Private Fires of Rebellion

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

"Your credentials please." The BB-series astromech ejected the small disk at the officer's behest. The red holographic image displayed the forged credentials of 'Marathi Tahla', wife of the wealthy Imperial dejarik champion Jeno Tahla. "Alright Mrs. Tahla. Why are you visiting Thustra?" The woman's lips curled into an enigmatic smile. If only she knew why the Force had set her on this path.

"My younger sister lives in New Alaric. I'm here to visit her" Half-truths. They often worked.

"How long will you be staying in the Sumitra Sector?

"Oh, well, five days at most."

Her response earned her a skeptical look from the officer. "Right..." The officer sighed, checking a few more boxes on his datapad before he returned the disk to the blue droid beside her. "Okay Mrs. Tahla, your credentials check out." The officer reached for one of the many datapads piled up beside his desk, and handed it to her through the small hatch. "The datapad contains all information you will need during your stay, such as the code of conduct and the curfew explained in detail." The blue astromech chirped in protest when she passed the datapad to it. "Welcome to the Sephi Dominate. Your luggage will be returned to you shortly."

A twenty-minute wait later, and the Jedi Master could finally set foot on the planet she had once called home. Her gaze shifted over the many lavender-coloured Sephi who roamed the streets outside of the spaceport. They all felt the same through the Force. Devoid of hope. Fearful, alone and hurt. The Empress held a tight control over the capital city, that much was obvious. To her, and to the many Sephi who had enjoyed the freedom and protection of the Silver Sphere, the regime of the Empress was hell itself. A single glance was enough to tell that the population had given up on resisting. Sakadi knew this. Sakadi had expected this. But deep inside, she knew that igniting the fires of rebellion required nothing but a spark. And she was that spark.

TWO MONTHS LATER​

The small alley bathed in red light when the three cloaked figures released their third volley on the approaching droids and Sephi soldiers. "We're trapped!" "Great observation genius! Just keep firing for the Force's sake! The second cloaked figure remarked bitterly as he emptied the energy cell of his blasterpistol on the armored opposition. "Next time, don't trigger the storehouse's alarm!" The third added to their conversation. "There won't be a next time Mellion..." "Yeah? Well I'm not giving up!" The petite Sephi woman unclipped a thermal detonator from her belt. Before she could activate the device, however, a familiar voice echoed through her head.

"Please put that down, Aril. You'll blow up this lovely neighborhood."

The Sephi struck the soldiers like lightning. The whirlwind of white and purple, weaved through their formation, systematically taking them down one by one. She made sure not to kill, but to incapacitate instead. Although the droids left her very little choice.

Only after the last of the regime's enforcers fell, did the three figures leave their cover. "You're a bit late, Sakadi." She could tell that Mellion was relieved to see her. As were the others. "Better late than never." Aril shrugged. Her gaze was fixed on the incapacitated soldiers, clearly still processing what just happened. Darin, the stoic middle-aged Sephi however, was not. "Did the others gather at point Aurec?" His question was answered by an affirmative nod. "Safehouse Dorne has been compromised. I've told the others to abandon Besh." Sakadi projected as she gestured for them to follow her.

In the two months since her arrival, the Jedi Master had gathered and unified several splinter cells of resistance fighters. They had quickly rallied behind her after they learned of the Jedi's presence. Although the Jedi Master knew that the Order she belonged to wasn't the sole reason why they had so willingly accepted her aid. Her control over the mystical Force made her a formidable ally, but it was her name which really stirred the people. She was the real Sakadi Sinvala. The prodigious girl who had been idolized by both young and old back in the day. Her name still had influence, perhaps even more now that she had returned as a Jedi to free the Thustran people of her own volition.

Aril raised her arm, activating the comlink on her bracer. "The gilded kite is flying, thanks to the song of the Muse." Despite having an encrypted and secure channel, the rebels still went through the trouble of using codenames to make their messages incomprehensible to the regime. But could she blame them? This was the mission they had been building up to for the past two months. The objective of the resistance was to get as many families loyal to the Silver Concord off world as they could. They had enough freighters to realize their dream, but they lacked one vital element. Clearance codes. All of which were now in their hands, thanks to the three slicers. The gilded kite was the datachip containing the codes and the Muse? That was her. Yes, despite her objections, they had given her a codename.

"Aurec, the gilded kite is on its way to you."


