the horizon, uneasy at the thought of enemy reinforcements. It was unlikely they could fend them off again so soon, but for now, they seemed to be in the clear.

She glanced to Zhaleh. "Just how long have you been fighting here?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"Many moons, many months," Zhaleh grimaced slightly from the pain. It would be a walk of many miles until they had reached their new sanctuary, but they could make it if they moved with enough haste. "We landed at Firemane's largest base in the Northlands in the middle of a snowstorm. Fort Kerrigan. Elpsis called upon the Sepoys...native soldiers," she added the last part after realising Maeve might not be that familiar with the local lingo.

"She called upon them to overthrow the great oppressor. Many followed her into battle. We blew up the base. After many trials we ventured south to Suqua with the help of a great lady of the Eldorai. Elpsis' mother had been its queen, you see. The Suquans rallied to her name." Maeve might or might not remember that Elpsis had mentioned her mother also running Firemane before being fatally wounded by a Sith. "Then Firemane came. We fought them for sixty days, with little support, against tanks, soldiers and bombers. In the end, they could only drive us out by razing the city block for block," she sighed. Through the Force, Maeve would no doubt feel a strong sense of sorrow emanate from the young Zaldrani.

"They hold the cities, but are afraid to go into the forests, mountains and grasslands because they are ours and we kill them. My people still fight them in the North. Winter is not kind to intruders. Some queens in the south have mustered their armies to fight the oppressor, but others are cowards who wait and see which way the wind blows or have aligned with the enemy. They say nothing of this on the moving screens on Corus-sant?"

All around them rebel soldiers were on the move, bearing supplies or weapons or helping their wounded. "Up ahead Hazani was quietly speaking into a comm device. "Elpsis and the Yedai have been recovered, Jazira. Code Shaarab is in effect."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Sounds like an eventful last year."

The fact Elpsis and these rebels had been fending off Firemane for so long, despite poorer equipment and numbers, was astonishing. Maeve should've expected as much from the Phoenix, no less a daughter of the infamous Siobhan Kerrigan, but it continued to surprise her—Elpsis was stronger than half the Order put together.

Give her a nest of rats, and Elpsis could probably make an army of them, too.

"Still, I'm sorry you had to live through all of that," Maeve said, understanding her grief and the pain in Zhaleh's voice. "What Firemane has done here… there is no excuse. No justification. It is genocide, simple as that."

She shook her head. "The Galactic Alliance know little about what's going on here. Between the Mandalorians and the Sith—now growing in strength which each passing day—the Jedi have put their focus elsewhere." She grimaced. "Firemane has also been very thorough about how they've presented the war to the public. Even I hadn't realized it was this bad until I arrived."

"I can only hope to rectify that. If I can plead a case to the Jedi Council, perhaps they could send more aid to your cause, but I know there's no guarantee."

Moving through the packed tunnels, Maeve helped carry some spare supply packs to ease the burden on other rebels. In the past, she'd carried wounded men and women through battlefields and for miles. This was no different.

"How long do you think you can continue to fight them like this? Staying in the mountains?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"As long as we need to, and as long as we have the strength to do so," Zhaleh said defiantly. "Each day, we lose people. Good people. But we fight on. And we have allies who fight Firemane in the stars and on the earth. Other Qadiri, my people, the Xio, the Unchained on Arkas, who continue to resist even after Firemane burnt their homes, and the rebel fleets of the Shadow Knights."

She furrowed her brow slightly. "Would the Yedai give aid?" she sounded a bit sceptical. "I've heard many are not like you, but pacifists who prefer drinking tea in their temple. Forgive me if I speak wrongly. If you could spread the true word of what is happening here to the Yedai and the people on the moving screens that could hurt Firemane. They only care about gold and and people invest their money in them to make more of it. This war is costing them." Having grown up in a communal, tribal society in the arctic north, Zhaleh only had a limited understanding of how megacorps or the stock exchange worked, but she understood the basics.

It was then the Qadiri soldier who had given Maeve fire support against the Order of Fire commander appeared at their side. She had blue eyes and a darker complexion than Zhaleh. She carried her repeater, along with spare ammo packs. The soldier gave the two a nod. "Firemane won't break us. 'They have the watches, but we have the time.' More of my people will rise up...they just need strong leaders to show them the way," she glanced towards Elpsis, who was limping further ahead.
"This is Sahmara Jai Saobana," Zhaleh told Maeve. "She belongs to Elpsis' clan."
"Elpsis is my Lady and my sister," Sahmara spoke proudly.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve snorted at Zhaleh's comment about the Jedi. "No offense taken. You're not wrong about some of the Jedi. There are pacifists among us who would rather bargain with monsters than battle them, but that's not how we all are. I know many Jedi who would gladly fight alongside you if they knew the truth of what was happening here."

