Deep Black Sea III: The Universal Cannibal (open to Levantines and close allies)

[Jorus Merrill]

Consider the subtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide under water, unapparent for the most part, and treacherously hidden beneath the loveliest tints of azure. Consider also the devilish brilliance and beauty of many of its most remorseless tribes, as the dainty embellished shape of many species of sharks. Consider, once more, the universal cannibalism of the sea; all whose creatures prey upon each other, carrying on eternal war since the world began.​

~Melville, 'Moby Dick'​

The cloaked ships struck the Kyrikal system, once a member of the Levantine Sanctum, in a hit-and-fade that came from no known hyperspace vector. They took with them very little -- a few shiploads of advanced technological components, with a precision that suggested either powerful long-range scanners or very good SENINT assets. And blending in generally didn't go so well in a star system populated mainly by Mon Cal and Ithorians.

The raiders' exit vector corresponded to no known system. For the first jump, anyway, and from there the trail died. A comprehensive scouting effort was begun, flotillas of Levantine ships seeking to track down, contact, and understand the threat.

One such flotilla -- two corvettes, a frigate-scale armed transport, and a squadron of two-seater starfighters -- wound up in a system that went by the name of Kelsier. The four-star system was permeated by a dense dust cloud, thickest in a ring around the two main stars. Kelsier had been mapped -- it was known to have no habitable worlds -- but there could easily be some kind of a base within the dust, a staging point shielded from sensors and comscan.

Ten hours into the search, the searchers became the hunted.

***​

​

The dust obscured everything while keeping the essential darkness of space. It glimmered vaguely in the pallid sunlight, courtesy of a low albedo. It had nothing of a nebula's joy; it was murk.

And it had thickened abruptly, as if stirred by a hand a million miles wide, and now the Peregrine-class armed transport Etherway -- an old homage -- had no sensor or comms contact with its escorts.

In here, the cloaked ships left wakes...but only if they moved quickly. Weapons fire rocked the Etherway; the enemy had to uncloak to fire, but only for moments. Shields dropped to sixty percent, and return fire accomplished little.

***​

​

Peregrine-class Etherway, 400 metres - under attack
Captain and Pilot: Jorus Merrill
Tactical Officer (Defense): Kaia Starchaser
Chief Engineer: TBD
Security Chief: TBD
Other Crew Positions: By Request

Alndys-class Rover, 160 metres -- cut off from sensor/comms contact with the Etherway and Muse
Captain: TBD
Chief Engineer: TBD
Security Chief: TBD
Other Crew Positions: By Request

Alndys-class Muse, 160 metres -- cut off from sensor/comms contact with the Etherway and Rover - under attack
Captain: TBD
Chief Engineer: TBD
Security Chief: TBD
Other Crew Positions: By Request

Dactyl Squadron - scattered in the dust
Terminus-class starfighters (two-seater, composed of fighters from all three capital ships)
Dactyl One: TBD

***​

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Crew positions - captains, science officers, engineers, helmsmen -- are first come, first served. Go ahead and write yourself in as whatever you'd like, and I'll update the list. The only restriction is that ship commanders need to be LS members. PLEASE TAG YOUR SHIP WITH EVERY POST.​

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***​

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NOTE: THIS THREAD CONTAINS ZERO CANNIBALS. IT IS A METAPHOR.​

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Aboard Etherway
Monitoring Ship Health

Kaia was a big fan of starships. It was kind of her family’s thing. Like this [member="Jorus Merrill"], whom her father had a bit of research on. Nothing stalkerish, but she thought it was because her father missed the thrill of chasing the rabbit through hyperspace. He seemed to be doing more of it, what with Jared in charge of the Treader and her of age to be… whatever it was she was going to be. She made it a point to get aboard the Etherway when the mission to hunt down raiders came in.

It was something that she was used to, chasing pirates through space. Her home ship did its fair share of privateering, which, she found out was just fancy talk for a pirate who had a preferred target. For them, it was Republic-styled interests. Running a hand through her dark hair as the first salvo of attacks came against the ship, she shuddered and grabbed onto the back of a seat as she made her way to the sensor officer’s chair.

Her father always said she had a gift with sensors, but… they were down. That was not going to do them any good. “Sir, shields are down to sixty and we’re going blind here. Can’t find the enemy.” She sat at the desk and tried to see what she could do about re-routing power for shields. With enemies attack from shadows, that was going to mean they needed to do everything they could to keep alive. She knew how to survive on a ship, but it wasn't hers, she wasn't really that ready to command a ship that had other people on it, despite her upbringing.