Lirka Ka ​

 

[Lirka Ka]

Two months, two, long months. Thustra was at a war from all angles, and it's allies were precious few: only the Flakax and their homeworld of Flax had willingly bent the knee to Empress Ka's claims to power over all of Sumitra. The Hive Queen's understood that there was wonder in a greater purpose, and rightfully understood Sephi dominance over their kind, none others had fallen so simply. Thustra itself writhed and curled as it fought amongst itself, these final cruel tests of the Dark's Champion.

And she would pass them all, like she always did.

The Red Empress of Thustra did not yield, she did not show mercy to those who shunned her fairness and continued to fight against the New Way, just as the endless hordes of rebels did: whilst her was waged so greatly in the mountains and the warriors who dubbed that place their home, there were still all the rats running around the capital, and Lirka had given them a wide birth to operate.

But this planet, belonged to her and she watched their movements and strikes with hateful eyes, stole their allies and forced whatever information she could from them, but today? She had decided the children had been allowed to play Rebel long enough, mounting up on a freshly repainted Gunship gifted by the Empire at large, she set out for the battle: the roar of engines pierced the sky as though some mythical beast now flew amongst them.

But of course, it was something far more vile than myth, Empress Ka herself. It was a short trip, especially with the breakneck speeds that Lirka preferred to work at. As the gunship neared the Drop Point, it's hatch unsealed with a hiss as the air assailed Lirka's metal form: she didn't even budge, even as the helmet's top-knot flew wildly in the wind, and with a leap Lirka crashed to the earth like a meteor, slamming down near the battle with the crash of cracking stone and hissing mechanisms. She rose, towering above the rest of her ilk. The Empress had come alone, in all of her vile glory.

Her footfalls were heavy, thundering against the ground beneath her. She was a creature of dark, segmented, metal plates, crimson and purple ribbon flowed from her armor now, but most striking of all: the old crown of the king, warped, broken, reformed into the forehead of her helmet: it was well-known the armor of the Empress was stylized after the Demons of Sephi Myth, but it was not truly appreciated until she stood, deathly close. Her wicked blade still locked to her back, as the advance continued.

"Tremble, cretins! For the Dark walks among you!"

And of course, she was always going to announce her presence even after an explosive entrance like that.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

After she had dispatched of the soldiers, the Jedi Master had expected the regime's reinforcements to be on their heels. It had happened almost every time she had intervened. The search lights of the Sephi Dominate always illuminated the streets, searching for the rebels at large. But not once had they found their target. Not when she was involved.

This time around, however, no searchlights came. No soldiers swept the dark alleys for anyone not obeying the planetary curfew. She had always sensed them. Their positions, thoughts and feelings. When the enforcers were coming, Sakadi knew.

That was why the sound of roaring engines high above frightened her. Sakadi's pace slowed, head jerking in the direction of the sound. The night's sky was far too dark to actually see the craft of the Sephi Dominate. And for some reason, she couldn't sense its passengers either. "Sakadi? Is something wro-" She abruptly cut him off. "Go. Now." Was the approaching craft manned entirely by droids? Had the Empress finally reached a breaking point, and decided to bomb the rebels in the streets? She couldn't explain it. It made no sense. Why did the Force not warn her?

"What are you doing?" "Get the codes to safehouse Aurec and give them to BB-5. I'll be right behind you." Mellion wanted to protest, but Aril pulled at his shoulder. "You heard Sinvala. We have to go." The streets were quiet, apart from the sound of roaring engines and the muttering rebels. That was, until the thundering footsteps of a giant echoed through the street. Followed by a fear-inducing voice. The voice of the Red Empress. And she was close.

It was all the incentive her allies needed. "Good luck..." Yes. That was what she needed. Luck. For the Force had seemingly abandoned her.

Sakadi couldn't quite comprehend what was going on. When the unmistakable silhouette of the Empress came within sight, she couldn't think of anything other than her deafened sense. Could she even reach the Monarch through the Force?

Nevertheless, the Jedi Master remained calm. Her allies had disappeared into the shadows. The cobblestone streets were now empty, apart from the lone Jedi Master who awaited the malicious Empress. Her tranquility reflected in her attire. A simple brown cloak, covering the iconic tunic of a Jedi, white in color.

