Private A Madwoman's Plan

[Matsu Xiangu]

Elpsis Kerrigan
Supposed to be under Miren's account...welcome me back to the board everyone. facepalm​

“Feth, feth, feth, forcedamnit--” The string of expletives was getting increasingly impressive as she hurtled through space going who knew where. Sweat plastered her hair to her forehead as she ran her eyes over every button and handle trying to figure out...well, she didn’t really even know what she was trying to figure out. She had a vague idea that the buttons and levers in front of her would control the craft she’d stolen, but that she’d even made it out of atmosphere was a miracle. The quickly-purpling bruise around her right eye from the two-seater crashing in to the ground before she’d figured out how to make it lift off was proof of that.

In retrospect, her plan had been that of a madwoman. She had never been near a ship, let alone in one, let alone flying. She did not understand even the most basic technology. So what had possessed her to steal this thing while its owner wasn’t looking and take off in to the sky (or try)? Fear. A powerful motivator. Even now she felt the Herald’s hot, indignant breath on the back of her neck despite Maena having disappeared in the rearview hours ago.

Step one of the plan had been to escape. Step two was now to stop the ship before it crashed in to something that left her a pulp floating silently in space.

“Okay, um...this one?” she asked aloud to herself as she pressed a purple button.

The beep of a countdown sounded. “Emergency fuel dump commencing in 30 seconds…”

“WHAT?!” she shouted, panicking. That didn’t sound like a good thing. Slamming her palm against the same button, she gasped in relief when the countdown stopped. “Why would that button be right there!?” she growled. “Xoth-za, if you were ever listening, guide me now,” she said almost reflexively, feeling bile rise in her throat that she could so easily beg for help from the thing that had unraveled in front of her…

And then...didn’t it make sense, maybe not a button, but those handles? She reached out, wrapping her hand around one and pulling back. The ship mercifully slowed ever so slightly.

And then the handle broke.

“Oh it’s just my fething luck, of all the rustbuckets!” she screamed, taking a deep breath to try and steady herself. She’d bought time, she was going a little slower. That was good. Wasn’t it?

All the sudden yet another alarm that meant nothing to her started going off, warning her of...what exactly? And then she saw it - yawning huge, impressive, and jaw-dropping out of the front view of the ship, a station unlike she could have dreamt of in her wildest imagination. Lights blinked along its bones, almost as if it watched her from thousands of eyes as she sped towards its skin. Mesmerizing, a whole world outside her experience…

“Approaching ship, identify yourself and slow course. If you do not slow, we will fire,” came a voice perfunctory and bored through the console in front of her. She understood it was coming from the massive station but she didn’t even know how to respond to them, let alone slow down. She started pressing buttons near where it had sounded like the voice came from, hoping that someone had designed this thing with some sense in mind.

“Approaching ship, you are warned - if you do not slow course, you will be fired on,” came the voice again, a little more insistent this time as her craft came barreling towards the station. She was tiny, but she imagined she’d leave quite the scar on it regardless…

Nothing was working, no matter what she pressed and yelled at the console in the hopes it would transmit.

“APPROACHING SHIP--”

“I CAN’T!” she was shouting, hoping against hope it would work. The voice on the other end did not continue, and she kept talking, hoping that meant they could hear her. “I can’t stop, I don’t know how. Please, I don’t know how!”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

Deep inside the bowels of the Forge, the communications operator registered the latest developments with an air of annoyance. "My caf break just started," she muttered to herself.
"Maybe we should call the Colonel," her colleague suggested.
"Do you want old Iron Post on our case?" the operator retorted, looking aghast at the prospect. "Regulations dictate..."

"Report, Petty Officer!" The sharp, authoritarian voice was like the crack of a whip against soft, vulnerable flesh. Instantly both operators tensed. The words were punctuated by the sound of perfectly polished army boots thumping against the floor when the woman herself joined them. Colonel Lucille Guyenne looked stern. This was admittedly nothing out of the ordinary. Her face might as well have been carved out of stone.

A young officer followed in her wake, joining the Colonel at her side. Long red hair framed a viciously scarred face with milky-white eyes. Like the Colonel, she wore the olive green uniform of a soldier in Firemane's military, though the symbol on her chest was that of the Order of Fire. Her rank bar was that of a Lieutenant.