 

[Kylraya]

Aboard Etherway
Reacting to being shot at!

Forest filled arboretum, her quarters were covered in nothing but plants and even small trees or bushes, grass underfoot. A miniature habitat bubble, which was the nomadic correlian’s home while in space. Her door opened and a desert Sandhawk, flew through the ship's corridor ahead of her, its vision hers, shared to scout. Two large white edan tigers roamed at her side, their soft roar meaning more than one surprised crewman got way out of the way, they were predators but moved with her, as she did.

Ktara​

Natalya was not your typical bridge officer, but she had enough experience with wildlife, biology and animal life to assist with medical or science help when people needed it. Space was really not her forte. Nobody much knew her, she did her work quietly, often in her quarters surrounded by her family pack, three of which were coming with her. Well four you’d never spot the other rodent creature rummaging around in her pocket unless you looked exceptionally closely!

Bridge door opening, the small unusual gathering of animal life settled up on or by a nearby chair “What’s happening?” Locked vision ahead to the displays, she looked out for signs of what was shooting at them. The ship lurched even slightly, and she almost fell over as the ground moved. One of her tigers looked up, but they looked to her first for how to behave, and as she found a place to stand, so did they around her.

Natalya had her usual mix of furs, animal leathers and soft silks giving her loose attire some room to breathe, but also the small of freshly tanned leather, her hair was in a Heidi Braid, which left light stands loose down her ears but had most of it thickly across and up top.

"Anyone hurt?" Turning her standing station on, she couldn't use a headset or seat because of her reaction to the artificial metals, so she had to speak out loud from a short distance into the device. She soon repeated the same question to different parts of the ship, no great talent at conversation from the wilder, best at home speaking to her pack.

[member="Kaia Starchaser"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"]
​

Spoiler

Leaving it open to have her as a medical, or science officer, communication officer, assistant or whatever you like to fit her quirky but hopefully interesting personality.

Sandhawk
Edan Tiger

 

[Maya Carrick]

On board: Muse





Sure it was to be a quick trip over to the Muse to do a bit of medical training. As the ship having the youngest medics on board any of the ships. Spending some much needed time away from her office on Etherway. After all she knew the ones on board there had a bit more experience in the medical area. After all she one to jump at the chance to teach. That what she been doing when feeling the first of the attack upon this vessel. Coming loud and clear that medical was needed in the cock pit.

Coming towards from the back as more of the ship was hit throwing her into the side of the hull.

<< Coming aply as much pressure, Maya out>>

Clearly making her head clear by the means of other then the shaking of ones head.

[member="Natalya Selanne"] [member="Kaia Starchaser"] [member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Natalya Selanne"], [member="Jorus Merrill"], [member="Kaia Starchaser"]
Aboard the Etherway


Well, this sucked. Clearly things could never be simple whenever Elpsis went for a trip. Granted this one was to a system at the edge of Wild Space, but nonetheless. Sensors and comms contact with the escorts had broken down, shields were going down the drain. Oh, and cloaked ships were attacking them. How very pleasant.


It reminded Elpsis a bit of her last trip to Tatooine. If her mother had been there she would have told her that the desert planet was a death's trap. Much like her Elpsis was a little trouble magnet. Anyhow the firemane was kitted out in worn but still serviceable battle armour, a bolter on one hip, her lightsabre on the other, after having gathered her weapons in her cabin. As for why she was here, well, she had presumably been hired because despite her youth she was good at breaking legs. The ship lurched and shuddered violently as it was rocked by explosions. The detonations happened with such force that as the ship rocked she was tossed against a wall as she ran down a corridor.


Great, the day had just started and she was being thrown against a wall. Needless to say that sucked as well. At this juncture she felt like setting someone on fire, but alas that was little use in a space battle. With an annoyed groan she got up and headed to the bridge. There she found that apparently there were...tigers on the bridge. Yes, right, tigers. No one had told her that the freighter was also a zoo. Eyes fell upon the blonde dressed in furs, animal leathers and silk, who had just asked what was going on. "We're getting shot at. In case you didn't notice," Elpsis said very dryly. "Oh, and the ships shooting are invisible to us."

