Arabesque

[Maris Fero]

​

[Becaad Market, Efavan, Vorzyd] ​

The revenant youth moved purposefully along the maze of slender pipework, stanchions and cable bundles, her footfalls deft and silent. A deep hood shed all but the woman’s jawline in darkness and the shadows projected from below cast a crisscross grid across what pale skin remained exposed. Balancing high above the suspended walkways and seemingly oblivious to the strong gusts of wind, the figure’s head assumed an avian cant as she observed the cautious shapes wandering the night-shrouded entry route to Becaad marketplace far below.

Reading the relative calm of the crowd, the observer surmised that her kill had not yet been uncovered; The lookouts she had noted seemed at ease, the milling consumers showed no signs of apprehension of panic. The ghost’s head tilted to the east toward the distant lights of casino billboards and she almost imagined that she could hear the wailing of security siren’s and the crack of weapon fire. She dismissed the phantom noises immediately, Ku Melort’s distraction was too far from Becaad, and the official security forces of Efavan would have their hands full with the ferret and her Oddball sisterhood for some time yet.

A sudden lull in the constant whistling of the breeze brought a momentary silence to her surroundings, and the phantom’s gaze shifted to trace the unexpected sound of a drop of liquid impacting the pipework she stooped upon. A hiss of annoyance escaped her lips as the observer's noted the crimson splash that marked her path, leaving a sign of her unlikely passage.

With a casual flick of her wrist, a vicious looking ceramic blade arrived in her grip. The weapon was cast from a transparent ceramic polymer, it’s cutting edges moulded into tapering wave rather than a straight edge. As the weapon caught the light the wraith noted the heavy droplet of scarlet still gathering at the tip of the weapon. She watched it for a moment and considered wiping away the last trace of chiss blood and simply moving on.

If she whipped the blade toward the crowds below, could she land the droplet upon the face of one of the unwitting witnesses? If she did would they even see her up where she balanced? Was it better that her message be anonymous or was it better to play the monster glimpsed and fleeting?

Enyo Typhos had not ordered the woman’s death but in her absence, Maris had long been given autonomy and authority to reinforce the new order of business in Becaad. The Chiss had been warned once and had persisted in defying the younger woman’s warning. Only a year or so before Maris had yearned for the fear and respect of these sectors, she had wanted her name to ring in the streets and her word to be law. That was before the boss, before the iron fist, before the awakening. Before she had realised how small all of these sectors were.

With a deft twist, she cast the blood droplet from the weapon's edge into the void below, far from the oblivious people. The blade was wiped clean across the back of a sleeve and disappeared into the shadows of her garb once again.

Only a year before she would have cared for them to know her name. Now she cared only that they feared to defy the Consortium and her mentor.

-------​

As the small transport docked with the Mez-Nez VIP port Maris set off at a jog. The guards were wordless and dared not stop the youth, despite the deep hood and the dark wet stain on her black sleeve. She continued at her brisk pace until she arrived at her chamber, scanning a biometric and entering just long enough to discard her hoody, her grip gloves and the soles she had used to climb and to pick up a small backpack that sat prepared just within the threshold.

The chronometer on her wrist showed that Maris was perilously close to tardiness, a situation she had come to loathe since becoming the student of Enyo Typhos. She was expected, and her tutor would not be satisfied with excuses. The woman's pace had quickened and she cursed the time it took for her to summon an elevator to take her down fifteen floors to her destination.

Maris observed herself in the polished chrome of the elevators fittings, using the moments to adjust a few stray hairs and look over her own lithe reflection, seeing the raven-haired young woman looking back at her, watching herself smile shyly and straighten a little before looking away.

Marisa

She thought to herself, as the doors opened and the composed youth walked gracefully from the elevator and into the hotel's sports facility. Once again, no-one raised an eye when the young woman strolled these halls. Soon enough, she came to pause before a dance studio, not a moment too soon.

-------​

The door opened to reveal the darkened studio that slowly illuminated at her arrival, opposite walls of the space were adorned with mirrored panels, and a holoprojector mounted on a suspensor drone flickered to life, emitting a hazy blue series of images in static above itself as it slowly hovered into activity.

She knew full well that the panels set into the walls were two-way mirrors installed so that the Bogo the Hutt, once the master of the Mez Nez, could watch the dancers unseen. Maris had declared those areas out of bounds months ago when she had started to come here and so the young woman stripped and changed into her training attire without fear.