"Uh, ship of unknown origin is careening towards the Forge, ma'am," the Petty Officer reported, trying to sound crisp and professional.
"She said something about not being able to control the ship," her colleague added.
"Replay," Guyenne ordered flatly.

The operator input the command and a moment later Miren's increasingly frantic voice was heard. "Could be a Maw trick, ma'am. Those guys are crazy. Regulation says..."
"You obviously haven't fought the Maw," Elpsis interjected very bluntly. "They wouldn't send one girl who doesn't know what she's doing. Not much of a suicide bomber or scout. Might be a refugee fleeing them."

"Lieutenant, when I want your opinion, I'll ask for it," her superior cut her off irritably. Her lip curled in annoyance "And I'm quite aware of the regulations on my station, Petty Officer, thank you very much. Activate tractor beams," she called out to a crewer responsible for such matters. "Bring her in. Lieutenant, take a team, inspect the craft and secure the intruder. If she doesn't cooperate to the letter, shoot her."
"Yes, ma'am."

 

[Miren Rahulik]

Meanwhile, Miren continued to scream at where it seemed like the voice was coming from in the console. She could only hope a lack of response meant good things, and not that they were ignoring her and were about to kill her.

All the sudden, the entire ship shuddered as if holding its breath. Miren lost her footing, grabbing on to the broken handle as she nearly fell over with the sudden loss of momentum. The engine hissed in protest, feeling like it would have loved nothing better than to go out in a blaze of glory only to be thwarted by some mysterious hand reaching out to take hold of it. Miren didn’t care, even if the enormous station loomed ever more intimidating as her tiny stolen ship was swallowed within its maw - it meant she wasn’t about to die in a fiery explosion. She craned her neck to look out as the mouth of a hangar passed overhead, its lights blinking languid and disinterested now that it wasn’t under threat of having a runaway ship fly in to it.

Her relief was short-lived when she saw the soldiers with very official looking gear, and very official looking blasters awaiting her as the beam lowered her to the hanger’s floor.

She would not die here. She did not escape the people who had brainwashed her, who had set her up to fail when she’d no longer toed the line, only to be shot in the head by some steroid-laced meatheads. She was prepared to fight to her last breath if that’s what it came down to, but she wasn’t so trigger-happy as to shoot first. Backing away from the front viewscreen, she started to take deep breaths as the thump of boots fanning around her ship could be heard right outside.

“You have ten seconds to come out, hands up in the air,” came a male voice. She assumed the lack of an “or else” was a bad sign.

Though she would have liked a moment to think, she pressed the button next to the door (that much at least, was blissfully obvious) and put her hands up in the air while trying not to think about the blasters pointed between her eyes.

“I’m sorry - my name is Miren Rahulik. I’m escaping the planet of Maena. I uh...don’t know how to fly…” she finished sheepishly.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

In all fairness to Miren, she had managed to successfully get off Maena and get her ship through hyperspace, despite her inexperience with technology. Unfortunately, first contact with space people could've gone better. Trigger-happy jarheads pointing blasters at you made for awkward introductions

The mention of Maena did not really ring a bell...for most of the marines at least. Elpsis stepped out of the formation of soldiers. She had a heavy pistol holstered on her thigh and a lightsabre rested on her belt. The black steel of her left arm gleamed in the light. It was an obvious cybernetic prothesis. Strangely, it manifested a minor Force aura. "Orders, ma'am?" one of the marines asked.

"I'll handle this, Sergeant. Search the ship," she stated, looking at the supposed fugitive. "Maena, huh?" The way she spoke the planet's name indicated a certain degree of familiary with this exotic world. "Come over here. Who and what are you running from?" Vacant, white eyes scrutinised the intruder. She felt the Force emanating from her.

 

[Miren Rahulik]

She assumed the soldier that stepped forward was used to being stared at. The scars, tiny glowing tributaries as if lava flowed languid and threatening under her skin, were enough to replace Miren’s panic with only astonishment. Enough to almost make me think Xoth-za is real… They etched through even greater disfigurement, Miren’s eyes following the frenetic burst of electrical scarring that disappeared under the collar of a uniform she doubted ever saw a stray hair or speck of dust on it. The arm? An abomination in her former people’s eyes. Flesh replaced with wires and metal.

Naturally, Miren was therefore fascinated.

