Desecrating What Shouldn't Be Touched

[Taeli Raaf]

Tatooine
Arkanis Sector

She really didn't like coming to the sandy and arid and hot and all manner of unpleasant adjectives that could describethe world of Tatooine She had grown up on Lorrd, which was much colder and more pleasant than this world ever could or would be, the efforts of ATC not withstanding in bringing some measure of economic important to the world. For once though, she wasn't coming to the world to have a meeting with the Trade Queen. Oh no, she was here for more personal matters.

When her sisters had vanished, she had been distraught, overcome with sadness that she wouldn't see them again, but even then she had her mind about her. They might have disappeared into the galaxy, but that didn't mean she hadn't looked for them. She gone over any world she thought both Corvus and Melori might have gone to, might have vanished to, but there had been no trace. She hadn't given up hope that one day they would return and they could all be a proper family, but she had been realistic after her initial search had turned up nothing.

She might not have a set location where Melori might reappear, but Corvus had made herself a home on Tatooine, much like her idol Obi-Wan Kenobi. If Corvus was to reappear anywhere first, she had reasoned, it would be at her homestead near Pika Oasis. To that end, she had set up a few discreet sensors to monitor for signs of life, making sure to attune them to not include Sand People or womp rats. So when the sensor pinged that someone had entered the house, she had to go investigate as soon as possible.

Her ship dropped out of hyperspace, heading to the spaceport at Mos Espa since she didn't want to land her ship too close to her sister's homestead. There were still enemies that might be hunting for the former Grandmaster, so she decided to just rent a swoop bike from the locals and then proceed that way. Descending the ramp of her ship, wearing clothing that was light and airy, she started searching for the nearest swoop rental.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


Arrakis...Dune...desert planet. Home of the sandworms, Fremen and the spice. Spice...oh, wait, wrong setting! Instead this tale is set in the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is Mos Eisley, located within the binary furnace of Tatooine. The planet was famous for having spawned the Skywalkers who'd proceeded to cause quite a ruckus in the Galaxy since then. There was also a substantial number of escaped slaves, Sand People, smugglers and general never-do-wells.


Somehow, this sandy, hot, arid orb had often achieved an importance in galactic affairs that was entirely disproportionate to its primitive nature, though these days now seemed to lie in the distant past. The bountiful prey and dangers that lurked in the seemingly endless sand dunes of the desert appealed to the clone. A harsh wind blew her way, throwing up columns of sand, when she stepped out of the predictably seedy bar, having parted with the considerable number of gaffi sticks the Hutt had demanded as proof that a certain troublesome group of Sand People had been taken care of. It was a never-ending story of settlers versus natives, fighting over the same piece of real estate.


The strong do as they will and the weak suffer what they must. She tightened her ragged bandana around her face to shield herself against the grit. The heat was dry, parching and scalding. Her body whirred and clanked with every movement she made and she registered with evident annoyance that some sand might have found its way into her cybernetics.


Ahead of her, natives were offering all sorts of goods at a bazaar. She paid scant attention to the talismans, good-luck-chams that the peddlers tried to offer to the gullible and superstitious who fell for such claptrap. She cared not for the odd looks she acquired due to her evident mechanical nature. The same applied to the streetwalkers who were busy offering their services. But her eyes were alert, her movements like those of a predator. One could not be too careful in a place like this, where you could easily end up with a blaster bolt in your back.


Tatooine was a good place to get lost in, especially if you needed to find yourself. The anonymity was refreshing, for few here would have heard the name Siobhan Kerrigan, even fewer would be able to connect the infamous name with a face. Little did the clone know that as she made her way through the wretched town, she would cross paths with a Jedi Master and closeted Sith Lord.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

Walking through the streets of this city, if one could call a den of hedonism and depravity a city, she finally found the swoop rental man she trusted the most. Not that it said a lot, considering this city hadn't been cleaned up by ATC so everyone was a criminal of some sort. As she was about to enter the shop, her sense prickled. There was a dark signature here, nearby. It felt somewhat familiar, and yet... it felt off. Still, all the more reason to make haste to her destination. If there was a dark sider, and one as strong as she felt, it probably meant they were tracking her sister.

Looking around before entering the... establishment, no one was really standing out to her about where the sense was coming from. Too many people moving and she didn't have time to focus in more. She would enter the shop, speaking in Huttese to the Weequay proprietor.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


Dark Side and Light Side. Bogan and Ashla, if you subscribed to Je'daii beliefs. Or just felt like showing off your knowledge of ancient mysticism. One represented selfishness, the other compassion. At least that was the view propagated by cheesy holovids and school textbooks. As so often, the truth was more complicated. The lines between good and evil blurred. Once the bullets started flying, good intentions tended to go out of the window. No one saw themselves as the bad guy of the story - and the most dangerous villains were those who were averse to advertising their true nature. The clone was not one for fairy tales.