It would not do to be seen now. Maris Fero was not accustomed to being anything less than impressive in her acts and deeds. For now, she was simply a student, rough clay yet to be sculpted into its final, perfect form. Enyo would not understand, would not approve. And so, in secret, Maris had sought out the aide of another master.

When she was ready, the Shrike gave her signal, and the holoprojector gave life to the form of her distant instructor.

-------​

The young woman had been practising for over an hour. Her movements were graceful and her form quite exceptional for the short time she had been practising. The look of concentration on her face was akin to the look she showed when practising with Enyo, and even to an untrained observer, it was clear that the girl had considerable natural talent.

She posed, silent and still, balanced upon one leg with the other extended out directly behind her, knee straight. From this position she shifted her extended leg higher still, displaying excellent balance and poise, whilst the hologram of her remote teacher encouraged her further still. Maris had never had a passion before her awakening. But now there were two.

-------​

​

((Open to Enyo and Amara.))

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Maris Fero"] [member="Enyo Typhos"]

“Umm, boss, you can’t go in there!”
Amara’s head jerked around to see one of the Iron Fist goons hailing her. Not goon, ‘payment extraction officer’ as she’d cheekily labelled them. Regardless, this one looked a little uncertain. On the one hand he’d been told to keep an area off limits, on the other he was trying to tell his boss’ sister what to do. Ah, the terrible life of a goon.
Amara smiled. “I can’t? I shouldn’t? I wouldn’t? What’s in here?”
The goon looked a little wretched. “Umm, it’s the old Boss’ uhh…viewing area.”
“Ah, Bobo the Hutt?”
“Bogo, yes,” he said a little stiffly.
“Right, well, you’re a man who knows how to navigate the waters of a regime change, so how bad could it be? Don’t worry, if Boss Enyo asks I’ll say you were in the bathroom.”
“No! If I was away from my post…uhh….”
“Oh, meathooks at dawn huh? Grizzly. Well, I’ll figure something out.”

Amara opened the door. She found herself in a low room with no lighting apart from what came through the windows on the far side. She saw a figure dancing, posing, twirling. It was quite mesmerising. Now Amara understood what was meant by ‘viewing area’. Though this dance was a lot more…classical…than what Bogo the Hutt would have viewed. Amara was struck by the skill and artistry, and for someone with two left feet like her it was doubly impressive.

“One, two, three, four!” a holoprojector was saying.
Amara realised this was Maris when the girl pirouetted towards her. So this was what the new underboss did in her spare time, huh? Interesting. Amara approved, at least it wasn’t more unsavoury things.

Going to the window she decided she’d go through the proper door. However, as she headed for it she tripped on some item or other of detritus left in the abandoned room and stumbled right into the window.

Maris would first know someone was watching when one of the glass panels parted from the wall and smashed down with a thunderous crash leaving a dark open space in the wall…and a slightly shaken and very embarrassed Amara on the floor.

“Uhh…hi…?” Amara said, wincing as much from embarrassment as from pain. Luckily she’d been wearing a full jacket and coat and the two way mirror hadn’t shattered…much….

Somewhere the shade of Kaelin Isandros face palmed.

 

[Maris Fero]

“One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three…”

The lithe young woman pirouetted in time with the Prima’s count; Turning again and again in time with a piece of music. She hardly recognised ‘the piece’ (as Prima Maja Reiell named all of the music she chose) but Reiell had been unconcerned. The music flowed and with it, the movements of the erstwhile revenant seemed to run together with graceful fluidity.

As the adagio continued the hologram of Mirialan ballet mistress hovered around Maris, observing her form and keeping count.

“One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three”

The young woman was tired now, her earlier mission and the intense practice in the studio had started to take its toll on Maris. She shifted to Arabesque and from there to Attitude, but she knew that her form was suffering, the frustration grated on her nerves as she worked to transition smoothly to croisé.

She heard a tut from the Prima and felt her shoulders tense at the sound.

I will not fail, I do not fail, I am not done.