Her arms slowly lowered from their position in the air as the woman spoke, voice low. Despite the white of her eyes, Miren had the feeling she was still being seen quite clearly somehow. So familiar…

Doing as she was ordered, she came forward as the Sergeant and his men flooded the tiny ship behind her.

“I was a Herald. It’s a cult,” she said, unexpected vehemence making her spit the term out like an expletive. “I was betrayed by their High Priestess. Final straw. But they don’t take kindly to anyone who leaves…”

A flicker of misery marred Miren’s face, for a moment pining for all the good parts she’d had to cut off too. Her parents. The daily routine and ritual. The feeling of channeling the Flame…

“I’m sorry but...you seem familiar,” she muttered, knowing whatever wire-crossing of memories and fascination was happening was most likely just exhaustion. Heralds rarely welcomed anyone near their temples that wasn’t an explicit ally at the very least so Miren’s memory of seeing a woman very much like the one before her in passing must be nothing.

Her eyes again drifted to the glimpse of dark metal under the left sleeve of the woman’s uniform before she corrected herself.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

Being physically blind, Elpsis could not actually see Miren staring at her. However, she could - on a superficial, surface level - read some of her emotions. And she sensed the attention that her disfigurements drew. Many were physical in nature, scars, divots and all that. Scar-removal treatment could take care of those, but she'd refused it.

But the most striking ones were metaphysical. A Qadiri had told her that she was showing a literal inner fire. Her Zari burnt so bright that it would show through her body. She had learned to live with the staring and the comments. Someone who valued her would not be put off because she was not pretty like a Holowood star.

Elpsis frowned, searching in her memories. "You too. I was there when these - what's their name again? - those immortal guys who hate the Heralds attacked. Guest of the high priestess. She wanted to convert me. Probably for the best I didn't stay long." That had been before Tephrike - before everything.

Nyssa was right, she thought grimly. It was in the Pureblood's nature to assume the worst in things. This was depressingly the truth in most groups. "You won't be sent back to them. You won't be hurt." The words left her mind before she consciously thought about them. But her voice was firm. Resolute.

The sergeant and two of his goons emerged from the ship. "The ship's clean, Lieutenant. Fuel tank was almost out of juice. She's right - she really doesn't know how to fly," he reported with a side-glance to Miren.
"Good. Playtime's over, girls and boys. You're dismissed."
"You handling her then?" the Sergeant asked. He was disciplined, and did not argue the point.
"Yes. This looks more like a refugee problem - just not fleeing the people we expected."
"Roger that. You heard the woman. Get your arses moving," the Sergeant bellowed in the eternal tradition of NCOs across time and space.

"Back to our exciting routine," a young, female soldier muttered. Exotic tattoos crossed her bronze skin in lines and waves and she had pointed ears.
"Zhaleh Jai Bijana, don't you have drills right about now?" Elpsis asked sharply.
"Uh, yes, on it, ma'am!"the Qadiri soldier declared quickly, though she spared Miren a glance. Her expression betrayed curiosity rather than hostility. "If you need assistance with her, I'll be there, ma'am." Then she quickly hastened away.

 

[Miren Rahulik]

“Eyaer!” she answered in a sound that could have been a gasp or just the way the species was actually pronounced - it was always hard to tell with Maenan languages. She remembered now. Rael had been particularly enthused that day before the attack though at the time the reasoning hadn’t been apparent. Now it seemed obvious: converting this woman would have been a boon, even if Miren couldn’t tell her exact capabilities. The Heralds said the particularly powerful felt like a breath held, a space without oxygen that fire danced eagerly around waiting for an exhale - to be used in capable hands. No doubt Rael had virtually steamed to see this woman in uniform, this greatly baited breath, leave without even a consideration.

Miren, never one to be able to hide her emotions even when she tried, looked visibly shocked when she was offered refuge. She’d hoped at best for being locked in a cell somewhere until this massive ship came across another planet to dump her on, and maybe that was still a possibility. But the reassurance was unexpected.

She did make note of Zhaleh, who appeared to be around the same age if not younger than she herself appeared, though as Miren knew well age was relative for certain species. Anyone that learned she was over 100 seemed to grapple with deciding if they needed to speak up so her elderly ears might hear despite looking as if she were fresh out of some galactic university. If she weren't thrown in some brig to bide her time, she might like to find her…

"Ma'am…" she guessed, unsure of the honorific to use as to her, anything beyond 'soldier' was a mystery. "I don't know where to go. I have no idea what the galaxy is like, what matters to people out here, what people do at all. I didn't plan this far." As if that wasn't obvious from her half-baked caper of stealing a ship. "I can work to pay my way for now."

