20,000 Leagues Under Kaeshana

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Siobhan quickly followed after Tegaea, standing close by should she need any help walking. There was a flicker of something on her face...it would probably be easier to get a krayt dragon to be cuddly than to rid Siobhan of her masochistic penchant for beating herself up about things. "I'm sure you'll like it. They have great cooking since they have really high metabolism so they make it tasty and substantial. I've yet to find a planet with more 24/4 take-outs than Kaeshana," Siobhan joked with a wink towards Anya. Their elves had often complained about the lack of good take-away on Fondor!

She took a seat upon the transport after they had boarded, seating herself next to Tegaea. Perhaps she was hovering a bit...but still. Anya would be piloting though. While Siobhan was a decent enough pilot she tended to be...prone to ignoring the regulations on speed any civilised planet had in place.

 

[Anya Venari]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"] @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Anya, playing tour guide to her guests, was happy to take the ship into the air and begin the flight towards Santaissa.
“Now please ensure your tray tables are stowed and your seatbelts are fastened. Smoking is prohibited on this flight.” She gave Siobhan a quick look, they had had words before about that.

Still adopting her air stewardess manner, Anya brought them to a slow hover over the capital. “If you look out the right side you will see Santaissa, capital of the Eldorai. That ‘big white thing’ as Ms Kerrigan so descriptively called it, is the palace and temple of the Eldorai Star Queen. It’s properly called a ziggurat and has great and important significance for my people.”

Santaissa’s centre was dazzling, though the majority of the city was standard, more modest homes belonging to the regular citizens, as in any city.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] , @[member="Tegaea Alcori"] , @[member="Anya Venari"]

"No smoking? What is the universe coming to?" Judah shot a semi-amused look to Siobhan. He had faced the tyranny of those dreaded 'no smoking' signs often. Although he supposed it was useful for someone who was trying to stop completely. Less excuses to light up! Gazing at the landscape below, Judah was trying to get a feel for how the entire operation would be laid out. Everything was so organic, measured. Reminded him of parts of Naboo in an odd way.

"Very lovely. Are there any small, uninhabited islands off of this main land? I'm sure the Queen does not want such a sacred and well-thought out placed marred by heavy traffic."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"], @[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Siobhan made a face at Anya's significant look and felt like sticking out her tongue, as childish as that would have been. It was not like she smoked that often! On second thought perhaps sometimes, but she was not an addict or anything. On third thought perhaps a functional one. As for the ziggurat - or rather the 'big white thing' - she felt like making a quip about how not so long ago she had almost single-handedly resolved a civil war and ended a struggle over the succession to the throne there. Admittedly others had helped a bit, but it had mostly been her! A paragon of modesty Siobhan was not.

"I know. It is the tyranny of respectability. But the high-born Sky Mistress of the Blood Royal commands," she said to Judah, who seemed likewise oppressed. "There's a couple sparsely populated islands, mainly down south, but it's mostly the big landmass surrounded by the ocean."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

"Floating platforms....well off from the main landmass could very well serve as the delivery point from the undersea origins then. Something similar to those on Kamino only on a much smaller scale. Takes away from harming any of the natural landscapes and keeps the mining business from interfering with daily life for the everyday people."

Judah hoped the Queen had a deep interest in funding the project. Specialized construction crews didn't come cheap. He had found that out first hand. Yet...if one did not want their profits to wash away in a typhoon then it was best to plan and pay ahead. Leaning over his seat he gazed out of the window. He wondered if it would be terribly backwards to land at one of these islands. Diving in one's boxer-briefs to collect rock samples may not be what was considered standard conduct.

"Before I leave I will be sure to collect samples from your specified sites to send away for analysis."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"] @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

“That won’t be a problem. We’ll take you there now.”

The ship headed south, over mountains and valleys. Kaeshana was a stormy place climatically as well as politically, and over the encircling mountains the air was heavy with rain and storms. Few people lived here, but as they settled down on one of the islands the storms held back from downpour for now.

Hobbling out, Tegaea gestured to the small atoll. “Just south of here is the best place to start. Collect all you want, there’s no one living here.”

Sadly, she was incorrect on that front. Sinister and hostile eyes were watching them, waiting to strike!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"], @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

So the ship came in to land upon the island shore, far away from civilisation and any inhabited settlement. Mercifully they had been spared from one of the tempests that so often struck Kaeshana. The elf planet was not just characterised by storms when it came to weather, but politically as well. Many had not been thrilled about coming under the heel of the Protectorate, especially now that it was a far cry from its glory.