“One, two, three. One, two, three.” She moved in time once again, repeating the series from before and moving lightly from position to position. “One, two, three. One, two,-” Crash

A feeling; A jolt of shock or a half felt stumble pulled Maris from her concentration. Her eyes flicked to the mirrored panel the instant before the impact sounded, and at that moment the panel shattered and shifted the dancer hesitated. Her hands balled into fists, the weariness in her limbs replaced by a sudden shot of adrenaline. Her eyes scanned the wreckage for a coming attack, as her mind raced to form - a lie.

Enyo should not know of this. The thought was as unexpected as it was inappropriate for that moment.

She cocked her head as the figure on the floor resolved to be Amara, the boss’ unconventional sister, who had been spying on her for who knew how long.

“What is going on here!?” blurted the Mirialan hologram before Maris had a chance to speak. “Princess Marisa, are you alright?”

The young woman reacted quickly, turning to her tutor and curtseying deferentially, “Prima, My apologies, We thank you for your concern, I must deal with a matter of urgency. I ask that you forgive me this..”

“Your Hi-” The hologram started to reply, mirroring Marisa's curtsey in return as the connection was suddenly severed.

Maris turned her gaze to Amara then, swallowing and twitching her features for an instant before going to help the Boss’ sister.

"Amara, a graceful entrance." She had wanted to say Smashing, but the universe just wouldn't allow that.

[member="Amara Zarides"] [member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Maris Fero"]
Amara just wanted to sink into the floor. On the plus side, at least Maris wasn’t killing people in a hidden room. Though…her sister would likely prefer that to this!
Still, with a grunt she got to her feet.

“Uhh…yeah…that was unexpected. Umm…Bongo the Hutt needed better maintenance on this place. I mean, I tripped and fell through, sure, but these mirror panels are a death trap waiting to pounce!”

She gazed at Maris and her outfit, peered closer. “So…Princess, huh? Where’s the tiara?” She was only joking, though it was quite amusing.

“Umm, well, Enyo sent me to find you since you’d turned off your scanner. Now, as hobbies go, this is a cool one, trust me I know how weird some people’s hobbies can get. Uhh…but yeah, might be a good idea if we go see Enyo. She probably wouldn’t be too happy if she came in here. You know how it is, inefficient use of time, waste of resources, etc.” She made a face. “Anyway…you’re very good. Me? I flail around like a fish out of water, so good for you!”

She eyed the cracked panel on the floor. “We should get a goon to tidy this up, huh?”

 

[Maris Fero]

The youth stood her ground, feeling her muscles tense and relax in time with her breathing as she eyed Amara, sat in the ruin of the mirrored panel. Her temper risked getting the better of her, but for that moment she managed to hold it at bay, lips thinning as she watched the woman arise, not even thinking to move to offer help.

“What were you doing sneaking around back there Amara?” Maris asked with a tilt of her head, arms crossing tightly beneath her bust as she tried to weigh up exactly what Amara might do with the information she had gleaned. She had been dressed in the same dark leggings she had worn on her hunt, a cropped vest top and well-worn ballet shoes, the woman’s hair tied up in a messy bun.

The Princess comment from the newcomer elicited a sardonic smile on the raven-haired girl. She glanced to the heavens momentarily before looking back to Amara through narrowed eyes.

“Yeah, She’s high end. What a surprise when she wouldn’t work for a slum girl with a pile of dirty credits. But royalty, that's something she can boast to her admirers about.”

The news that Enyo had returned from her business and was looking for Maris brought a mix of excitement and equal trepidation the young woman. Maris had felt her absence keenly, but the fact that Amara had found her here bode poorly for the former streetrat.

“Enyo’s back?” she asked, looking down at her own attire and then to the studio in general as she tried to think of excuses for questions that hadn’t yet been asked.”It’s not a hobby! I was - listen, it’s like this.. - hmphh - “

The comment on how good she was put a pause on Maris argument. She was good, all of the tutors said so. What confused Maris most of all was the satisfaction it brought to her.

“- You liked it?” she asked cautiously, looking at Amara's eyes for confirmation that she wasn’t just being Amara, weird and lighthearted, mocking the youth. She detected nothing of the sort. “It wasn’t my best. But the Prima says I am making progress, for a girl who started far too late”

“We should get a goon to tidy this up, huh?”

She kicked off her soles and moved briskly passed the broken shards of mirror. Barefoot, Mairis nimbly avoided the sharp shards of silvered glass and fetched her plain flats from the backpack containing her things. “Well, they seem to be good for little else..”