Elpsis Kerrigan ​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

"I think you'll find that what people want isn't too different no matter where you go. They just come up with different justifications," Elpsis remarked. Power, money, security, freedom, a lover's embrace and warm body to give them comfort at night. Typical sentient drives. The minions had cleared out of the hangar, leaving the two fire ladies alone. "Come on. We'll talk privately," Elpsis stated in what was unmistakeably an order, though she did not raise her voice. Miren should be able to hear her just fine, but she might have noticed that the redhead's voice was a bit quiet in general.

The reason for this was simple: talking loudly agitated her throat. Another thing to thank the Dominion of Light for. Turning on her heels, she gestured Miren to follow. "Rank's Lieutenant, name's Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori. And for Force's sake, don't use the whole name. Lieutenant Kerrigan, ma'am or just Lieutenant suffice."

Without further ado, she led the Maenan apostate out of the hangar. Elpsis seemed to have no trouble finding directions despite her blindness, but walked with an evident limp. All manners of crew members were going about their business. Some regarded the newcomer with curiosity or wariness, others did not seem to pay her any mind.

So the pair passed through bland, utilitarian corridor after bland utilitarian corridor until they arrived. A station like this had many corridors that all looked the same. Regardless, they would eventually reach what amounted to an office room. Elpsis sat down behind the desk and gestured to the Maenan to take a seat. Presumably a minion had informed Guyenne. There was a camera hovering above them that would allow the Colonel to observe.

"Intro time. This station's called the Forge. It's owned by Firemane Industries' military. Firemane's part big-arse corporation, part government. For starters, now I need some details about you. You're from Maena and you're an ex-Herald on the run from your cruel bosses and this is your first time in space, correct?" This information was probably more for the benefit of her bosses.

"What can you do...what's your species?" Elpsis question was genuine because she could not really tell what Miren looked like. Her shape was humanoid and she seemed to lack unusual appendages such as tentacles, horns or multiple arms. But Elpsis did not really know what her face looked like. Miren had a nice voice though.

 

[Miren Rahulik]

It was quickly apparent that if the intention was to lock her up, it wouldn’t have really mattered where they left her. Every hallway looked the same. Organized, efficient, but so very much the same. Most likely she would just be walking in large circles if left to her own devices at the moment.

For a second, she ached for Maena’s wild nature.

She was soon distracted however by the request to sit and the information to retain. Firemane, that would be very easy to remember. She wondered if they all started to glow from the inside like this one. Government made sense with the military organization she’d observed, and for all she knew every corporation might balloon to have its own soldiering force as well. There was so very much to learn.

“Yes,” she agreed to the summary, hard jawline clenching almost imperceptibly at the mention of her former leaders. “I was tasked with securing an artifact they considered important, but due to my insubordination I was set up to fail. I’d been asking too many questions, and asking them of the wrong people, and I suppose that was seen as dangerous to the thought system I grew up in. I think they hoped I might die in the effort of retrieving the artifact. When I came back I was made an example of, and that was it for me.”

A flash of being assigned to labor clearing the tunnels underneath the mountains, demotion, a complete berating in front of everyone after returning half-dead flashed across her mind before she focused.

“I’m Shi’ido. I would assume I’m older than most on this ship, though I’m young for my species. I was a warrior for the Heralds. They believe in the power of fire above all else and I was taught to bend it from a young age. It’s supposed to be a gift from god…” She could do more. She liked this woman she thought, her severity and whatever lay underneath. But she was not so stupid as to reveal everything. Just in case…

“Can I ask, why do some of your scars glow like fire? I haven’t seen that even in our masters.” What she WANTED to ask was if she heard anything when she looked in to fire, if maybe Xoth-za had blessed this woman and everything was true. But things seemed to be going okay and she did not want to give them a reason to think she was crazy.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

Sounds familiar, Elpsis thought grimly. Oppression and lust for power were so commonplace they might as well be part of sentient beings' DNA. Fighting against that impulse did not come natural. She had not reflected sufficiently upon the nature of the Heralds when she visited Maena. It had been a fact-finding mission...yet clearly she had not learned many facts. She had been accepted as a guest, then these Eyaer had attacked and menaced people she had been teaching and broken bread with.