Siobhan had been quiet as her wife and Judah conversed and said nothing further as the ship touched down and the ramp was lowered for them. Normally a trip to the beach would have been to her liking, but she seemed on edge. While Judah was presumably giving the opportunity to go diving and sample collecting she went for what back in the military would be considered a perimeter sweep, her senses stretching out as she scanned the area. Her jaw tightened and for just a moment the bionic eye flared up before she turned her gaze back to Tegaea and the others. Something, someone was out there, this she knew as the gust of a wind could be felt in the air and birds chirped in the air, a Jester somewhere in the bushes plundering an apple. All seemed so peaceful and tranquil, too calm.

"You should go. It's not safe for you here. Now," she spoke quietly, eyes focused on Tegaea. A change seemed to have taken place, her voice had turned cold, resolute, tolerating no contradiction, whereas before she had been trying to be awkwardly polite, attempting to hide how out of depth she felt. But the Butcher did not muck around. Berserk button was about to be activated. The distant roar of thunder could be heard.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Though this writer is not quite as masochistic as @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]’s, it does seem like dear Tegaea is in the firing line a lot lately.

Tegaea looked at Siobhan blankly for a moment, then recognised the serious tone. “Judah, come on…I don’t think it’s safe,” she called to him.

At that moment there was a whistling sound, and a razor sharp shard of metal spat from behind one of the boulders further up the beach.
Tegaea had stumbled on the loose sand, and so the shard only grazed her arm rather than spearing into her neck. Still, blood welled from the cut and she stagged upright and lurched for the safety of the transport.

Dark figures were hiding in the boulders, and they fired both at Judah and Siobhan. The shards of metal were blockable with a lightsabre, but couldn’t be reflected back.

“Monkeigh! Slay them all!” a harsh voice called. The Dark Eldorai were clearly not happy about their intrusion….

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Standing at the water's edge, back to the island and the two women, Judah stared off into the clear sea. He had gathered a few rocks and placed them into his pockets for further testing. Diving under the pale blue waters would give him a better idea of what was actually below. Dropping his britches and standing around in his underwear wasn't exactly high on his comfort list -- at least around two women he barely knew. Sure, they weren't interested in him in the slightest but it was still the principle. Besides if a certain mermaid found out there would be withering glares and hours of silence.

The next best alternative was to roll up his pant legs and go wading.

Yet before he could get started Miss Alcori's voice carried to his location, followed by metallic whistling. A shard fell sort, sticking into his brown leather shoes, the point just missing his toes. His blue gaze searched the beaches, spotting crouched dark figures. Judah had zero idea what they were. His thoughts went immediately to an assassination attempt on his life. Daxton Bane had been unrelenting in hunting him down and causing pain....if he led the sadistic Sith to Firemane...

Skirting along the shore, Judah worked his way up slowly, metallic whizzing reaching his ears every so often. Ducking, he emerged from the backside of the transport, closing the small space to Miss Alcori. Hoping he wasn't overstepping any bounds, Judah placed an arm around the woman, allowing her to lean on him. The redhead was injured on top of her injuries, so in his mind she was the first priority.

Besides, he had heard stories in spaceports and bars about Siobhan. Perhaps they were true.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"], @[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Siobhan Kerrigan was in many ways not suited for the business environment. She was impatient, lacking in education and tended to see the worst in other people and herself. One might also say that her standards for hiring minions could use some improvement, to put it lightly. However, while the stories might be a little bit exaggerated, she had a tremendous talent for dismemberign people and crushing any opposition she faced. Sure, here and there she lost a few limbs along the way, a few buildings got torn down, a couple allies got buried on the rubble.

But to be blunt Siobhan was pissed. More than that she was furious. She heard the war cries from the Dark Eldorai, the razor sharp rounds shooting out of their launchers and shurikens, spewing out death towards them. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tegaea stumble and a shard graze her arm. Thankfully it had missed her neck. Still...the elves had hurt her.

They would die...painfully. They were insignificant cockroaches and would be crushed like that.

In a flash, even before the salvoe began, her concealed lightsabre leapt into her hand and the blue blade dazzled into existence, Siobhan wielding it deftly to deflect shots, creating a zone of denial meant to to keep the shards away from Judah and Tegaea. The shards of metal could not be reflected back, but that did not matter. She had something...far more brutal in mind as the elves concentrated their fire on her, some of them using the cover provided by their comrades and the boulders in an attempt to sneak around and flank her.

Gazing upon these very boulders she gathered her powers, harnessing the Force and the air currents as she exerted her will, then suddenly a powerful whirlwind, increasing in force with each passing moment, was conjured up, causing a maelstorm of power that swept across the cover. As the elves sought to escape, some being caught in the wind and pulled into the air to be spun around boulders were seized and pulled into the air. Grim and cold resolve was written across Siobhan's face as her will grabbed the boulders and hurled them at the attackers, the improvised missiles shooting towards them as scatter shots with strong kinetic force behind them. Some elves managed to evade, using their natural dexterity, many, already gripped by the wind would cry out in pain as they were smashed into the ground and then crushed.