@[member='Amara Zarides'], @[member='Enyo Typhos'],

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maris Fero"], [member="Amara Zarides"]


At this moment Amara would start ringing. To be precise, her comm link would beep. One wondered what kind of ring tone she had. Regardless, a demanding, authoritative voice was on the other end of the line. It sounded more than a little impatient. After all, the pair was running late. "Have you found Maris? Bring her to my office."

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Maris Fero"] [member="Enyo Typhos"]

“Well I was trying to find you, but then I got into an argument with a wealth redistribution officer outside and ended up in here. And then I tripped over an operational health and safety hazard on the floor. Blogo the Hutt clearly wasn’t looking out for trip hazards!”

“Sure I liked it! It looked very graceful and stuff. I’m sure all the counting going on helped, I mean, I can count above four, but I don’t judge.”

“Hmm, they’re good at beating people up and taking things. I don’t really approve of all that, it’s Enyo’s thing.”

At that moment she started ringing. She flailed around through a number of pockets until she pulled out the commlink.

“I just…uhh…found her. She was doing…training…and practicing. We’ll be along shortly. See ya!”

She eyed Maris. “Look, I won’t say anything if you don’t. Girl’s got to have a vocation. Yours can be prancing around in tights, I don’t mind. I’ll wait outside for you to get a bit more martial looking.”

 

[Maris Fero]

Wealth redistributions officer, Operational health and safety, Blogo.

If she hadn’t been so self-conscious about the Boss discovering her new past time, or so unshakeably sure that Enyo would think less of her and put a stop to it if she found out then perhaps Maris would have smiled at Amara’s characteristic refusal to take anything seriously.

The compliments helped, Maris responded well to praise at the best of times and when it regarded matters to which she had a passion such approval might lead to her distraction. Of course, the reverse was also true; Maris would respond particularly poorly to criticism.

“Well they are useless for keeping you out of places I don’t want people to go in,” she remarked, lifting a towel and dabbing the perspiration from her brow as Amara’s comm began to sound.

As she listened in to one side of the conversation a grimace crossed her pretty features and Maris felt a breath of relief escape her lips when Amara told Enyo she had found the woman training and practising. As Amara disconnected and eyed Maris, the girl glanced at her feet for a moment, draping the rolled up towel over her shoulders and behind her neck as she spoke.

“Thanks.”

“Look, I won’t say anything if you don’t. Girl’s got to have a vocation. Yours can be prancing around in tights, I don’t mind. I’ll wait outside for you to get a bit more martial looking.”


She looked up into Amara’s eyes as she spoke, searching for the hidden threat that wasn’t there, I could tell Enyo whenever I want.

Seeing nothing but in the blonde’s gaze but genuine interest Maris nodded slowly, turning back to her backpack and bending to pull out some folded grey cargo pants, reaching up to loosen her hair from its bunch as the other woman left.

Within thirty seconds she exited, hair down and brushed straight, leggings concealed beneath the utilitarian pants and the backpack slung over one shoulder, she eyed the goon outside with a dark glare and spat an order to clean up the studio whilst she was gone, before turning to Amara and letting her lead the way to meet with Enyo Typhos.

“She can’t be annoyed that I’m late, she wasn’t even on the planet right? How can I be late for a meeting I didn’t know was going to happen….” Maris mused aloud, as the two went to meet Robomom the Punctual.

[member="Amara Zarides"] [member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Maris Fero"]
Amara’s face and aura held no hint of a threat or blackmail. She just seemed amused by the whole matter.

Amara led the girl through the complex. The problem was, Maris likely knew the layout better than her. Still, she took the way she knew which might have been longer, but was tried and true.

“So, how’s things been here, Maris? No…problems? Keeping up with the regular schedule of offering protection to the people?”
Was there an implied criticism in her words? It was hard to tell.

Finally they came to a room guarded by two immaculately dressed individuals. HRDs, obviously. They made the best guards.

They allowed her entrance without a word. There were no chairs.
“Enyo, Maris is here,” she said in an unusually flat and serious tone.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maris Fero"], [member="Amara Zarides"]


Enyo's office was rather Spartan. There were no chairs because she felt they made people sloppy. Instead she had an ergonomic desk which had the computer at eye level. It also had a swivel mount so that she could push it to the side when she needed to. Various folders and datapads lay on the desk, all neatly ordered. The same applied to the books on a nearby shelf. Those had been organised alphabetically. She had a dartboard and a holochess set though. The heads of Maelion Liates and that HRD who had once tried to seduce Amara sat on the shelf.