It had seemed right to aid them. Their priestess had seemed too creepy, too intense for her and Nyssa to linger though. You can only move forward. If you look back you're lost. She noticed how Miren trailed off mid-sentence but made no comment. Doubtless the Maenan was keeping secrets. Elpsis would have been surprised and indeed suspicious if she did not. One could not be trusting after escaping an oppressive cult.

She was taken aback by Miren's query, though the Maenan's tone did not make it seem like she was mocking her. When she spoke, her dead eyes gazed intently at Miren. "Someone tortured me. Badly. Used me. And many others. Then I went nova." Those cracks in her flesh seemed to glow ever brighter, like lava seeking to escape and flood the surface. For a moment she seemed lost in the memory, reliving the screams, the fury, and the fire. As if responding to her emotions, the cybernetic arm seemed to glow red-hot. The desk itself felt a bit hotter. Her robotic fingers twitched.

Her smile was small and cold, even as strain could be seen on her features as if her scars were becoming physically painful for her. The robotic fingers clenched and unclenched, and the heat receded. "Nothing left of him now. Well, there's the skull," she said bluntly. It had been alchemised. "Drew on a lot of power from the eternal flame, it left its mark. All there is to it."

She pulled her mind back to the present. "Anyway, Never met a Shi'ido before. Know of 'em though," she remarked. "Shapeshifting's good, fire's good. You want something to drink?" she got up from her chair.

 

[Miren Rahulik]

It wasn’t mocking in the least. Miren wasn’t sure what she wanted to believe. Was Xoth-za real and the Heralds were simply misguided in their practices? She wasn’t sure she really cared. A man who’d used the power of a volcano millenia ago may have existed, but the wonder of gazing in to a fire had never been about the possibility of hearing his voice for her. In all honesty she thought if she’d heard it, it might have annoyed her because it would be a distraction from the real majesty of the thing: fire itself. So the last thing she could possibly imagine was having anything but genuine curiosity about this woman that burned from the inside.

A burning that could also project outwards apparently, as the air around Elpsis’ metal arm shimmered with sudden searing heat. She half-expected the scars to start seeping lava, for this woman to become the Avatar that all Heralds aspired to. But control it seemed, was as important here as it was in the dogma she’d memorized, as the flare quieted as quickly as it came.

She was almost sorry she asked, though she doubted she would have gotten an answer if the Lieutenant hadn’t wanted to provide them. Torture. Greed. Yes, she was starting to see what Elpsis Kerrigan meant about the galaxy being the same regardless of where you went. Of course, one question opened the path to several others. Was her voice the way it was because of this torture? Who was this person? Was he part of a larger group? And...what...did she mean...about his skull? Oh no, Firemane and it’s people were not to be crossed, that question at least, had an answer. The others would have to wait, if she didn’t feel like being incinerated in that tiny room.

“I’m sorry,” she said - not for asking, but that she’d made the memory come to the surface. Shifting slightly in her seat, she latched on to the questions. “Yes, please. Water would be fine,” she said, though she wouldn’t have said no to something stronger. It just felt better to be on her toes. “Like I said, I’m young for my species so sometimes when I shapeshift I get uh...stuck that way, for a little while. Supposedly I’ll grow out of that but for now I try to be careful to only turn in to things I won’t mind living as for a bit,” she said with a laugh followed by a wince. “Once, I tried turning in to a reek. That part went very well. The two weeks where I had to sleep outside because I couldn’t fit through a doorway, much less a bed? Never again.”

Watching Elpsis pour, the same mind that had gotten her in to trouble back home couldn’t rest.

“What is the eternal flame?”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

Elpsis fetched a bottle of water - non-carbonated water, in case anyone was wondering - and two glasses. She poured Miren one and pushed it over to her, then poured one for herself. "The eternal flame is...it's how I view the Force," she answered after a pause. Elpsis was not used to discussing theology or metaphysics.

"We all got an inner fire. But we're all tapping into one flame that burns forever. So when I light something up, I'm just borrowing it. And I'll have to give it up some day when my flame goes out," she shrugged. "Or I'll fight it and eventually burn out." That was the path of arrogance. It meant not accepting her place as one element in a greater tapestry. One day her light would dim and her soul would return to the Lifeweb and the cycle would begin anew.