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure word reaches them, and to make sure Firemane is ash before more innocent lives are lost. That I can promise you."

Before she could say anything more, Maeve found herself facing the Qadiri woman from earlier, with dark braids and strikingly blue eyes. She nodded in respect. Although she sensed little of the Force in the woman, there was strength and a great deal of it.

"It's an honor," she told Sahmara. "You and your squad fought well against the commander and the rest of his team. If you hadn't arrived when you did, I'm not sure I would've lasted very long." She probably would've anyway, but Maeve still appreciated her all the same.

"Sister, though?" she added. Although Maeve could scarcely speak Qadiri, part of her did recognize the name Sahmara spoke. Siobhan. "You're a Kerrigan, too?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

"I had no family until I took the Lady Siobhan's name after I was freed by her mercy," Sahmara replied. She spoke Basic with a cute accent. It was thicker than Zhaleh's, but her words were understandable. "Damn Firemane for betraying her. I couldn't defend her, but I will fight at my sister's side." The tunnels the rebels moved through were narrow, and dark. What illumination existed was mostly provided by torchlight. The Xioquo rebels seemed to have little trouble finding their way through the darkness due to being naturally accustomed to it, and so took point where possible.

As they advanced, Sahmara patted a soldier pushing a simple hand cart, which was being used to transport a wounded comrade too injured to move unaided. "Let me," she said. Retrieving her flask, she offered it to the wounded Qadiri while pushing the cart.
"Blessing on you," the wounded soldier said, though in pain, and drank deeply.

Zhaleh glanced at Maeve. "You should bring this knowledge to Elpsis and the General. If more Yedai like you were to join us, then our enemies would be severely damaged," she spoke piously. Having had few interactions with Jedi, she was perhaps being a bit idealistic. So far she hadn't crossed paths with the useless ones.

As the three were speaking, Maeve would see Hazani head their way, pushing past rebel soldiers on the move. Two Xioquo engineers accompanied her, both bent double from carrying packs of explosives, faces covered in dirt, but looking extremely cheerful given the circumstances. The Qadiri's armour was battered and covered in dust, but she carried herself with confidence. "Keep moving," she told Zhaleh, "and keep an eye out for stragglers. I'm going to have the charges set to blow once everything is clear."
"Yes, ma'am," the Zaldrani warrior said earnestly.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

So, Sahmara was a former slave. Maeve should've known. What surprised her, though, was that she'd been freed by Elpsis' mother, rather than Elpsis herself.

She'd heard a great deal about Siobhan. After learning the truth about Firemane, she'd thought Siobhan the composer of their cruel ambitions, comatose or not, but from what Sahmara was saying, it seemed like the woman was an actually decent person.

Maeve wondered what Elpsis thought, but that was a question for later.

"Severely damaged would be an understatement," she said in response to Zhaleh's comment. "With the Jedi Council, we could dismantle Firemane completely by the year's end." Perhaps she was overpromising, but Maeve had faith in the Order and in the help they could provide. They had cleansed Exegol and annihilated the Brotherhood of the Maw.

A corporation like Firemane wouldn't stand a chance.

But that was only if she could get word to the Council and convince them to intervene.

"I'll speak to Elpsis," Maeve said with a nod. Unlikely as it was, perhaps she could persuade Kerrigan to accompany her to the temple on Coruscant, where they could make their case together. "It was good to see you again, Zhaleh, and to meet you, Sahmara. Stay strong, fight on, and may the Force be with you."

Before she moved up the line of soldiers, Maeve nodded a small greeting to the other Qadiri rebel coming towards them, the golden-tattooed woman with the burning blade. She might've introduced herself too, but that could wait. The woman seemed busy readying to blow the tunnels behind them.

A wise idea. That would keep Firemane from hounding their trail.

Maeve shouldered forward until she eventually came side by side Elpsis. The red-haired witch had been limping since they retreated beneath the mountain, and though Maeve wanted to offer her help, she knew she was above needing it. Elpsis was no weakling.

"Hey," she said. "You fought well out there. How are you holding up?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

While Elpsis was limping and leaning rather strongly on her robotic leg, she was still making herself by carrying supply and ammo packs. Havng a mechanical spine helped with carrying stuff. Sensing's Maeve approach, she looked towards the Jedi. Or to be more precise, stared vaguely in the right direction from where she'd heard the voice come from before turning her gaze back to the dark path ahead. "Feel like crap," she said in a low voice, and wiped away some blood trickling down from her nose.