Moderately morbid trophies aside, the Cyborg was not alone though. A tall, dark skinned woman with short black hair and dressed in a trendy suit stood nearby. Amara would recognise her since she was one of the many clone siblings. The other occupant of the room was a Lethan Twi'lek of average height and very visible cybernetic, including robotic limbs, an artificial eye and what looked like a breathing device.


"Good," Enyo said laconically, putting a report away. Her eyes fixated on Maris. "You've served me well in my absence. You've been an asset. However, your role must evolve. It is time for you move beyond Vorzyd. To this end, you will accompany Amara and a unit of operatives to a world called Hoth. It is an extremely cold, savage world devoid of civilisation. You will be outfitted with the appropriate gear." she began.


Well, that was encouraging. Enyo, you really know how to motivate employees. "A corporation called Archangel has a secret outpost there. This corporation specialise in droids and other advanced technologies. The outpost has data I desire."

 

[Maris Fero]

The pair retraced Maris’ steps away into the casino before Amara took the lead, turning them along another series of passages that would eventually lead toward Enyo’s office. The blonde appeared to be as amused as ever and chatted casually as the two walked together. Maris replied in kind though she felt the dull throb in her calf muscles, the strain of her practice starting to settle in as she had begun to warm down.

“Nothing I can’t handle, things are… different. People are very different.” she added checking herself from saying ‘My Friends’ instead of 'People'. She had noticed the change soon after her own change. After the story of Herk Mallit’s death had become an urban legend. After the gangers had seen the Shrike at Enyo’s side; Pale, wild and spattered in blood.

Maris chose to ignore the suggestion of protection racketeering, the truth was far worse than Amara’s suggestion.

Even her own people, her Shrike gangers, viewed her with a new level of fear and trepidation. Old friends and enemies alike fell into hushed silence where she passed.

“I’m great.”

She concluded her thought abruptly as they reached the elite level goons who ‘guarded’ Enyo Typhos’ door and without preamble or pause the pair entered wordlessly.

----

The Boss’s office was not really a place Maris had spent much time, the lack of chairs and the encrypted datapads made Maris disinclined to spend much time investigating the space. Even whilst Enyo had been absent on business, that office was the one chamber within the MezNez that the young woman had avoided exploring. Those lifeless eyes that watched her enter from their place upon Enyo’s shelf had seen to that.

She had never found the appropriate moment to speak about them or ask any of the questions that lingered in her imagination.

Could Enyo change her appearance? Did she wear other heads from time to time? Would Maris enter this room in secret only to find her Mistress’ cold gaze staring back from that shelf instead?

If any of these things were true then perhaps those dead eyes were still watching, perhaps Enyo could see through the eyes of those cold faces.

Maris had no time to dwell on these matters however, Enyo was not alone. Two other women stood to wait with her; One tall and dark of hair and skin, dressed like an up city trader; The other was a Twi’lek, or at least she had started out as one. The cyborg’s rare crimson skin was almost as striking to Maris as the cybernetic limbs and organs that had replaced much of the woman’s body. Maris wondered for a moment what sort of injuries could leave one so grievously wounded and yet still live on through it.

Before Maris had much time to dwell upon the newcomers for long Enyo started the meeting, in typically brusque Enyo manner.


"Good," she spoke succinctly, eyes fixated on Maris. "You've served me well in my absence. You've been an asset. However, your role must evolve.”

As Maris listened she felt a sudden release of tension at the brief praise she received, casting out the fear she had harboured over her new hobby being discovered and dismissed as a frivolity. Her chin raised a fraction with pride, and the suggestion that her position might change piqued the young woman's interest.

“It is time for you move beyond Vorzyd. To this end, you will accompany Amara and a unit of operatives to a world called Hoth. It is an extremely cold, savage world devoid of civilisation. You will be outfitted with the appropriate gear."

The Shrike swallowed in silence, a moment of nerves undisguised. Leaving Efavan was no small matter to the girl who had grown up beneath the smog line, but she was being sent to another world entirely, perhaps even without Enyo.