She heard a voice crackle through her earpiece. It sounded stern, impatient and annoyed, which in Elpsis' view was the norm for Guyenne. "Stay on target, Lieutenant. I don't care about your mystical mumbo jumbo." Miren would not hear the words. Elpsis resisted the urge to roll her eyes, taking a sip from her glass. Building a rapport here, boss, she thought.

"You're behind on galactic tech, but that's fine. We got plenty of people who start out the same. If you can shift, that's already a big asset. No need to turn into something as extreme as a Reek, as cool as that sounds. Know anything about someone called Matsu Xiangu?"

 

[Miren Rahulik]

It would be impossible to live on Maena, even as insularly as the Heralds did, and not be aware that religions came in their thousands. Some would say the planet was unique even among all others for the breadth of its various beliefs. She had believed at one time of course that Xoth-za and his Flame were superior but now she could do nothing but wonder how she’d ever been so foolish. The wonder of all those minds calling out to so many different deities…

She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath as Elpsis described the eternal flame. She was wary to walk down any path at the moment, afraid she was attempting to fill a void so long occupied by faith by quickly replacing it with whatever came along. But that made sense didn’t it? It wasn’t a person, or a people, or a legend to cling to and find whatever answers one wanted between the lines depending on how they were twisted or interpreted. Just the fire itself - natural, unchanging, the thing to outlive them all. She thought she could get behind it.

While she couldn’t hear the voice chirping in Elpsis’ ear, she might have had choice words for it. Mumbo jumbo it may be, but didn’t they know she was having a spiritual crisis?

The question about something so specific at least threw her off enough to not be dismayed at the change in subject however.

“Matsu Xiangu? Yes. The Heralds didn’t trust her but we worked alongside her a few times. The Eyaer were our common enemy, so we had a tentative partnership. Why?”

She seemed to miss the memo on the part where she wasn’t supposed to be the one asking the questions. It was increasingly obvious why she made a poor cult member.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

"You're asking a lotta questions for someone being questioned," Elpsis commented bluntly, though she did not seem annoyed. "Xiangu's our enemy. All Sith are. My mother fought her, I fought her twice." She stared at the apostate Herald intently.

"Just to be clear, I'm not gonna hold what you used to do against you. That would be dumb. You grew up in a cult. I've got a bunch of people under with me with...complicated backgrounds who needed a fresh start. You could probably slot me into that category, too. Firemane won't purge you for asking questions about stuff or not worshipping what the boss likes. But loyalty ranks very high here. And we don't forgive people who cross us."

 

[Miren Rahulik]

She had the grace to look sheepish when Elpsis commented on the way her mouth couldn’t stop running, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. Certainly not answers or absolution, but even a blank slate had been beyond her hope. She pushed her thumbnail in to her palm, trying to give herself something to focus on instead of the thick swell of tears that threatened her.

It wasn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet in a welcoming committee, but it was more than she’d ever gotten.

Obviously she hadn’t had any plans. This place and these people who had treated her with caution but restraint...she would give it a try.

“I can tell you what I know about her,” Miren said, the wavering of emotion in her voice almost completely hidden. Her first act of loyalty unfolded in that room at that tiny desk as she outlined what she knew of Matsu Xiangu’s operations on Maena and in the New City, including foundries where she contracted with the Heralds and locations of a few of her warehouses and business fronts in the city.

Whatever Firemane chose to do with that information, wasn’t up to her. It was just the currency she hoped would buy her some purchase among them.

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

Elpsis gave Miren a curt nod. She did not interrupt while the Shi'ido fire lady relayed what information she had of Matsu. She did, however, make a few notes in braille. They were for herself, not her bosses who were obviously listening in. She recognised the gesture for what it was. Information was the one currency Miren had until her position had been clarified, one way or another. It meant something to her though, especially since the Maenan had provided it without prodding. "I appreciate this. I'll make sure it gets sent to my bosses." What they did with it was above her paygrade though.

Or I might just use it myself, she thought. So many bad people to kill, so many grudges to settle. Tephrike, Csilla, Matsu. Mother might as well be gone. All that was left was Elpsis. Not the heiress she wanted, just the only one mother had left. Least I haven't forgotten the cause. Elpsis finished her glass, then got up. "Y'know, sitting behind a desk all day's dull. Let's go throw some fireballs at something." Elpsis' distaste for being chained to a desk aside, it would also be a useful way to gauge Miren's abilities and perhaps introduce her to some members of her small command.