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Kaia Starchaser"] [member="Elpsis Kallikora"] [member="Natalya Selanne"]
Etherway: Bridge

"No casualty reports yet," Jorus said grimly, "and that worries me -- we've had all kinds of turbulence." With appropriate dramatic timing, warhead impacts rocked the Etherway. "Lieutenant Selanne, please comm down to the medbay and double-check. If they don't respond, assume an intercom fault and go in person. Lieutenant Starchaser, reroute power from engines to shields. Take us ballistic. They've already got us pegged, but if we can last long enough, we may be able to peg back. Chief Kallikora, my gut says we're looking at a potential boarding operation. Are the security troopers ready for something like that?"

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Bridge: Etherway
Kaia Starchaser was feeling really at home. Warzone aboard a larger vessel. And there was something about the one known as [member="Jorus Merrill"] that she almost felt … comfort in knowing. He had a way about him that reminded her of so many people she knew, and not to mention someone like her father. Living in a starship, and the ship being an extension of himself. She had done her research while searching for her Jedi home. She was looking at the screen, and trying to not pay attention to the Elephant tiger on the bridge. The galaxy was a really unique place, wasn’t it? She was comfortable aboard a ship, not really around animals, or in too much nature. She’d much prefer being in a vessel that was being shot at.

Crazy Starchasers.

Maybe, once this was all over, she’d have a talk with [member="Natalya Selanne"], but before that, she couldn’t help but laugh at the way [member="Elpsis Kallikora"] spoke to her. Maybe a bit crass, but no less true. “Roger that, Captain. Moving power from engines to shields. Comms are still out, can’t reach the other ships…” Visual scanning would need to be done, maybe from the gunners?

Or… this was a ship full of Force users, well, at least three students… How else would they reach [member="Maya Whitelight"]?

 

[Lina Djo]

Mia had long since lost count of stupid things she had done in her last life time, but she was considering starting a new one, with signing up to this mission as the first on her list. "All wings report in."

Her comm crackled slightly, silence being her only response for a few seconds before the Dactyl Squad began checking in. "Only half the squad is checking in." Commented her co-pilot. Mia pursed her lips. "Half a squad isn't enough to protect the fleet. Can we reach the Etherway?"

"Negative, they're not responding to comms. Sensors are glitching too."

"Helpful. All wings, this is Dactyl Leader, pull back to your assigned ships and keep your eyes open for hostiles." She began to guide her own fighter back towards Etherway. "Protect them at all costs."

"What about the rest of the squad?"

"Let me worry about that, keep trying to reach the Etherway."

Closing her eyes, Mia reached out, trying to pinpoint the force signatures of each squad member. Force sensitives or not, they would hear her call.

"Etherway in sight. Lost communication with the rest of the squad."

"Doesn't matter, they know what they're doing. See if you can find out what's jamming us--feth!"

Fire shot across the bow of the ship, forcing them to change direction sharply. "Where the hell did that come from!?"

Sensors gave her nothing, comms gave her even less. "The hell with this, take the controls bring us in line of sight with the bridge of the Etherway, I'm gonna try something." A light on the ships hull swung round and began to flash at the Etherway in dadita.

[This is Dactyl Leader. We have your back. Locating source of communication jammers. Sit tight.]

Someone on the ship had to know dadita.

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Kaia Starchaser"] [member="Elpsis Kallikora"] [member="Natalya Selanne"]

 

[Kylraya]

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"] , “Oh”, she said happily, “so that’s what it means”, when the ground shakes. She didn’t understand hidden meanings or tones, and so for the most part they were ignored, not out of being catty, pun intended, out of being unused to speaking to others much. Her oldest tiger got it more than Natalya did, and gave a little growl before resting its head on the deck on top of a paw, blowing its whiskers out. Like a raspberry to Elpsis if you knew her cat Ktara.

[member="Jorus Merrill"] “Yes!” So she called the medbay, “anyone dead?” her literal interpretation of it, which might make you laugh or quirk an eyebrow depending on who you were! She got no response, “heading there now.” happily gathering her things up. What could go wrong.

Prowling steps like the tigers, [member="Kaia Starchaser"], she didn’t know whether to say hello or wave as she past, so her younger tiger Bnara did it for her, giving a growl and shaking its head in hello. She was strongest walking with these particular animals, because the tigers stood for strength and they gave that to her. If they’d of been in danger they’d have certainly come in handy!

Ixy​

Her sandhawk flew off out the door, scouting ahead, and so her animals went with her, she’d leave the tigers behind in quarters, because on her way she’d take what would help most at the sickbay, calming creatures! Having a zoo on the ship had its uses!