“Yes, Boss, of course,” she replied with a nod, though in truth she had no concept of what extreme cold or lack of civilisation would actually mean. She looked to Amara briefly for the woman's reaction to the news, still unsure of what the Boss’s sister really felt about being stuck with Maris.

Stuck with sisters little pet project.

"A corporation called Archangel has a secret outpost there. This corporation specialise in droids and other advanced technologies. The outpost has data I desire."

“And you need me to go and retrieve it?” she asked, with a degree of arrogance and narcissism rising naturally as befit Maris’ personality



[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Amara Zarides"]

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Maris Fero"]

At this moment Amara wondered whether this was some sort of punishment from her sister. She knew she would really, really not enjoy the cold…though likely not as badly as Maris. Still, Hoth? The cold wasteland which the galaxy seemed to return to, as opposed to Tatooine which was the hot one.

However, the mention of Archangel gave her pause. She didn’t manage to conceal the mix of concern and surprise on her face. Did Maris know anything about Archangel? She certainly wouldn’t know all the clones in this room were a creation of the droids.

And so, Amara decided to answer cautiously, seriously. Yes, she could do that.
“I’ll get it done, Enyo. I hear Archangel creates some dangerous weapons,” she said innocently.

She smiled over at the companions. “We’ll make a good team I’m sure. What specifically are we searching for?”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maris Fero"], [member="Amara Zarides"]


“And you need me to go and retrieve it?”

"No," Enyo responded flatly. "You'll help infiltrate the facility, be backup for Amara and Darth Libertas and follow their orders. Thuella will retrieve the data," she gave the Dahomian clone a curt nod.

"I'll make it happen...Enyo. You can count on me," Thuella promised. She looked very eager. "We're looking for Project Darkfire. Our intel is scarce, but we know it's something big," she added, glancing towards Amara.

Meanwhile, the Twi'lek looked pretty blasé. It was another job. "Fair enough. This leaves chain of comma. I'll be leading the mission. Hoth is extremely hazardous, especially this time of the year, so equip yourselves accordingly. We'll utilise Mirage cloaking devices to aid in infiltration. The planet is under the control of the First Order. Contact with them is to be avoided."

 

[Maris Fero]

The young woman was unsure what to take from the ill-concealed look of discomfort that had briefly darkened Amara’s pretty features. The blonde did not have Enyo’s robotic control of her expressions apparently.

Maris had never heard of Archangel, but Enyo had mentioned droids and technology. Then Amara had added weapons to the mix and that had sent the pale-skinned youth’s thoughts back to Enyo herself. It made sense, she thought, that the badass RoboMomma Enyo’s army of cybernetic soldiers would want to find out the companies secrets.

Maris managed to remain almost impassive at the moment her Master effortlessly punctured her monstrous ego, the girl had been unable to fully disguise the scowl that had twisted her lips momentarily. She was to be back up to Amara and Darth Libertas - who appeared to have been given the most unfortunate name of any Twi’lek she had ever met. Not only that but the uptown girl Thuella seemed to be above her in the pecking order too.

She had heard the hesitation in the dark-skinned woman’s words, the eager look as she sought to please Enyo - a fact that brought an immediate and unbidden pang of jealousy in Maris. She had even been allowed to call the Boss, Enyo, something only Amara seemed to be allowed to do.

The parting glance that Thuella left with Amara also gave Maris a touch of unease, as if 'something big,' would have some greater relevance to the blonde.

Then Darth spoke up and it struck Maris that the Twi’lek’s parents must have really hated her to give the girl such an ugly name. Darth looked bored, which Maris immediately resented as that was clearly supposed to be her job. The crimson-skinned cyborg was to be in charge. And the planet Hoth sounded like a real treat to visit at the wrong season so far, to top off her miseries, Enyo was apparently not going with them.

“We'll utilise Mirage cloaking devices to aid in infiltration. The planet is under the control of the First Order. Contact with them is to be avoided."

Maris was still reeling from the idea of leaving Efavan, leaving Vorzyd. In truth, she had too many questions to ask now, and if she asked a dumb question here and now it would just reinforce her position as the group’s lowest form of life. Instead, Maris looked up to Enyo and nodded, a brief smile on her lips that held no honest relish for what she had heard so far.