Her flaming red hair was soaked with sweat, and dried blood clung to her cheeks. "But that's nothing new. I'll be fine. I can walk, I can hit things, that's enough. The Mother of Flames doesn't want me out of the picture yet. You alright? Firemane will regret this. We're going to strike back hard, and soon." Her white eyes seemed to flare with fury.

A glance towards the rebel soldiers Maeve had just left. "So you met lil sis, huh? Feels weird calling her that. Technically, she's older than me. All of a sudden I've got thousands of of sisters and brothers I didn't know squat about," she frowned, recalling Xalda and feeling a pang of guilt, "or used to be an arse to. And now I send them out to die."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve felt a stab of concern for Elpsis. The sweat in her hair, the blood on her face and down her lip. Had she pushed too hard fighting those drones? Not everyday that a witch could fly, and she'd done it while on fire. That should've been enough to kill her.

But she was strong. That much had been obvious since they met.

Maeve nodded at her question. "I'm fine. Never would've thought I'd shoot a missile launcher before, but there's a first time for everything." A second time, too, if luck would have it. A launcher like that could prove quite useful in a battle. "Whatever Firemane is planning next, we'll stop it, and if you plan to strike back soon, expect me at your side."

She gave a rare, small smile to Kerrigan. Another nod.

"Oh, and your sister?" she said, looking back to Sahmara. "We didn't talk much, but she's like the others here—she knows what she's doing." She turned back to Elpsis. "They all know what they're doing. They know what they signed up for. So believe me when I say it, Elpsis, but you're not sending them out to die. They choose to fight."

A shrug. "The same way I choose. So, don't feel guilty. I've only realized the truth for, what, a few hours? And even I know what you're doing is worth the risk."

Staring ahead, Maeve watched the other rebels shamble on to their destination. "What's your plan though, Phoenix? How do you intend to strike back at Firemane after we regroup?"

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

Elpsis gave Maeve a long, serious look. She didn't see the smile because she wasn't physically capable of it. But she felt her approval through the Force, her trust. The Jedi paladin believed in her, when she could've easily disassociated herself from the situation. She looked at the rebel soldiers marching ahead and alongside them. Shambling, wounded, and dirty...but unbroken.

She could,
and would not,
let them down.

There's no hesitation, only duty. I can only trust in the Mother of the Flame, and the spirits, and do my duty,, she thought. "Pick a target, hit hard," she said, voice resolute again. "We've got squads of scouts, and outriders on the move in the countryside. Firemane's set up blockhouses, forts and surveillance posts to trap us and 'screen' the locals. By 'screen' I mean grab civilians and lock them in camps. But they're too spread out and they don't have enough manpower to lock the whole country down. Not with all the hills, mountains, grasslands. We've got small strike groups operating across Suqua, and some beyond that. Getting them all coordinated for one goal's another matter. Got to talk to the war council about where to strike. Determine a plan of attack. You can come along. Can meet my general. She's good."

She glanced towards Maeve again. "I'm glad you joined us. I know it's hard to see the truth when it's ugly and uncomfortable...but I'm glad you have." Her flesh hand briefly, innocently brushed against the Jedi's arm. "Uh, sorry," Elpsis said awkwardly, coughing slightly.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Sounds like a good start," Maeve said. "I'll be wherever you need me to be."

If what Elpsis said was true, then thousands of innocent people were being holed up in Firemane labor camps against their will. Freeing them was a must. Perhaps they'd even be inclined to join the rebel cause, swelling their numbers to the point where an assault on Firemane headquarters could be made possible.

One by one, they would dismantle the corporation into dust.

Before she could consider her own strategies, Maeve felt Elpsis' hand brush against her arm. Her skin was startlingly warm to the touch, but that shouldn't have come as a surprise, not after she'd spent the last hour or two quite literally on fire, and Maeve wasn't bothered by it. She didn't burn easily.

She breathed a laugh and looked at the other woman. "Don't apologize, and don't thank me for anything yet. Not until we've put Firemane in an early grave." Her eyes wandered up to the stone ceiling of the tunnel, which had started to widen to reveal a narrow cavern full of glittering stalactites, almost like kyber crystals.

"Back on Ziost," she said, reminiscing back to their expedition through the Sith catacombs. "The others you were with—Rhea, Celaena. Where are they now? I'd hoped to see them again, too, but I understand if… well…" She let the words trail away. Maeve didn't want to say it, but she hoped they were alright.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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