 

[Miren Rahulik]

Miren did not have to be asked twice.

However, as they moved through still more non-descript hallways, she realized she hadn’t really thought what it would be like to tap in to the Flame this far from home. (And really, how far WAS she now from home?) Would it even still work, or would running from the cult hunting its deserter mean giving up the one thing that had been worth it?

Shoving that worry down as best she could, she let herself take in the room they entered. They were not alone, men and women of several species and sizes busy passing the time by working on their form in front of dummies designed for what appeared to be serious abuse if the knife holes, burn marks, and coin-sized shrapnel holes were any evidence. Miren drank it all in like the woman from the desert she was. The variety in itself was dazzling - all species lived among the Heralds, but they dressed similarly, hues of red chainmail and leather so they blended. Here everyone looked crisp and clean but...unique despite their uniform.

“So exactly how much fire is too much here? I don’t want to cause an incident on my first day,” she said, half-joking, half-nervously serious. Notice of course, how she didn’t seem to have much concern that Elpsis’ ability to play ball was the problem. She was picturing melting a wall, spacing everyone by accident… She’d seen holos, she knew that much.
​

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

Elpsis smiled thinly. "Whole point of this place is to make proper soldiers out of Forcers. Give them a dose of real military life instead of just making them meditate in a temple and then throw theming into battle they're not ready for...like Jedi do." Elpsis did nothing to hide the note of blatant disdain in her tone. "So long story cut short, these walls are built to last. Long as you don't throw a thermic bomb."

A variety of people, both more experienced soldiers and raw acolytes, could be seen training - beating on training droids or dummies, sparring against each other etc. Blades could be heard clashing with each other, as could the song of lightsabres. Some of the acolytes were from Elpsis' platoon, others were from different units. "As you were," Elpsis ordered when she saw some acolytes from her crew take notice of her and, probably more pertinently, the newcomer she had brought with her. Noticing that a couple of them were looking at her curiously, she added in a sharper tone, "Continue with your exercises." Elpsis briefly left Miren's side.

Ripples could be felt in the Force, as could surges of heat and cold alike in the air where elementalists contested one another. A stream of flame from a dark-haired Eldorai female called Celaena clashed with a shield of ice summoned by Zhaleh, the Qadiri Miren had caught a glimpse of in the hangar bay. Strain was etched across their faces as they sought to overpower each other. "Focus! Do not just react to your foe's Zari, use the environment! You must learn to endure ice and fire if you want to prevail!" an authoritative voice commanded them. The sergeant ordering them, a tall Qadiri female with wavy hair and elaborate tattoos, spoke Basic with a pronounced accent. She was Hazania Jai Bysara. "Zhaleh, you are too defensive, attack!"

In another corner of the large training hall, a Rattataki and a Togruta, both armed with blades that radiated Force energies, faced off against a tall human female with a scarred face and an imposing, muscular build. Both attacked her with great ferocity, but her footwork was precise and her blade fast, even when their combined assault forced her to give ground When the Rattataki managed to snake past her guard and score a cut, drawing blood, the human smote her on her jaw before unleashing a withering barrage of strikes against the Togruta, forcing the latter to resort to deft acrobatics to evade.

When Elpsis returned to the Maenan, she was carrying two pairs of workout clothes. "Put this on. You don't what yours to get all sweaty. You're a bit shorter than me. Should fit well enough." Despite her blindness, Elpsis was quite adept at determining a woman's measurements. Then, without further ado, Elpsis proceeded to unceremoniously strip off her uniform. Miren might have gotten a good view of a large phoenix tattoo that covered much of Elpsis' back. It hid much of the web of scars criss-crossed over back, but not all of it. She proceeded to slip into the tight workout clothes, before neatly folding her uniform and stashing it away. "Simply hitting a dummy's dull. Let's get some droids for you to roast to start with."

Further away, a dark skinned human in workout clothes threw a strong punch at what seemed to be a Nautolan. But the moment the Force-enhanced punch connected with his stomach, he dissipated. An illusion. "I'll get you," Reverence grunted in annoyance, trying to sense him. A sixth sense of sorts seemed to trigger and she spun around, only to be speared by a blade. She cried out in pain and clutched at her wound, for it felt real. As did the blood seemingly dripping onto her hand.