Upon recognizing the remnants of the old King's crown, Sakadi pulled her hood back. Her hair was adorned with small white gems in typical Thustran fashion, reflecting the starlight with every move of her head. Whereas Empress Lirka Ka had chosen to appear as one of Thustran mythology's demons, she resembled the grace, elegance and beauty of the monarchy as depicted in the old poems. In a way, she represented the old world that the Red Empress sought to destroy.

In silence, for her soundless words could not reach her demonic opponent, Sakadi ignited her white blade.

Lirka Ka ​

 

[Lirka Ka]

Lirka moved with a calm swagger, but even with her warped and twisted flesh hidden beneath that thick armored plate: every single step oozed pure, murderous, intent. The Empress was barely a person anymore, so malformed and broken in her sacrifices to claim this land...Lirka was an idea now. A dominating will that projected itself across all that it touched, the New Way, the rebirth of Thustra. A bloody, bloody, rebirth.

"And like rats, you scurry away into the darkness. To fester, to cry at the coming evolution."

She saw the rebels running away, she made no moves against them. Try as they want, this planet belonged to her. They would all fall into her clawed hands eventually. Taking a few more steps, the Empress stopped: with a click her massive blade came to a hand, it weighed next to nothing to her. A crackle filled the air, and the emerald plasma-filament around it came to life, the light bouncing against her plates of Duranium and plundered Beskar from her days dominating Mandalore.

The old, and the new. They stood, squared off and ready. Lirka relished every moment of it, a blinded and lost soul who hadn't seen the Truth. And Lirka would be the cruel teacher they all needed, to finally understand the pure and stagnant rot that tore away at Thustra while they so contently sat as another dot in the void. The mere thought of it made Lirka huff in rage.

"Come then, rebel. Show me what you can do, show me what you Avatars of Stagnation can do the light of a new dawn!"

She snarled, with all the melodramatic flourish one would expect from a showwoman like Lirka, she entered combat stance after that. A wordless announcement for a beginning duel.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Widening her stance and raising her lightsaber to the side, Sakadi took a deep breath. She reached deep within the Living Force, gratefully accepting its warm embrace. The Red Empress repelled the touch of the Force. It was an odd sensation, one that had caught her off guard at first. But she would have never reached the rank of Master if that alone was enough to put her on her back foot.

Slowly, Sakadi began to channel her building presence in the Force through her body, enhancing her own physicality to her utmost limit. The sheer energy rising from the Jedi Master left the air thick and heavy. She was a beacon of light in the Force. That hadn't changed. That would never change.

Her sight shifted. The Sephi took in every inch of her demonic opponent, her eyes finally resting on the glowing blade of her opponent. Height, weight, reach and strength. Lirka held the advantage in each and everyone of those aspects. She had a major disadvantage against this opponent, one her surroundings could not make up for either. If she wanted to triumph, she would have to take the Empress's measure first. Despite knowing some of the stories about Lirka Ka's battle prowess, there was no truth in them until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, the shorter of the two Sephi remained cautious.

Her objective here was to stall for time. If she could keep the head of the regime occupied, perhaps the rebels would have a chance to deliver the codes and smuggle their families off-world. But a second thought slipped into her mind. One unbefitting of a Jedi, but one she actually considered. Kill the Empress if she could and free Thustra, Isobe, and the entire Sumitra sector of her grasp.

A second passed.

Another.

Then, the Jedi Master would burst into motion. Aided by the Force, Sakadi moved forward and blinding speed, crossing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. She was nimble, light on her feet and ready to adapt her forward momentum at a moment's notice. With what reach she had the Master lunged forward, aiming to thrust her saber deep within the demonic giant's chest.

The result was less than desirable.

The tip of her white blade glanced off the breastplate, leaving nothing but a small scratch. Her eyes widened at this revelation. Beskar. In a reflex born from her instincts, the Jedi leapt up, twisting her body in midair and letting her momentum carry her over the daunting titan. She elegantly landed a few meters behind her opponent, barely enough to be out of reach for now. Because this changed everything.

Her thrusts were nothing more than a wasp's stings...


Lirka Ka ​

 

[Lirka Ka]

Each movement was a subtle taunt, her form was relaxed and nearly uncaring. She didn't think the poor poor rebel was a threat...no...not Rebel. Jedi, Lirka let her hate fuel her, it bubbled up like a volcano ready to burst with a geyser of malice and anger. So they had come to take what they deemed theirs, to send the Sephi down into the rot of irrelevancy once again.