“I’ll do as you wish, Boss,” she added with what warmth she could muster, whilst burying the childish feeling of betrayal she recognised in herself, growing from being sent away from Enyo.

[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Amara Zarides"]

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Maris Fero"]

Amara was about to have a rude awakening of her own. Project Darkfire didn’t sounds very nice. She had listened to Enyo’s rundown, but when Darth Libertas spoke up, she immediately frowned.
“Just a moment, red, I’m not following orders from a Sith Lord,” she said firmly. She turned to her sister. “I trust you and your judgement, Enyo, but she’s a Sith.”

She paused, this was probably causing quite a stir. In deference of not causing a scene – more of one anyway – and because she was willing to bend a little before breaking, she sighed.
“Fine, I’ll do it, but I will not do anything against my conscience. That’s our deal.”
It was probably just as well that Hoth was almost uninhabited, so there would be no civilians, innocents or cute animals her fragile conscience might need to destroy.

Awkward silence.

“Umm, so…we’ve identified some pretty heavy defences,” Thuella said, trying to get things back on track and cover for her errant sister. “We’ll have to set down a fair distance away and then move in on foot or via speeder.”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Maris Fero"], [member="Amara Zarides"]


It seemed to be the day of rude awakenings. First for Maris, then for Amara. Maris suffered the blow to her ego, being assigned a low place in the pecking order. To her credit, she did not make a scene though. "Good," Enyo responded, giving her a curt nod.

Then Amara got rebellious! Thuella looked nervous, Libertas a bit amused and Enyo gave her a blank stare. "She is in charge if I say she is in charge," she spoke blandly.

"I do not think Hoth is the best planet to commit atrocities on, dear. What with it being a sparsely populated wasteland and all that. At most we'd find ski resorts. Your delicate conscience is safe. I will certainly consult you before I murder any baby wampas though," Libertas spoke dryly.


"Upon landing, we'll use snowspeeders to get close to our target," she added, picking up on Thuella cue. She gave the group of misfits a good look." Now that the meet and greet is over, let's get a move on, shall we? We depart on the Quasar in twenty minutes."

 

[Maris Fero]

Maris barely acknowledged the positive response from Enyo, still tasting the angst over her apparent status when Amara chose her moment to show disobedience. The sister’s words brought Maris back to attention almost immediately, wrinkling her nose and looking from Amara to Darth then back to Enyo. Darth was a Sith. Enyo had never been complimentary about the Sith in their discussions in the past, though she saved her most scathing remarks for the Jedi.

For her part, Enyo seemed as firm with Amara as she had been with anyone else Maris had witnessed; The Cyborg boss had reinforced what Darth had said. Even so, Amara grasped onto a little of her defiance to the end, setting out her own moral code as the terms of her agreement to follow the Sith’s orders.

Thuella, the eager, tried to get them back on track though she showed obvious signs of discomfiture. Darth Libertas, by contrast, appeared utterly unphased by Amara and seemed willing to joke about atrocities, clearly speculating about what Amara might fear under her leadership.

At any rate, Hoth was shaping up to be a horror show without the atrocities. Sparse population, Frozen wasteland. Maris had visions of abandoned city sectors, empty of their inhabitants and cold. She had seen derelict and condemned blocks before, plague-ridden sectors all emptied out and abandoned. There were words she would need to check after the meeting Ski, Wampa. There was no time to ask now.

“20 minutes, I’ll be there,” she confirmed with a glance to Libertas, seeing a chance to make herself more palatable to the Sith than Amara was proving to be.

As the others prepared to leave Maris held back for a moment prepared to follow Amara out toward her room.

[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Amara Zarides"]

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Maris Fero"]

Amara glowered slightly. This was certainly one of those moments that Enyo was asserting her dominance. She said no more though and left the room without another word.

Heading to her quarters she gathered what she’d needed; lightsabre, clothes, blaster pistol, commlink and other gear.

Thus she was at the ship soon enough. It was a ship she had a lot of memories with already. Hopefully it would not be going to its final mission.

