Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Collaterally Devastating Duo (Fabula)

Glorious Coruscant - the Eternal City, the City of Lights. Centre of the Republic and the Jedi Order that shielded it, along with billions of ordinary people who somehow never made it into the history books or in the holomovie series that focused on the great heroes, their daily toils and labours being forgotten in the great dramas that were played out by Empires and Republics and which all too often killed them.

Great skyscrapers and towers rose into the air, which was filled with speeders, skytaxis and police drones hovering through the air. The air was filled with the sound of engines and the voice of countless sentient beings going about their business as Siobhan brought her speeder in to land and theatralically leapt out not far from a cantina that seemed of ill repute, judging by the Trandoshan toughs standing outside and the scantily clad ladies that solicited customers, mainly because she could, as she did like to show off, taking off her sunglasses in a sweeping motion that she had doubtlessly copied from one of the holovids she liked to watch. There was a light chill and a strong wind, so her duster billowed dramatically.

A few glances from passing pedestrians were shot her way, to which she paid no mind. In the distance the massive ziggurat that was the Jedi Temple could be made out, its great spires and towers reaching into the sky as if seeking to capture the stars and bring them down to earth, as vain a venture as that might have seemed for the ostensibly humble guardians of peace and justice. Once this had been the place Siobhan called home. Admittedly upon reflection it never really been home and she had never really been much of a Jedi.

It was battle that stirred and exhilarated her, even though as of late her Blood Knight tendencies had been somewhat mitigated. Getting crippled twice over and being married would do that to you, but there was still something primal, predatory in her that could be sated through combat and the sheer rush it gave her. Siobhan made her way through the crowd, ignoring looks being shot her way, but with her hand close to her lightsabre, attached to her belt, should anything happen. Along with a small-hold-out blaster hidden up her sleeve, the vibroknife on her belt and in her boot. One would not be far off the mark that Siobhan was just a bit paranoid, but given the explosive turns her life often took, her stance probably had some validity.

Somehow she could not shake off the feeling that things would soon turn...explosive, as she made her way through the streets of the city, ignoring a holographic newscaster who prattled on about the latest debate in the Senate, where now peace and understanding could reign. She could not suppress a scoff at that, it sounded like a nice slogan.
 
Still reeling from her activities from the last few hours, Fabula stumbled a bit on her way out the door to an office that, according to the plaque on the door, belonged to one "Madame Tempest." She turned back to face the beautiful woman in the doorway and gave a timid little wave. "Thank you, Miss Tempest. I will endeavor to make an appointment next time." Fabs didn't actually wait for a reply, instead fastening her Alna's toolbelt back to her hips and checking her lightsabers again to make sure they were both there. She wasn't worried about danger. It just tended to find her whenever she wandered randomly around Coruscant.

Stumbling her way to the lift down, Fabula managed to regain her balance by the time she hit the ground level, and stretched her arms all the way to the door. It was a wonderful way to spend a few hours, and she'd learned a lot that she could bring to her cyar'ika later, but for now she had other things to do. There was always something more to watch, something more to do in the Jedi Temple, and she wouldn't rest until she'd memorized all of it. Everyone else had several years of practice over her, after all. Slacking wouldn't be tolerated.

Waving to the receptionist on her way out the door, Fabula took a quick look at the horizon. Coruscant's sun was already sinking in the sky...had it been that long already? She figured that a committed activity like what Tempest did would be time-consuming, but there was no way she would ever think to burn several hours on it. She'd probably already missed the evening dueling class, and who knew what those AgriCorps amateurs had done to her garden? Ugh, it would take her days to undo the damage their careless hands might cause to that Ithorian Bonsai!

Speaking of careless, there was suddenly an awful lot of brown hair in Fabula's face. "Oof!" Staggering back, Fabs blinked in surprise, then blushed like crazy. "I'm-sorry-I'm-so-sorry-I-wasn't-watching-where-I-was-going-this-is-all-my-fault!" She didn't even bother figuring out who she had bumped into, or if it wasn't someone else who had bumped into her. Her head jumped to the conclusion that she was horrible and went from there. "Are you alright? I'm sorry!"
 