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Natalya Selanne"], [member="Jorus Merrill"], [member="Kaia Starchaser"], [member="Mia Monroe"]



Elpsis had seen many bizarre and crazy things in her young life. White edan tigers on the bridge took the cake though. Apparently one of them was growling and blowing its whiskers out. Oh, and apparently the girl had a sandhawk with her. Ah, well, things could be crazier in a terrible way. It was certainly a lot better than her father suddenly teleporting himself onto the ship against logic.


Presumably if he did so she would be utterly unable to stop him from inflicting painful torment and mind rape on her. Anyhow, back to the plot. "Yeah, boys have been setting up barricades and defensive emplacements to block entrance at the hangar. Gonna head down there now," she said in response when the Captain spoke up, whilst the vessel shuddered once more under enemy fire. Bad guys attempting a boarding manoeuvre was something she could deal with fine enough.


Of course, their attackers had to be more than common run-of-the-mill pirates if they had fancy toys such as cloaked things. Then again, that's why she had the shiny death dealer affectionately called a bolter. As she quickly left the bridge she checked the shiny gun again, making sure she had plentiful ammunition. The lightsabre was at her side, though it was doubtful it would be that useful because, though Elpsis was no stranger to melee combat or blade use, she had very little formal training with it. What with having washed out of AgriCorps and all that.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

"Good -- get down there, but keep in comm contact with the other stations. I want your people able to reinforce each other if necessary, without getting pulled out of position, so be sure to keep some reserves in central locations. Coordinate with Lieutenant Selanne - it's possible she may need backup."

[member="Natalya Selanne"]

"Lieutenant Selanne, any word on the medical bay yet?"

When she arrived, she would find that they had, in fact, already been boarded. Not through the medical bay, precisely -- but that was the point the raiders had fortified after cutting through the hull in an unexpected location. She might catch a glimpse of white faces, hair and clothes. Echani. A very long way from Eshan.

[member="Kaia Starchaser"]

"Thank you for that. That's bought us some time." The ship trembled around him. "Routing tactical control to my chair. I'm going to take a shot in the dark-"

He cut off as [member="Mia Monroe"]'s starfighters loomed out of the dust, still half-hidden, lights flickering in dadita code, which Jorus knew by sight. "A message from Monroe. Responding." He accessed the bridge light and flicked it on and off rapidly - acknowledged - then lined up a shot.

An eddy in the mist became a gleam of incoming weapons fire. A fraction of a second after impact, Jorus fired. A damaged ship decloaked and spun off into the mist.

"Starchaser - did you get a good look at that?"

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

She was going to remain and monitor the shields until something else came up. What she was starting to feel was people in the Force. She really wished her brother was here. He was the one who could meld a whole damned space wing together and fight as a cohesive unit, covering one another and the like. This being cut off from comms had her bothered and she was getting pulling up comm control here. She knew there were other ships, specifically the muse with [member="Maya Whitelight"].

The ship lurching wasn’t bothering her so much as not knowing what was going on. Looking to the viewport when she saw that nothing was getting moved by comms, she saw the fighter broadcasting a signal. Was that [member="Mia Monroe"] and the Dactyl Squadron? She was going to let [member="Jorus Merrill"] handle the response there.

“Well, you hit it. Let me see if I can identify it.” She was good at noticing details, sometimes, but that ship was damaged and in the mist. She filtered through a few entries on the stored-data holonet. “Negative. I can’t identify it. Trying to track it, mist is going to make it hard to hit them as much as its going to help us find them."

 

[Kylraya]

Natalya’s pack had reached her quarters when she heard commotion, her tigers just wouldn’t go inside, and she felt the need to take both with her, along with some sort of snake creature wrapped around her neck. How many animals were in there exactly? More than a few, they were all ready to defend their little home. Zoo yes, but their zoo.

Ixy her sandhawk was ahead and saw the blocked entrance to the medical bay, attempts to shoot her met with no success, Natalya reaching out her force sight to guide her sandy colored pet hawk to safety twirling through anything thrown its way, as if she were jumping herself around blaster fire.

Someone observant enough might start to see that her pack was an extension of herself

Gloved hand pressed against the ships intercom, tigers growling wanting to be let loose. Static filled the response to [member="Jorus Merrill"] , shots going on behind her, “someone’s shooting at us. Echani” This girl had a way with words! Bnara growled in agreement from behind her, “Blocked our way, time to hunt?” A question, and what they were probably going to end up doing anyway.