Already Siobhan was leaping through the air, moving high, very high. One sharp shard of metal struck her arm and pain shot through her but given the state of mind she was in it only fuelled as in midflight she grabbed ahold of an elf firing at her and pulled her towards her, giving her no time to fire once more she ran her blade through her, impaling the woman, the energy blade burning through whatever armour she tore. The elf tumbled down to the ground like a puppet but Siobhan was already in motion again. Without fanfare, without any quips, elves were relieved of limbs, crushed, tossed like ragdolls, one found her shuriken turned against her as Siobhan gripped it with her mind and pumped her full with shards before putting her out of her misery. She was like a whirlwind of destruction, the Force amplifying her speed and agility, aggression emanating from her aura in waves, too fast for their shards to hit and where she was grazed with shots it did nothing to slow her down.

As she butchered her way through she felt a warning in the Force and moved to dodge when suddenly an elf who had remained hidden emerged, this one with the trace of a force signature, blazing righteous anger. The elf witch had gathered her powers as her comrades were being slaughtered and now thrust her hands forward, manipulating the moisture in the air as the temperate dropped quickly around them, the cold shooting through her as cold steam escaped her lips and palms. What she unleashed was effectively a cold blast that blossomed into a magical version of a cryoban grenade, Siobhan being in the blast radius and seemingly caught. The ice around her quickly hardened and shot up, trying to engulf Siobhan as the elf, with visible strain on her face, tried to move one of the smaller boulders.

Then suddenly the ice barrier broke and exploded powerfully, small clumps and icicles flying in all directions. Siobhan stood there, shivering and evidently feeling frostbite but at a wave of her hand the icicles were redirected, straight at the elf, who desperately harnessed her Sciia in an attempt to gather the now free liquid and slam it back against Siobhan. But firmly anchored to the ground and quite simply with years of experience the elf did not have, not bothering to block, Siobhan rode out the wave and thrust her hand forward to send a shockwave crashing into it, causing a crashing explosion. The elf struggled for a short moment, then was caught and thrown across the beach into a boulder, her back slamming painfully into it. Ice cold liquid splashed Siobhan's face, her suit was ruined and she shivered amidst the cold as a chill set in, but she gave the elf no reprieve.

"Death to the monkeighs. Kaeshana will be...," the witch, her limbs and bones broken from being caught with the full force of the blast and she was covered in blood, seemingly unable to move, was trying to reach for her gun, her hand trembling as she painfully tried to aim for Siobhan then painfully cried out, gasping as she out of reflex pulled the trigger, the shot missing her opponent as Siobhan clenched her bionic hand into a tight fist and, quite literally, gripped her heart tight and without further ado crushed it.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea gratefully accepted the helping hand and got up the ramp of the transport. She felt so...useless. Siobhan was out there fighting a small army, and she was hobbling around like a cripple. It upset her, and it made her angry.
Still, she managed to not show it to Judah and Anya, but inside she was ashamed at her weakness. Something would be done about it....

The battle outside was winding down, but just to help out Anya brought the ship into the air and used the transport's twin laser cannon to mow down the Dark Eldorai who had escaped Siobhan's fury. In moments it was over.

As they came back down to land Tegaea stubbornly got to her feet. "Siobhan? Are you OK?" There would be a discussion later, but for now, they had to take stock.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"], @[member="Judah Dashiell"]

The last of the scum was dead. Siobhan felt no pity for any of them. They all deserved this. But the hatred she had been feeling and allowed herself to be fuelled by dissipated as the last of the dark elves was blasted by the laser cannons. Without a further look she rushed back to the transport as it touched down onto the ground. Now the only thing she could feel was concern for her wife.

"Yeah, just some scratches," she said dismissively. Some shots had grazed her and blood had seeped out, she was shivering in the cold and the suit was a mess, but that was nothing. A few mooks - who dared to attack them. Presumably the battle for Atrisia would take place after Judah's visit, so this writer assumes.

"The scum's dead now. Are you OK? You got hit," she immediately retrieved the first aid kit from the transport, applying a bacta salve and disinfectant to Tegaea's injury. Thankfully the shurikens had not utilised poisoned rounds, as some of the renegades were wont to do. In the distance the howl of sirens and sound of engines could be heard, evidently the guard had picked up on the little fight but she paid that no mind, glancing over to Judah after giving Tegaea a concerned one-over and a loose hug. "You alright?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"] | @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Respectfully, Judah found something else to be entirely interested in while the couple reunited and treated the redheads wounds. He pried the piece of metal from his shoe, examining the item carefully. If anything it had just proved there was some type of metal or ore to produce metal on planet. Judah doubted the...beings....that attacked their little party were able to scavenge metal from nearby cities and towns. Kaeshana looked clean as well. Not the type to throw scrap into the ocean for the currents to merely carry away.