@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

As it turned out it was in fact Siobhan who had bumped in to the absolutely blameless Fabula, who apologised and blushed most adorably. Perhaps the ex-Jedi should have been a little less careless and paid attention to her surroundings, but regardless she stook a step back and held up a hopefully pacifying hand.

"Relax. No problem. I should been more alert. Sorry about that, hun," eyes ran over the stranger, noting the lightsabres she carried, then she gazed past her upwards to the building she had just left. Coincidentally Siobhan had gotten to know Mistress Tempest quite well recently and participated in some intriguing activities with her during her honeymoon, though alas we cannot elaborate on them because kiddies might be reading this. But she knew that her office lay there and made an educated guess, since a visit up there would be a good reason for anyone to be distracted.

"Had a fun time with Mistress Tempest, huh? Don't blame you. She has lots of talents," she spoke casually, as if this were the most normal conversation one would have on the street with a woman one had just bumped in to. She felt the Force emanating from the stranger, there was power there, at odds with how timid she appeared on first sight. "Name's Siobhan Kerrigan. What's yours"
 
The woman's words didn't do a lot to placate Fabula, but the girl managed to give that meek little smile she always managed when she was tearing herself apart inside. If she'd only asked about names before she started talking about the rather intense encounter Fabula had just had with Tempest upstairs, Fabs might've kept going with the whole "hate myself but thank you for trying to make me feel better" thing she normally did.

But she didn't. She led with Tempest. Fabula fumbled over her words for a few seconds before resuming a luminescent blush and hugging herself tight, utterly mortified by her activities up in the studio above. She didn't even know why, really. It was intimate, but not "intimate," and more for learning purposes than...well, what Fabs imagined the normal reason someone went to Tempest for was. Eventually the little Witchknight managed to find her tongue again to actually respond, rather than just being embarrassed. "Y-yes...I was there for lessons, actually. I'm new to the whole thing, and she..." Unsurprisingly, Fabula's voice tapered off in humiliation.

Ah, there are the names. Introductions were getting a little easier for her. She swallowed her emotions and returned to her tiny smile. "My name's Fabula. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kerrigan." For the first time since she ran into her, Fabula gave Siobhan the once-over. 'Lightsaber, no other visible weapons. Manner of dress incongruent with Jedi traditions. Rogue Force user.' She should've sensed that first. Stupid girl.
 
@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

"Oh, lessons," Siobhan smiled, winking at her, apparently trying to set the stranger at ease as she fumbled over her words and stammered. Whether that was working was another question. "Hey, that's nothing to be embarrassed about, hun. She and I are close friends. Sorta got lessons from her as well," she said softly, voice turning to what passed for a soothing tone, patting her gently on the shoulder. Siobhan was many things but she was not particularly tactful or good at setting people at ease.

Well, Tempest had helped Siobhan with certain intriguing backroom activities involving her wife, which this writer shall not elaborate on in in the interest of family-friendliness, so it sort of counted. She eyed Fabula, giving her a more complete one-over, having already noticed the lightsabres she was equipped with. The woman seemed terribly timid and fragile, but her Force signature was strong and powerful, as odd as that combination seemed. "Siobhan's fine. Miss sounds so prim and proper and I ain't that. You a Jedi? What do you say about us getting off the street and finding a cantina or something?" she asked.
 
Riiight, "lessons." Siobhan's attempt to relax her was valiant, but Fabs finding a reason to calm down and not freak out about something was about as likely as the Emperor running naked through the streets of Coruscant. Wasn't gonna happen. Still, it was nice to hear that at least she wasn't alone in the sense of being totally new to this and having no idea what she was doing. Force forbid she find companionship somewhere else now, too. For a girl who had spent the better part of a year moping about being alone, she had far too many friends.

Fabula blinked at the second question, but nodded her acquiescence anyway. "I've spent most of my day, so I suppose a little more won't hurt." She fell into step with Siobhan, almost habitually following behind her and a bit to the side. She'd have to break that habit at some point, but now wasn't the time to worry about it. "I'm not actually a Jedi, though...one day I might be. It's a very complicated story, Miss Kerrig-...er, Siobhan." It almost looked painful for Fabs to force herself to drop the title. Regardless of how prim or proper the other woman was, Fabula's head couldn't quite process the idea of casual names yet.
 