Blood. She took the next blow that made her taste blood from her busted lip. She backed away, focusing on her physical enhancement derived senses rather than the muscle. The apparition looked and felt real...but no heartbeat. No sign of strain. No sweat. Nuroch would be having nose-bleed by now. The scent of blood filled her nostrils. Ignoring the apparition, she closed her eyes and homed in on the real Nautolan.

 

[Miren Rahulik]

Maybe it was just the awe of her entire world changing all at once, or that for her species she was truly mentally in her early 20’s, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the activity - and more importantly the people - in the room. The Heralds recruited from all walks of life and some were even given dispensation to preach out in the wider galaxy, drawing all sorts and types. It wasn’t so much how these people looked or acted that was new, but the context in which they existed. They held the key to everything she didn’t know it seemed. She wanted to ask if there would be a chance to meet them but in the back of her mind she knew nothing about this situation was assured.

Still, she was grateful for the distraction when Elpsis pulled off her uniform. Obviously no one else was much fazed but Miren found her cheeks as hot as Maena, quickly glancing away despite the glimpse of the tattoo absorbing the facade of scarring along the Lieutenant’s back. Blind or not, there was probably no mistaking Miren’s reaction despite her quick recovery as she quickly changed herself.

The Heralds forbid all forms of technology, even electricity. No blasters, no droids, no speeders. Nothing. None of it was particularly astonishing as they were surrounded by a culture increasingly stepping in to the future on Maena. They could of course be around marvels like electricity - otherwise, they might never step foot in a hotbed of converts like New City or Yog - but they were forbidden from using such things themselves. Their world was lit by fire.

As such, the droids that marched, programmed and unassuming, felt hugely threatening to her. She did not understand why they acted as they did, one separating from the pack that stood off to the side to wait in front of her.

It had been her intention to hold something back - enough to interest Elpsis, but not so much she might give away too much. But fear thumped in her chest, primal surety of a threat as the technological monstrosities stared at her. Unnatural…

The ball that grew in the palm of her right hand was white, rolling in on itself with flares and streaks of bright orange flame dancing over its surface. She planted her left foot behind her as she felt it reaching a breaking point, that moment before the Flame consumed itself when it was most powerful and dangerous. It was then she let it go, a plume of dazzlingly intense fire that corruscated around the shield the droid lifted along its right forearm. The light made the surrounding area of the room seem shadowy by comparison, Miren’s eyes narrowing to slits as she poured her power in to destroying the droid.​

Elpsis Kerrigan​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Miren Rahulik

Elpsis had, ironically, not really considered that stripping off in front of Miren might embarrass the Maenan. Military life was not that conducive to modesty and she had been influenced by a rather...nudity-positive environment. Perhaps it also said a bit about what she had thought of Miren that she was fine with briefly leaving vulnerable in front of her. Besides, in Elpsis' unbiased opinion, her butt was nice to look at.

However, she perceived something more interesting than Miren's cute flush of embarassment. For she felt a visceral sense of fear emanate from the Maenan at the sight of the droids. It reminded her of the way the Tygarans reacted to the 'metal demons' or 'iron golems', though she recalled Maena being a good deal more developed than the lost elf planet. Did the Heralds have a religious bias against machines, like the Eldorai's Ashiran Church?

Elpsis could sympathise. She did not fear droids, but she did not like them much. The nature of her sight made them dificult to perceive as they lacked a Force presence, forcing her to rely more on hearing and on picking up their heat signature. Moreover, their lack of emotion made them harder to read. For this reason, she preferred droids that were obviously automatons to thinking ones.

Regardless, Miren's fear response seemed to have triggered a truly fiery reaction, as a plume of dazzling flame swept over the first machine, igniting it. Elpsis could feel the sheer heat radiating from the Maenan. It was...a sight to behold. Pretty, she thought. The droids got off some blaster shots, but they were not well-aimed given its predicament.

However, power Miren poured into her pyromantic assault consumed the droid, its two mechanical comrades had not been idle. The two moved to flank Miren. One fired its wrist blasters on full auto, unleashing a salvoe of scarlet bolts. They were naturally set on stun. The other fired its hard-sound gun, aiming to disorientate her. Elpsis quickly drew upon the Force to shield her ears from the loud sonic boom, for it had a lot of kick and could make unprotected eardrums bleed.