As she stepped aboard she saw Thuella tapping away at a console.
“So, you’re the tech wiz, huh Ella?” she asked, trying to be jovial. The idea of a Sith being here and in charge made her nervous.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Amara Zarides"], [member="Maris Fero"]


Thuella had been reviewing data on the console and was thus caught off-guard when Amara showed up. The young Dahomian composed herself. Her nerves were probably rather obvious. "Uh, yes. I cannot walk on walls or throw a truck with my mind, but name the machine and I can slice it. And I'm pretty good at putting droids together with my mind from scrap parts and leftover software," she responded. It might have sounded like bragging, but she looked a bit jittery.


"I imagine this sort of assignment is old news for you. Enyo told me about some of your adventures. She's...rather fond of you." Though that might be difficult to believe after the earlier scene in the office. Aside from those two, there were a couple Cyborg goons aboard the ship.


Libertas eventually made her way to the ship. Clanking footsteps could be heard, along with the whirring of mechanical parts. Her red eye fell upon young Maris. Being placed at the end of the totem pole had obviously been a blow to the girl's ego, but she'd not made a scene. That was good.


"I take it you've never left Vorzyd before. Simply follow my orders and all will be well, young Maris. Contrary to what dear Amara might think, not all Sith are the same. It is entirely possible to be a Sith Lord without being a sadistic or genocidal lunatic....though in her case I can understand her hesitation."

 

[Maris Fero]

Amara looked disquieted as she left the gathering, leading Maris to abandon her plan to follow the blonde and try to ask more questions about the mission privately. Instead, she let the others file out and waited to leave last of all, still holding out some vain hope that Enyo might hold some private words or orders to impart on the young protege. When no special treatment was forthcoming she rolled her eyes and turned away, running a hand through her ebony hair and affecting the sashay stride of one of the casino’s entertainment girl who had been spurned out of a tip. Practise makes perfect.

The frustration and disappointment were real, but Amara’s outburst had gone some way to cool the youth’s temper. Maris had seen an opportunity to outdo the boss’s sister then, all the while coming to realise that she was not being singled out for some form of punishment. In fact, it was trust, of a sort, that Enyo showed her. Trust and an opportunity.

By the time Maris arrived at the hangar bay with her gear in tow the preflight checks were well underway. The Selonian ganger, Ku Melort, had accompanied the Shrike to on her journey as Maris dictated a list of tasks she required from her former rival whilst Maris was absent.

In the year since Maris’ awakening, only the Selonian and her sisters had seemed to grow closer to Maris. Though at first, the ferret had been indebted to the pale human for saving her their lives during in the casino assault, closer interaction working under Enyo had cemented a bond between the gang leaders on a personal level. Maris had made a point of learning a passable vocabulary of Mandaba and the two exchanged words in the furtive tongue of the Selonian before Maris said her farewell.

Turning to run her cheek against Ku’s in what might have been a sign of genuine affection for the oversized musteline, Maris murmured the last words, “I’ll be back soon” and though malice was absent from her tone Melort felt the warning buried beneath the promise.

Have no ambitious plans Ku, we saw what happened last time you tried to replace me.

The young woman walked up the ramp and stowed her backpack to one side. She had packed a few extra clothes, her snub-nosed blaster, the retractable shock prod and her cruel ceramic weapon. Her climbing gear had been added too, along with monocular she had looted some years before and the comm link Enyo had furnished her with. Beyond these supplies, she brought only the essentials.

Maris had ignored Amara and Thuella’s conversations as best as she could. Instead, she found a spot to post up, leaning with her back and shoulders set against a bulkhead. She had produced a tabac cigarette and an igniter, seemingly from nowhere; The young woman’s sleight of hand skills had not been neglected since taking her role in Enyo’s employment.

When Darth arrived clanking up the ramp Maris watched her approach, feigning disinterest. As the Sith spoke the younger woman chose not to confirm her companion’s suspicions immediately. Instead, Maris nodded with a smile of apparent diligence when the Twil-borg offered her advice, though when she had finished speaking the gangers smile melted as quickly as it had arrived.

“I get that people are different but you also haven’t denied being a sadistic or genocidal lunatic, yet.” She pointed out with a draw on her inhalent, “I don’t know what a Sith Lord is s’pose to be beyond the stories the kids tell each other on the streets. But my Boss doesn’t seem to think its worth it at any rate.”

She shrugged and left the matter hanging if the Darth wanted to pursue it further, glancing over to look Thuella over appraisingly as she worked and chatted to Amara with some familiarity, though Maris couldn’t make out what they spoke about.

[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Amara Zarides"]