Enyo's senses were diminished, but the sudden appearance of a potent Force Signature did not escape her attention when she moved through an alley, a bit away from the shop Taeli had just entered. It felt potent and strong, but she could not trace its origin. Ostensibly, it felt like the radiant light one would associate with a Jedi...


The clone was so distracted by the sensation that she almost missed the blaster rifle that was being levelled her way. There was a bright flash when a crimson bolt exited the gun's muzzle and streaked towards her back. She spun, and the shot connected with the palm of her metallic hand, dissipating into nothingness. She switched slightly, then rolled to avoid another. Bounty-hunters? She could smell the stench of covetous greed emanating from the group of ruffiians that accosted her.


The clone was, in the event, just a little insulted, though she cursed herself for having been inattentive. Her eyes were cold and feral. Her Force aura flared, a bit like a predator puffing itself up before striking. A sabre's hilt flew into her grasp and the burning violet beam manifested with the trademark snap-hiss. As projectiles flew her way, a gust of telekinesis raised the sand and the dust, blowing towards her assailants' eyes, and she charged like a battering ram. The lightsabre sang a grim song as it carved through thugs, amputating limbs and chopping off heads. Precise brutality, almost machine-like movements. No time was wasted on witty banter or on toying with her opponents.


The commotion could probably be heard from inside the shop. To anyone Forceful being who knew Siobhan Kerrigan, the Force presence would feel vaguely familiar...and yet off.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

She had just secured her rental when she heard the commotion outside, the sounds of combat and death. It didn't take one strong in the Force to sense the ebbing flows of life as someone ended life after life. The one doing the ending was that same dark presence she had felt, but those was killing... ah there was the greed. Someone had a price on their head it seemed. Only reason she could think of for bounty hunters to go after someone like that. The Weequay had taken cover behind his counter in case any of the fight outside moved into his shop. Smart move.

There was a snap-hiss as she ignited her lightsaber and walked out of the swoop rental place. Now she was more confused. The Dark Jedi or Sith looked like Siobhan Kerrigan, but was quite clearly not. The extensive cybernetics and different-ness about the woman suggested she was someone else. A clone or sister perhaps? She could leave her to deal with the rest of her attackers, and it would be no skin off her teeth. Then again... she had no idea what her relationship with Countess Kerrigan was so saving her might be better for the long term in regards to working with Kerrigan herself.

She could clearly handle herself, but her style suggested brutality, a very cold calculated brutality. But it left room for openings, like the bounty hunter with the rifle on the upper balcony. She would grip with the Force and pull off the balcony, right to her and deposit him in striking distance of the pommel of her lightsaber. He was out cold in a moment, and she moved to help whoever was under attack. Her sister could wait a few minutes while she helped.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


Even with her heavy scarring, one could still see Siobhan Kerrigan when one looked upon the clone's face. But Siobhan had never possessed such extensive cybernetics, even before she'd elected to replace her mechanical limbs with cloned ones.


More to the point, their fighting style was different. Siobhan was a long-ranged AOE fighter, who was infamous for her mastery of telekinesis. When she ignited her lightsabre, it was usually for defence rather than attack. Siobhan would've deflected the hailstorm of laser bolts with the fluid motions of her Soresu mastery and rained down a telekinetic storm upon her assailants - or fried them with scalding lightning. Her aura would've glowed brightly, beautiful and terrible to behold.


Enyo was not her mirror. Both possessed considerable power, but she lacked her experience in many ways. She was more ferocious and brutal, but also colder. Her style was that of an implacable, icy glacier. Her unrelenting offence and drive to get up close and personal left her vulnerable to what she could not see, such as the bounty-hunter who'd taken up position on the balcony and had her in his sights. Unfortunately for him, Lady Taaf took him out of the game! Ouch. This hurt him and then he went on a trip into the dreamlands.


Enyo heard the thud when the thug fell into the ground, just after she rammed her a mercenary with a thunderous kick that sent him flying into a dumpster. Getting hit by someone with a phrik foot was an unpleasant experience, to say the least. But one thug had gotten smart and used her brief distraction to open fire with an ion blaster. The clone hissed in pain when the stream of blue energy struck her. Her hand twitched and she shook, as if under shock. Her breathing, already a prolonged, mechanical rasp, intensified.