@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

Siobhan looked a bit puzzled, apparently her attempts were not being very efficient. She frowned as Fabula could not succeed in dropping the title, but let it go for now. "Ok. Great. There's this diner over there. I can pay, since I almost knocked you over and all," she pointed to some small diner across the street and led Fabula towards it. It was the usual, run-of-the-mill small establishment, with some patrons seated at the tables, though it was sparsely populated that they could expect a waitress to soon take their orders.

"So you're new to the Jedi? Got training somewhere else before? I can sense you're not just some neophyte Paddy. Used to be with the Jedi. Till seven years ago. Quit, joined Omega Pyre," she pulled up a chair for Fabula, then sat down herself.
 
As she milled into the restaurant after Siobhan, Fabula realized while she sat down that she'd never actually had any formal Force training. Her mother had gone over the basics of it immediately after she'd awoken, but apart from the initial indoctrination into the Nightsister manner of thought, everything Fabula had ever learned, done, or used was her own. That might have explained why she was really, really good at a couple of Force techniques and entirely incapable of others: no training, but tons of practice.

She leaned into the chair for a moment, gracious and a little flattered to have someone treating her like a lady, then offered Siobhan a pleasant smile. "I'm not inexperienced, Mis-...Siobhan. I'm simply not trained in the Jedi beliefs." Or any beliefs, but there was no reason to center the conversation on her. Siobhan was a much more intriguing woman, after all, than some renegade Nightsister clone who tussled with Sith Lords and natural disasters. On a related note, Fabula's priorities were really messed up.

"If it's not too much of an imposition, why did you leave?" Fabs managed to distract herself from her own self-delusions by shunting the topic onto someone else. "Was there some falling out? I don't know much about either the Jedi or...um...'Omega Pyre,' so I'm not sure how they might conflict."
 
"No imposition at all, I'm an open book, hun," Siobhan said warmly, in what she considered a friendly tone. She looked a bit puzzled as Fabula tried to steer the conversation from herself, but figured there might be a story behind it the woman might not be comfortable divulging. If there were secrets Siobhan could understand that, not everyone wanted to spill out their life story to a stranger they had just met. In other words Siobhan was oblivious to the fact that Fabula was steering the conversation away from herself because she seemed to lack a sense of ego.

"Sort of. Mostly got pretty disillusioned with them after my master got killed and she was the only one in the Order who understood. Nothing against you or anyone there, but I'm a soldier who happens to have fancy powers. Never got time for their Code and I guess they didn't like my fighting, drinking and womanising," she said with a smirk.

"Back then Omega Pyre was a professional merc unit. With standards, it doesn't work for Sith, do assassinations or anything like that. My best friend was pretty big there, recruited me on the spot after Jedi messed up a mission to free a couple slaves from pirates and got themselves killed for it. Stuff happened, OP became a government, I got hitched and become an officer."

That was a very condensed description of what had been rather eventful years, but then Siobhan figured a long elaboration would be terribly boring and sort of rude. "Well, that's the Cliff Notes. What's your experience before joining the Jedi? Unless that's private. If yes that's ok," she shrugged.
 
Now this was a pickle. Fighting, Fabula could really get behind. Hell, that sounded like a date to her. Drinking, she was slightly intimidated by. After all, her alcohol tolerance wasn't exactly incredible, and by the time she started drinking, she wasn't really imagining using the Force much even if she did know how to purge her own body of its poisons. The womanizing, though...once again, Fabs blushed quietly and tried not to squirm too much. She'd had far too much sex in her day already; there was no reason to get Siobhan in there, too.

Of course, she almost wanted the subject to go back to Sio's taste in romance when the topic was diverted back to her. Fabula couldn't contemplate a universe in which not answering a direct question was acceptable, so answer she did. "It's..." Well, answer after a bit of stuttering anyway. "...It's not private. I just don't think it would be terribly interesting to you..." Still flushed like she got her skirt caught in an air vent, Fabula's voice was shrinking away with every word. "...I'm sorry. Of course I'll..."