Moving as one small pack, their decisions made together, her hawk called to her flying to sit on her shoulder, the snake around her neck coiling tight but carefully, around the wildling, and rested its head into her palm, extensions of herself.

An Echani rounded the corner, unprepared to be met with a face full of spitting snake venom. Edan tigers, they were not exactly small creatures, snarling white muscle mass and meaty claws made short work of the scout, which they thought, had come to harm their sister Natalya.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"], [member="Jorus Merrill"], [member="Kaia Starchaser"], [member="Mia Monroe"]​

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Natalya Selanne"], [member="Jorus Merrill"], [member="Mia Monroe"], [member="Kaia Starchaser"]


Boarders, boarders everywhere! Violence, bloodshed and slaughter! Especially since there just happened to be ravenous tigers aboard the ship. Assuredly the Echani provided a most convenient meal for the large cats to fill their bellies and gourge themselves on their flesh. In this particular scenario the heinous intruders were Echani, clearly far from home. They had been perfidious enough not to land in the hangar, where defensive emplacements and barricades had been set up to turn the area into a kill zone, but through the hull. Elpsis had been heading down when she heard the sounds of battle coming from the medbay, along with Natalya's beasts being unleashed upon them.


She quickly activated her comm as she drew a gun and headed closer, calling the bridge. "Got intruders at the medbay. Must've breached the hull somewhere." There was plenty of static though. Perhaps the transmission reached the bridge, perhaps not. In any case she passed on a message to Levantine Patrollers, rerouting them to corridor that connected the medbay to the bridge. Another team had been assigned to secure the engine room, which was strongly guarded. After all, it would suck if they were left adrift and unable to move because someone disabled their engines.


Snarls and shouts greeted when she passed across a corner. Finding an intruder who was apparently about to come at the tigers with a elaborate looking vibrosword, Elpsis, having remained undetected, reached out with her hands and abruptly arrested his forward movement by roughly taking ahold of his neck. The man struggled but with the Force in her grip she spun him around and squeezed tightly. As he struggled in her grip her power over fire and heat manifested. Suddenly the man began to spasm and boil as searing heat surged through him.


His windpipe began to close, coupled with his body temperature turning terribly hot. He desperately tried to struggle and pry her hand away, even bite her, but Elpsis persisted and with her other hand took ahold of his face. There was a sickening sound as she broke his neck. A body fell to the floor and she was about to link up with Natalya before blasterfire from the medbay came shooting her way. Gritting her teeth Elpsis dove for cover upon the ground as blaster shots peppered the wall behind her.


Gripping her boltgun and seeing two intruders advance, she gripped her bolter and raised the sights of the gun, taking aim, then squeezed the trigger. BAAAM Two intruders were roasted nicely when the semiautomatic grenade launcher made them crumple and die, as shrapnel tore through the air with blast and heat the shockwave did wonderful things to their internal organs. A ball of fire manifested in her hand, then she let loose a jet of flame to set a raider alight and make fall to the ground. Further noise could be heard from the opposite corridor, where Levantine security troopers were appearing to engage the unknown intruders.

 

[Maya Carrick]

Muse

Copy that

Down on her knees as she work on the captain wounds. Knowing that with out much of the advance equiment that was on Etherway. Shaking her head as that fact that she couldn't do much as already been done. As felt the another rock, then another before hearing that their was intruers a board. This causing her to reach for her commlink to see what [member="Jericho"] position where.

Even after this all happen she couldn't help but give out a long sight. Knowing just what needed to be done why was this trip couldn't stuck in Eitherway were she belong as Chief of Medical. Oh yes she was here to train the greenhorns. So much for that they was thrown into the pit now. They get first hand experince up close and person.

Pointing, "I want you and you and you, to protect the medic ..no not me I can handle myself. "

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Kaia Starchaser"]

"Ain't that the truth," Jorus said with a grimace, cybernetic eyes scanning the fog. He switched to infrared, just long enough to see if it could make a difference, but the roiling astronomical phenomenon blocked everything.

[member="Natalya Selanne"] [member="Elpsis Kallikora"]

Echani. Echani boarders, here in the middle of nowhere. His eyes bulged as he remembered a first contact in this sector, a good six years back. The Kelsieri Echani -- reclusive to a fault, taciturn and then some. Come to think of it, he'd once bartered with them in the outskirts of this system, closer to the dwarf than the binary pair. But that was a lot of years to remember something, and even if he'd been flying the Gypsymoth, six years was a long time to store log data.