Then she advanced. The bounty-hunter made the mistake of not pressing his attack right away. When she came at him, he fired again, desperation and panic emanating from him, but Enyo simply grabbed his arm and broke it as if it were a twig. The gun fell out of his grasp and he howled in pain, then the point of her weapon plunged deep into his neck, ending his misery. He dropped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been pulled.


The two surviving mercenaries fled the scene, perhaps also intimidated by the appearance of another glowstick-wielder, since that had probably not been included in the briefing. Enyo's eyes fell upon the female Force-user who'd unexpectedly and apparently helped her. She knew she recognised that face from somewhere!

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

"Well you certainly handled them quite well," Taeli said to the woman who looked like Siobhan and yet wasn't. Her lightsaber stayed on, at her side, but ready if this mysterious individual moved to attack her. That ion shot had to have hurt though, given the extensive cybernetics. She didn't recognize the cybernetics themselves, so she suspected they were custom-made by someone. "I suppose I should introduce myself, Taeli Raaf, at your service. And you are?"

She was curious who might have put out the bounty on this women, but they could address that after introductions. As she continued to observe the woman, she was figuring the woman wasn't here to hunt her sister, but had been trying to hide from someone or something.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


Enyo breathed in deeply. It sounded a bit like someone with asthma, though she would probably not appreciate that comparison. The ion shot had been painful. It was not critical, but circuits had been fried and one of her hands kept twitching.


Taeli would probably feel the Force at work when Enyo pulled upon the tangled web of power. However, rather than lash out for some reason, the clone directed the flow of energy into herself. Mechu-deru was a pathway to many abilities...some of which were actually practical. Such as fixing broken machines. She could not fully repair the damage in the field, but some of it.


She fixated her eyes upon the woman, scrutinising her. The purple lightsabre stayed on and remained in her grasp. The clone was not about to let down her guard and relax. Especially around a Jedi. She could not sense danger, but she was wary. "Taeli Raaf," she repeated. The lady's company had invented the Mimetic Hydrargyrum that Archangel used for its robotic shapeshifters.


"I know of you. I'm Enyo Typhos." Tone of voice was different than Siobhan's. The Countess sounded like a Rimkin, sometimes with the hint of an Eldorai accent. Her clone was chilly, her tone was clipped. "Why did you aid me? What brings you to this cesspit?"

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

"I'm here in this... great black pit of morals investigating a personal issue," Taeli said, guarded in her reply. She was almost fairly certain this Enyo was not here for Corvus, but she couldn't be entirely sure. Not yet anyways. She was chillier than the Countess, that was for sure. Different way of talking, colder than expected really. Body language suggests... unfamiliarity with certain customs that most galactic beings had. Isolated upbringing?

"I will admit to some selfish reasons for helping you," Taeli continued. "You remind me quite heavily of Countess Kerrigan, and it was a calculation that in helping you, it might buy some goodwill with her. Also curiosity. Not everyday a large group of bounty hunters attack someone so brazenly. You must have upset someone mightily for them to place such a bounty on your head that you're getting attacked in the streets and I'm curious who might have done that."

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


"I see." Enyo cocked her head to the side slightly, giving Taeli a curious look, as if weighing her words. Then she suddenly burst out into laughter. Yes, that's right, Lady Raaf just succeeded in getting the broody clone to laugh. She should feel very proud of herself for accomplishing such a feat!


"I remind you of her? Predictable. One would have thought that a turbolaser bombardment would terminate the resemblance. Clearly not," she said very, very dryly. "If you hoped to curry favour with Siobhan and Firemane, I'm afraid I have to thoroughly dash your hopes. We do not send each other Hallmark Cards."


Who used that term these days? Isolated upbringing, yeah. The clone had, quite deliberately, not responded to query about who had sent the collection of now mostly very dead bounty-hunters after her. Another difference between her and Siobhan was the fact that Enyo was taller thanks to her mechanical legs. She kept her eyes on Taeli, but stretched out with the Force, searching for nearby presences. "This alley is too exposed. Too many ways for someone to carry out an ambush."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

An estrangement with Siobhan, ah more was the pity. It lessened the woman's value to Taeli then, but she was still curious. She had been through an orbital bombardment, and lived, which was quite impressive even if she required cybernetics now. Taeli did notice that Enyo had avoided answering who was after her, which bespoke that the woman knew all too well who was hunting for her. Even now, she was suspicious of their surroundings, understandably so though. She had been ambushed once already today, and was likely looking to avoid another occurrence so soon.