And she tapered off again. After a moment to catch her breath, Fabs did her best to exhale her nerves and continue. "I...well, I haven't had much actual training. A little cursory instruction in Nightsister magic, but Dathomir wasn't for me, and my moth-" She winced. "...my teacher disappeared shortly after I started learning from her." This wasn't the time to start waxing emotional about her mother. "So I've been wandering a bit. I found a kind young lady on world far from here, helped her with a Sith problem she had, and wound up working with some Jedi while I did it." Well now. That was extremely abridged.

"I felt they could help me with a problem I've been having, so here I am." Fabs finished up with a strained smile. "I'm sorry. It's not very interesting."
 
Perhaps unfortunately for Fabula her tale, as brief as her description was, did in fact arouse Siobhan's interest. She also found the blush absolutely adorable. "It's the exact opposite of not interesting. You can't break off like that. Nothing to apologise for," she said softly "So...Dathomir...that's Witches' land, isn't it? Ever got to ride on a rancor? That's what they do there, isn't? Sorry, ain't that in the loop about them." Siobhan knew very little about the planet, beyond the fact that the Witches lived there, they enslaved men and rode on rancors. Or at least that was her perhaps not particularly nuanced state of knowledge concerning it.

"So you solved a 'Sith problem'? How'd that go down. Hmm. I fought at Metalorn, you know, the battle. Nice little tussle with a Sith Master and tanks there. That was fun. Well, not the getting crippled part. That sort of sucked. Were you there?" It was a shot in the dark of course.
 
Fabula put exactly no effort into shrugging off Siobhan's compliments. Her ability to ignore her own merits was peerless. Rather than actually hear someone tell her she was admirable in some way, the little Witch's head focused on answering questions. "I'm sorry, I never actually rode a rancor. I fought a couple, but I wasn't on Dathomir long enough to bond with one. It takes years, a bit like raising a kath hound."

She was interrupted by the wait-droid wheeling over. "Evenin' girls. What can I getcha?"

Fabs cocked her head to one side, thinking for a moment before answering with a passive little grin. "If you have hot chocolate, I'd love one of those, thank you." She waited a few moments for Siobhan to order for herself, then continued onto the next topic: Metalorn. "I actually was at Metalorn. I'm sorry I don't remember you there...but I believe that the planet was too big to know absolutely everything that was going on."

Her eyes lit up a little bit when she remembered her battle with Anaya Fen in the middle of Ti'Cira Hawk's storm. One of her finer memories, due to how simply ludicrous it was. "I was asked to help defend a few Padawans who were trying to hold down what was going to be a safe objective. The objective was destroyed by a tornado summoned by another Witch there - someone I didn't know - but I remember it all rather vividly." Her lips found just the hint of a malicious grin. "Fighting two Sith Lords in the middle of a storm while an artillery platoon rolls through your position...that's something I'll never forget."
 
@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

Siobhan just shook her head. It truly puzzled her how the woman could say she was not interesting. It certainly did not sound like a case of false modesty to her, more like Fabula truly believed that. For someone like Siobhan, who was extremely proud of her martial prowess this was perplexing.

"You fought a couple rancors and you say you're not interesting? Seriously, what do you consider interesting then?" puzzlement was evident in her voice, but she actually looked impressed, giving Fabula a pat on the shoulder. "Fought a terentatek once. Well, on Kashyyyk and faced one at Roche. Never got around to rancors yet. You gotta tell me that tale some time."

For her part Siobhan ordered some apple juice, despite the urge to get a whiskey, but she figured she might need a somewhat clear head later. "Metalorn veteran as well, huh? Cheers. No worries about not remembering, guess I was half the planet away. It was real chaotic. Led an armoured unit. Well, it got attacked by Sith armour, hell broke loose, I got to TK battering ram a Sith Lord," the grin on her face became very broad, taking on a feral, almost malicious quality as she absorbed Fabula's story. Fabula might be unable to think of it as impressive, but Siobhan was clearly very taken in by it. "Two Sith Lords in the middle of a storm, hope you gave them a good beating. Nice!"
 