It took a moment to register that Miss Kerrigan was actually speaking to him. Metal shard in his hand, Judah turned to the pair.

"Perfectly fine, thank you." A slight pause, an overview of the bleeding women. "Are yourselves? I didn't get an excellent view of our attackers. No...Zabraks in their midst?"

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea smiled at Siobhan. It wouldn't do to kiss her right now, but she patted her on the hand reassuringly. "I'm fine, just grazed. You did well. Thank you, love."

Finally she emerged from her bubble to look at Judah. Her mind seemed to come back to reality and her heart settled down. "No, no Zabraks. They're renegades called the Dashdae Eldorai or Dark Eldorai. They hate off worlders and want to drive them off and restore the glory days. So they sabotage and kill humans and their projects. However, we can bring in some of the Queen's forces I'm sure to help guard the area that you're working."

@[member="Judah Dashiell"] @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"], @[member="Judah Dashiell"]

This one points out that Siobhan would be thoroughly useless without her powers. The only thing left would be a terribly insecure, needy woman with no skills beyond killing people who would either turn into a coward or get herself killed on a quest trying to become 'superior' again. But then people might see how...weak she really was!

Regardless she looked relieved that Tegaea was largely unhurt, flushing a bit at the praise. "They've become more bold in attacks since the Protectorate's taken a drop from its glory," Siobhan spoke. To say that her thoughts about the present regime on Fondor were scathing was putting it lightly. "But don't have the manpower for an actual rebellion, so it's hit and run on foreigners and elf 'race traitors'. I'll get in touch with the Angelii and the royal guard - Firemane helps train them, Queen doesn't want rebels gaining a foothold."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"] @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Posture relaxing a little, Judah breathed a sigh of relief. No zabraks. Just a normal, rebellious attack by dark natured natives. It was hard to believe he was relieved of being attacked in such a manner. Apparently he was growing accustomed to such treatment and ranking attacks on a severity scale. Shaking his shaggy head slightly, attention could be turned back to the earlier words of both women. Knowing the threat, he wasn't extremely worried. Seemed nearly commonplace.

"I'm sure the Queen's forces will be sufficient. Shame they feel emboldened by the lack of a Protectorate presence, but Kaeshana seems like an extremely capable planet. I have no doubts there will be no uprisings any time soon. If the attacks have told us anything is that the planet has resources in order to make metal. Some mystery resolved."

A wry smile graced his features at the thought.

"In light of our....excitement for the day, I propose we head back. I did gather some samples."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Tegaea nodded. “The Eldorai certainly know how to make metal. They’re not cave dwellers after all,” she said sternly.
“Yes, I think a return to base would be wise. Let’s get going, Anya!” she called, getting a call of approval from the cockpit and soon they were lifting off.

“So, Mr Dashiell, how did you get into undersea mining? It’s hardly the most…common…of professions,” she said with a smile.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"], @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

"For they are the Goddess' chosen and we cannot compare to their great culture," Siobhan quipped regarding the Eldorai as she dried herself down as much as she could in the refresher room of the transport, having been hit by the force equivalent of a cryban grenade after all. She took off the completely ruined jacket, leaving herself dressed in a less wet shirt before rejoining them. She figured she would have to check her bionics for damage when they got home. While no mechanic, she had been reasonably capable of repairing herself - that term alone made her feel more like a machine sometimes.

She had sensed that...something seemed to be troubling her wife, despite not being the most perceptive, but figured it would not do to push now. At Tegaea's last line she smiled and looked amused. "We do know a few things about...uncommon professions, don't we, love?" she queried innocently. Both did belong to a certain Order after all!

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Tegaea raised her eyebrows. “I have no idea what you mean, Siobhan. We are simple businesspeople providing services in a new and dangerous age!”
Her innocent look at not helped by a little smirk.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] @[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Note to self : Don't piss the redhead off about subtle references to uneducated natives.

Letting the pair have their moment about some inside joke, one he had no desire in referencing, Judah took his seat on the transport near the window once again. Glittering ocean zoomed below them once more and he was grateful to be back into the air. Leaning back, his gaze turned to the pair once again. It was a rather boring story, but they did ask after all.

"Nothing exciting. My fiancée is half-Galan. Spending so much time in and near the water got me thinking. I own Kesh-Rimma Droidworks and Salvage so I starting tinkering with the idea of making droids to do the task. It was just a landslide from there. Everyone does asteroid mining. Undersea mining has an entirely different wealth of ores and minerals. I appreciated the ability to stand out in such a field."

Judah paused slightly.

"Although I could ask the same - why would a weapons manufacturer be looking to get into mining? Diversity? Producing one's own materials to undercut costs?"