"Confirmed, Selanne. Chief Kallikora, let me know if you need backup. And someone get to a window and see if there's a pod stuck to our flank near the medbay. Because if not, we may have a cloaked ship latched on."

His thoughts were with [member="Maya Whitelight"] off on the other ship; that was the best he could do.

 

[Kylraya]

Force bubble extending around her skin so she wasn't touched. Burning rubble and smoke brewing up from nearby, Natalya gave an absorbing look of thanks to Elpsis, if you could interpret her predatory acknowledgement that way, her gaze that of a hunter and wild sister in the heat of battle. The snake around her wrist had her own tongue curling in Natalya’s mouth for what came next, force bonded as they were. Viper uncoiling and jumping from her wrist, pouncing at a surviving Echani who had charged. Unfortunately for her snake's victim it went straight for his throat, and the poison made the white clad figure sink and fall paralyzed.

Echani energy shields were often wonderful in ranged combat but unless they were using duelling shields, were next to useless in melee, and often you didn’t get the best of both worlds. The boarders had picked the wrong ship to board, growls all around her she lept forward. Sadly one clever Echani sealed a door, to cut them off, limiting their movement as Echani were prone to do, and trying to dictate the motion of the battle, sealing off connecting points, just like they might well do to the ship's systems [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Kaia Starchaser"] | [member="Maya Whitelight"] | [member="Mia Monroe"]

The corridor was well barricaded and all the tiger claws in the world couldn’t open the next security door they’d put up in the way. Prowling forward, her sisters relented behind her, snake coiling up her leg as she moved. Her golden saber slashed and cut like a tigers would, because that was what wildlife surrounded her dictating her temperament, not making much progress as you’d expect but making a right mess of their door ahead.

Thankfully someone else nearby had a big gun… [member="Elpsis Kallikora"], her pack fell back to the sides, and the wildling prowled to the side of the redhead. “Door,” was all she said, somewhat vexed, a conversationalist if ever there was one. “Can burn it?” She looked down at the boomstick in Elpsis’s hand, curiously wanting to paw at it.

[member="Elpsis Kallikora"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Kaia Starchaser"] | [member="Mia Monroe"] |[member="Maya Whitelight"]


Tree Viper

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Natalya Selanne"], [member="Jorus Merrill"]


In a short span of time Elpsis had concluded that she was biased against Echani and did not like them. To be sure, this conclusion was just a bit racist and this writer apologises to any Echani who might be reading this. Well, she did not like the Echani who were currently shooting at them and then being so mean to seal the door. Oh, and the mass murdering sperm donor who called himself her father was an Echani. Shooting him in the family jewels in the netherworld had been good times and well-earned payback.


Anyhow, on with the actual plot rather than the redhead's psychological issues. The actual plot manifested itself in blood and explosions. Elpsis did her best to stay clear of the little zoo that Natalya had unleashed upon the Echani. She had to admit that she sort of liked the girl's style though. Elpsis had inherited some of her mother's empathy and the girl like she was not using the animals, but rather also assimilating some of their characteristics, becoming like them a tiger. Hence why she slashed and cut at the door with her sabre like one of her big cats would.


Elpsis shook her head in response. "Move away from the door, to the sides. Be ready and give me cover," she said simply as she moved forward and brought out her lightsabre. It ignited with a snap-hiss in a blaze of crimson light. Red was a bad colour that only Sith used blahblahblah Elpsis saw no point in getting fussy over a sodding colour, and so, as a certain bearded Jedi once had on a TradeFed battleship almost a millennia ago, she precisely sliced across the door's controls.


The burning hot plasma shore through it as she exerted herself, willing the Force to surge through her muscles and strengthen her. "Avert your eyes," she called to Natalya in the same moment as the door opened with a hiss. The reason for her instructions would become clear when she gripped a flashbang and tossed it into the room ahead. In the same moment intense blasterfire came shooting her way and Elpsis hit the dirt, with blaster bolts whizzing above her head and streaking past her.


The grenade, guided and accelerated by the Force, flew through the air and impacted upon the ground, exploding with a blast and, along with burning an unlucky Echani who had been unfortunate enough to be very close to the detonation radius, released a blaze of blinding bright light. Lightsabre leapt into her hand and Elpsis got up and leapt into the fray, slicing and dicing away at a temporarily distracted enemy. Just a couple dead Echani more and she could check the window to see whether there was a pod stuck somewhere.