"I think if anyone wanted to ambush us here, after seeing the first one fail, they might wait for a different opportunity," Taeli said. "It's a very rare individual who wants to go up against two people holding lightsabers and have the Force. Still... I really must be on to my business on this world. The sooner I'm away from this place the better. I really dislike desert planets, happens when you grow up in a cold climate."

She could deal with the woman readily enough if she needed to. A few applications of hassat-durr, and all her cybernetics would be shut down... but she didn't see a need for them to be enemies.

"If you're worried about more ambushes, I suppose you could accompany me on my business," she said, as much as she wanted to keep her reunion with her sister private. "Strength in numbers and all that."

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


Countess Kerrigan's goodwill. This showed the cynical clone a few things. Firstly, that Taeli knew Siobhan and secondly that she would've liked to have her as an ally - or at least for Enyo's infamous mirror to be indebted to her. This was the sort of manoeuvring one would expect from a politician or corporate magnate. Enyo happened to have a very jaded view of Jedi, so that did not really affect her opinion. In her world view, everyone had an agenda.


Enyo seemed to ponder the woman's words, for a brief moment. The gears turned in her mind. Could she defeat her if need be? This was difficult for the clone to assess. She felt that the Jedi was very powerful, but she could not assess her skill set. The truth was that Enyo was strong, but still had much to learn. She also did not have her full panopoly of gear with her.


"Very well," she said at last. "If there's spoils to be had on your quest, I desire an appropriate share in return for my assistance though. Or some other form of payment." Little did she know that they'd end up investigating a theft involving a sneaky fish! Finally, she switched off her lightsabre. "What is your destination?"

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

Taeli smiled as she turned her lightsaber off in kind before answering. She didn't expect there to be many spoils for the woman where they were going. Her sister had not been one for material goods, at all. Strict to the letter of the Jedi Code, or at least she had been. Braith had lessened that somewhat, but even then, her sister had never really sought out things to just have. Function before anything else. If she had known what awaited at the homestead... well...

"You'll be properly compensated," Taeli replied, leading the way to where the swoops and speeders were. "We're going to a small moisture farm out near Pika Oasis. It is a place of great interest to me, and something tripped a life form sensor I put in place there, and it wasn't one of the world's normal inhabitants. We shall be investigating who triggered the sensor."

She selected a two seat speeder when originally she had just wanted to take a swoop bike out to the farm.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


Ironically, a traditional Jedi's austere life style matched Enyo's own. Admittedly this was partly because she simply did not have a big bank account or even a steady source of income, but Archangel had also raised her in a monastic way. To a degree, Enyo believed this made her superior to her wealthy mirror, whose extravagant materialism was well-known. Her riches and creature comforts were not power, but millstones around her neck. At least's what Enyo thought.


"Pika Oasis. I see. I've heard the name," though she could not quite make the connection yet. "Lead the way." It went without saying that there was a lot to the story that the Jedi was not telling her, but that was not rocket science. Besides, Enyo was being tight-lipped as well. Investigating a supposed case of trespassing sounded simple enough, and if they ran into prey in the desert, all the better.


So the pair boarded the speeder after Taeli had selected an appropriate vehicle. The bike's engines came to life and it roared out of Mos Eisley, eventually leaving the den of iniquity behind it. Enyo occasionally shot Taeli curious looks, but mostly kept her eyes on the road.


One thing was certain, Siobhan was more talkative, animated and more fun at parties. What attention was not directed towards what lay ahead of them was focused on repairing the damage her mechanical parts had sustained during the ambush. Before them lay seemingly endless sand dunes. Finally, the clone broke the silence. "You know Siobhan Kerrigan personally?"

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

"We've had some business dealings," Taeli answered. Enyo certainly not as talkative as Siobhan, but then maybe that was part of her upbringing. She was very curious to unravel the mystery around this woman. "I don't really know her on a personal level besides that."

The speeder kept going, over dunes and through craggy canyons. Silence would stretch again as they sped onwards, Taeli taking the time to think about what she might say to her sister when they got to their destination. But her nagging curiosity wouldn't be denied.

"So what brings you to Tatooine?" she asked. "Running from someone?"

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


On a probably less relevant note, Enyo also...did not have a roving eye. Two Kerrigans bombarding the ladies of the galaxy with corny pick-up lines and travelling from one bed to the next would've been too much! The clone filed the information away when Taeli responded to her query about Siobhan. Business dealings. She felt a tad disappointed that she did not hear more.