Fabula flinched, just a bit, when Siobhan touched her. She wasn't quite used to physical contact, but her even as she shook herself away, she tried to smile again. "Y-yes...well, it was necessary. The Padawans had no chance of protecting themselves against one Sith Lord, let alone two. It's the duty of the strong to defend those who can't defend themselves." That hadn't been anything close to her motivation at the time. Fabula had only cared about the fight, the glory of battle. The only thing in her mind had been matching blades with Anaya Fen.

She also somehow managed to ignore the part where she'd accidentally implied that she was strong.

She needed to change the topic, quickly. Any longer on rancors and terentateks and hurricanes and Sith armor platoons and masters of the Dark Side and she might start to build up a driving need to go burn off some steam. Through the benevolence of the Force, the droid returned with her hot cocoa within a few moments and Fabs wrapped herself up in that instead.

When Fabula was finished, she pulled the mug away from her now chocolate-stained lips and quickly dabbed them dry on a napkin in the most delicate, ladylike manner possible. "So, what are you doing on Coruscant, Miss Kerrigan?" She'd already forgotten Siobhan's request. "I'm afraid that I'm not up to date on my galactic geography, but I believe you're quite a ways from home."
 
@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

Oh, she's real adorable, Siobhan thought, drinking her water from the bottle in a not particularly ladylike manner. She made no comment on the line about the strong having the duty to protect the weak. She could not look into Fabula's mind to discern whether that had been her real motivation - and moreover would not have cared - but she would understand her lust for battle. Even now Siobhan still got warm feelings during a fight, the thrill and excitement of combat. Sometimes it was almost as good as getting laid, better than any rush spice could give you.

"You're right, Fondor's not exactly next door, and OP and the Republic aren't exactly fluffy and happy right now," she responded. That would be putting it mildly, but not the point really. She frowned a bit at being called 'Miss Kerrigan' again, but did not press the point. She had gotten Fabula to acknowledge she was strong after all. "As for why I'm here, well, the usual really. Drinks, ladies...some actual work in between. Come to think of it, you up for some action? Against some real evil scumbags. The sort any Jedi would want buried six feet under. Could use someone as good as you. Ever heard of Bando Gora?"
 
Bando Gora? Fabula's head reflexively folded back on the textbook-scans her mother had imprinted into her brain. Nothing notable, no real footnotes to hold onto. After a moment, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but no. From that description, I would almost assume a Sith association." She bit her lip and cocked her head just slightly to one side. "...But I would assume incorrectly, wouldn't I?"

The prospect of "action" got Fabula's attention quite a bit more than she would've liked to admit. It had been a while since she'd been able to crack skulls with impunity, and all of her time spent making sure she didn't hit Padawans with lethal force was probably taking a toll on her aggressive edge. An unused lightsaber didn't exactly dull, but her spirit might if she had to spend any more time meditating and reviewing codes and procedures and diplomatic protocols. Fabs was quickly coming to the realization that as healthy as the peaceful life of a Jedi was for her soul, she required something a bit more involved to truly find her place.

Wherever the frak "her place" was, anyway.

"If they're as evil as you say, Miss Kerrigan, I'd be glad to help." Yes, girl, agree out of the goodness of your heart and the need to remove evil, not your burning need to throw people through durasteel doors. Benevolence was certainly on her list, but the rush of the fight...that drew her in like a drug. Plus, she was starting to enjoy this shapely little curiosity's presence, and didn't want to rush to be rid of it any time soon. "When do we leave?"
@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
 
@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

"Might've had one in the past, but they're their own group now. Darkside psychos who make a sport out of eating people or sacrificing them to their 'Chaos Gods'. Capture people, pump 'em full with drugs and the craziest Sith alchemy to make monsters out of them. They just want to see the whole Galaxy burn, can't be reasoned or bargained with," she said because this writer would never pass up the opportunity to make meta references.

Siobhan did not particularly care about the reasons for a fight, long as the enemy was right and deserved it. She had finally admitted that a part of her relished and enjoyed combat, perhaps far more than was healthy. The brutality of war might have burnt something of that out of her, especially when she was in command of forces, but the fight was in her blood. Meditation and contemplation might be important to achieve a deeper understanding of the Force, but in her grasp it became a battering ram.