I would've thought a Jedi would brand her an apostate for using 'dark powers'. Then again, Taeli seemed to have no problem hiring her clone. Perhaps the NJO's code was simply window-dressing and political interests took precedence. Firemane was a known backer of the Alliance's expansionary ventures. Or the Jedi who was currently steering the speeder was simply very different from the norm. After all, she ran her own business and seemed very disinclined to lecture the cyborg about the Holy Code. So far, all of Enyo's encounters with Jedi had been with Silvers. Those had been contradictory, to say the least, and probably produced a skewed perspective!


Any mention of Siobhan brought out conflicting feelings of resentment, jealousy and, to a degree, grudging admiration in her. Perhaps Taeli might detect some of this through the Force or simply a Lorrdian's natural skill for reading people.


"Tatooine is a a wretched den of iniquity and depravity, but also a good place to lay low. And there's enough dangers in the desert to keep your skills from atrophying. Though I'm a tad insulted that this collection of bounty-hunters was so lacking." Tempting fate? Very, very much. She'd inherited some of Siobhan's ego. "I reckon my 'benefactors' will not make the same error twice."


Another pause. "Does the New Jedi Order still lock 'infidels' in magma cells? Not that I do not appreciate you refraining from tirades about the need to embrace the 'Light'." A seemingly random question that came out of the blue.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

Resentment and some respect mixed in for good measure was wafting off the woman sitting next to her at the mention of Siobhan. Taeli supposed it was only natural, considering the Countess had power, wealth... no cybernetics to constrain her life. It was only natural those feelings would have taken root in Enyo. She didn't immediately reply, as she had to navigate a particularly tricky stretch of the journey, but she did take everything in she said. So she had benefactors that weren't happy with her and they had posted the bounty. Interesting.

"Not my place to lecture on the Jedi Code to people," Taeli replied. "We do what we have to do to survive, even thrive. The New Jedi Order still has the magma cells, but since the more zealous elements are gone or quiet for now, they aren't used as much. I suspect that will change with the defeat at Kaeshana, considering a majority of forces on the ground were from Firemane. Some might blame the GA for losing their way and call for a return to what was during the war against the One Sith. So what did you do to these benefactors to sent, at least so far, inept hunters after you?"

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


"'The Force was not with us because we lost our way and consorted with infidels. We must purify ourselves, and banish the snakes in our midst'," Enyo spoke in what might be considered a parody of a Jedi jihadist.


"I imagine Kaeshana was a considerable blow to Siobhan's tremendous ego. No one could beat her on the battlefield, not even Carnifex, but she could not save her home. So ironic. I would not be surprised if she now comes under fire from Eldorai aristocrats and religious zealots who blame her for the defeat or see it as an opportune moment to strike. But a wounded, cornered Cylix is the most dangerous and she has very sharp claws." There it was again, that mixture of jealousy and grudging admiration. Enyo had spent a long time studying her template, probably to an obsessive degree. Even now, she still watched her.


She cocked her head slightly when Taeli queried her about her so-called benefactors. "I'm their best weapon. They took offence when I decided to exercise this thing called free will. Truly a startling concept."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]

"You would likely know more about the politics of the Eldorai than I would, or even how Siobhan might take the planet falling into First Order hands," Taeli said, smiling slightly. The guidance system indicated they were a few minutes out from the farm. "But, yes certain elements in thw NJO hierarchy might very well start pondering about some sort of... inquisition. I guess we shall see how everyone deals with the events at Kaeshana and the coming war with the First Order."

She was interested though that these benefactors used Enyo as a weapon and didn't allow her free will in her actions. If Taeli was directing such an asset, she would give a basic mission parameter and leave it up to her operative to figure out the best way to achieve the goal. She would reward innovative thinking if it succeeded, and punish a failed plan accordingly, especially if the mission was botched beyond recovery. How interesting indeed.

"That seems a bit... restricting," Taeli admitted. "I'm guessing they are the type of people who want you to stick to the letter of your mission, and not the spirit of it hmm? Not a very imaginative command style in my opinion. Makes one predictable actually."

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]


The implanted control device that symbolised the extent of Archangel's desire to control her life was gone. But sometimes Enyo still had nightmares of the machine cult taking control over her life or, worse, that of her sister [member="Amara Zarides"]. Naturally this was not something she spoke about. It would be unbecoming for so many reasons.


"Let's just say they were obsessed with control to an extreme degree. Perhaps a sign of insecurity, which is ironic since they had messianic delusions of grandeur. They were afraid of what I could do if the leash got taken off. Well, they ended up with a self-fulfilling prophecy, " Enyo remarked. She was their Frankenstein's monster.