Her lips formed a broad smile as Fabula seemed eager to help. Truth be told Siobhan was a bit surprised, relations being the way they were, much as the politics annoyed her, but it made her happy to find someone who seemed just as willing as she was, especially given how isolated she had often felt among the Jedi. Besides, Fabula had...significant assets that had definitely caught her eye.


"Excellent. Glad to have you aboard. They got bases spread out, mainly on remote planets, easy to stay under the radar. Target I'm talking is basically...a hive city, big factory complex for their war machines, crawling with culties. As for when..well, I'll finish my drink first. If you want something to eat first go ahead. You can get what equipment you need, got a ship prepped and ready to go."
 
The thought of a hive city, truth be told, made Fabula slightly uneasy. She was uncomfortable enough on Coruscant, with its metal ground and artificial weather and polluted air. A world with all of the drawbacks and none of the redeeming features of galactic center seemed terrifying, or at least disgusting. Crashing about an urban cesspit sounded like it was a recipe for civilian casualties, even if it didn't involve two Force users.

Fabula finished her cocoa in short order, cleaned her mouth again, and shook her head. "Food is a luxury and equipment is an obstacle. The Force provides." Standing from her seat with a smile, Fabula gave a quick bow of her head to Siobhan and tried to look as ready as she could for a trip to a mechanized monstrosity filled with cancerous tumors in the flesh of the Force. She would've offered to get the other woman's chair, but she gleaned that that would probably be met with loud denial. "I'm ready to leave when you are, Miss Kerrigan. Please lead the way."

Calm and polite as she was, Fabula had to clasp her hands behind her to keep from putting on too much of a show when she felt her fists clenching, the first little trickles of Rage nudging against her inner barriers, hungering for the thrill of what was to come. She wouldn't touch it today; she had no need to, but more importantly she had to start teaching herself not to rely on it...even when she felt she needed it most. Hell, especially when she needed it most. Restraint was tested and strengthened when under pressure, and she needed a great deal more restraint if she was going to take control of her life from what had been determined to be her birthright.
@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
 
@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

Well, her new partner in crime certainly had her way with words. "It does make great things possible....but it doesn't provide for every need, if you catch my drift. Wouldn't want you to go hungry," Siobhan spoke, winking at her. No, she would never pass up the chance for crude flirtation. But she was most assuredly not oggling Fabula's chest because she knew her eyes were up there. Admittedly perhaps she had been oggling it a bit but then it was rather eye-catching.


But then she smiled at Fabula's eagerness, much as she had still failed to get her to stop calling her Miss Kerrigan, and likewise got up. "Would never keep a woman like you waiting, that's bad manners. I'm ready to go." She gazed briefly at Fabula before departing the diner, opening the door for her. Siobhan was by no means the perceptive sort of force-user, one could say she was the one who made waves as opposed to the one who read the ripples, but she could sense that Fabula appeared to be struggling against...something. Holding back...the thought was alien to Siobhan, much as sometimes the very real possibility of losing herself to her own rage scared her. After all, she had honed herself to be a weapon to a point where she had little idea what to do beyond that.


Taking her speeder, since apparently no one had stolen it, they were quickly at the spaceport, which was a minor one as opposed to the galactic spaceport that dealt with most of the traffic on Coruscant. Less obtrusive, less people, less awkward questions, just the way Siobhan liked it. Slipping some credits over to an official she guided Fabula to her ship, which on the outside resembled your typical fringe freighter - fringe as in the galactic fringe where all our lovely rogues live, not the galactic power that is sort of Sithy sometimes - but possessed a variety of armaments and was built for speed. The cargo hold was also filled with spice, the real good stuff, their entree into the hive city. Hence why one compartment was filled to the brim with weapons, melee and ranged, explosives.

Before they tore it down. "Make yourself comfortable, we got a couple hours to kill before we hit Reaver land," she said to Fabula warmly in a chipper tone as she sat down in the pilot seat's and powered up the engines, the ship soon taking off into the sky. Siobhan was by no means a great pilot, and her style of evading attacks was a bit that of a lunatic, but it should suffice.
 

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