That would not happen, Lirka would leave a tower of corpses a million high before she allowed it. The dawn had come, and they were hopeless to stop it. With a grim amusement, she watched the Jedi eagerly rush for the killing blow, only to stopped dead by her chestplate, the voice-distortion from her helmet made the following chuckle seem like something between a gurgle and a dozen growls.

"And in your hubris, you think yourself mighty..."

While she may not move as fast as those who channeled the Force, for what she was Lirka was fast, unnaturally so. Everything about the beastly creature was unnatural, the force around her as an empty void, and she moved with a strength and speed no Sephi should be able to muster by natural means. Lirka flipped herself around with a single movement, her reach was great and she sent her blade slashing towards the Jedi with a freakish amount of strength behind the blow: even if it was ultimately a strike just to try and force the Jedi back more.

"...in your misguided might, you have become blind. Thinking yourself wise, thinking yourself right. A paragon of stagnation, sending our people into the decay of irrelevancy. Malformed and twisted by the Jedi. I pity you, Lost Daughter of Thustra."

It was a cold feeling, Lirka's "pity", such things had corroded away long ago now. Her endless ambition and the many betrayals had made sure of that, but even in Lirka's bullish rage she could see one of the Lost, and whilst the Avatars of Rot that dubbed themselves rebels tore away at all she built: they were Lost nonetheless, none more so than those who had made themselves Cultists.

Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

The second her soft shoes made contact with the pavement, Sakadi's eyes widened. She managed to throw her weight back just in time, planting her lavender hand on the wet stones to cartwheel back and narrowly avoid the glowing blade. Nevertheless, the blade of the Empress cut through a few strands of her white hair; far too close for her liking.

With her blade pointing downward in a typical Niman low-guard, Sakadi backpedaled. This... monster, for she could only be such, was deceptively fast. She saw her chances disappear like snow in the sun.

Think

There had to be a way to defeat the demonic Red Empress who stood before her. A way to end the threat to her people's lives and their ways. A way to free Thustra... There had to be one.

But the harder she tried to discern the weaknesses of her opponent, the less opportunities she saw. The daunting Empress was dead to the Force. Her armor had only a handful of gaps, each of them difficult to exploit. And then there was her monstrous strength and battle experience. If it weren't for her five decades of training, the Master wouldn't have recovered from her momentary panick.

Luckily, she did. Sakadi remained outwardly calm and collected, her mouth still shut despite the provocations of her opponent. Not being able to talk back was frustrating, but she had no say in the matter. The Force was her voice, and in a way it was fitting that it would not let her speak to a corrupted soul like this. If the Empress even had a soul left at this point...

First things first. Advantages. What could she seize? The element of surprise? Reach? No, none of them were applicable. Not here. What she needed, was terrain suited to her needs. An environment that could increase her odds against this demon.

With a swift swipe, her silver blade neatly sliced a lamppost in two. With a gentle nudge of the Force, she directed the upper half down toward her armored assailant. A single thought moved through her mind, as the Jedi Master quietly slipped into a back alley.

Come and get me.

Lirka Ka ​

 

[Lirka Ka]

Heavy footfalls echoed through the city streets, a low gurgle came from Lirka's helmed form: it may have been a chuckle. She moved with a slow and predatory grace, swinging her blade at the earth beneath her as the monstrous empress slashed great burning gashes through it. Her words continued to drone, a distorted speech...though it was close enough to a sermon in it's own vile right.

"You think yourself righteous, blinded by your own arrogance. A mind fresh, naïve. The New Way is the herald of greatness, the steps we all must take if we wish to see our people rise once more..."

She saw the lamp-post fall, but with an unlikely speed she side-stepped away as it crashed to the ground with a thunderous clang. Lirka moved like water, moving with an unnatural and heinous grace. She was a dancer, an artist like all Sephi were. But she danced the Dance of Death, it had broken and twisted her mind long long before she had ever step foot on Thustra once more.

She followed Sakadi Marathi Sinvala down the alleyway, a grin pierced the grim visage of the Empress underneath her emotionless helm. Her words thundered now, echoing through the city.

"Run little Rebel, run! There is nowhere for your kind to hide now!"

Lirka hadn't always been the best judge of her surroundings.

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

She had known that this was going to be a difficult fight. While the monster she faced was not impervious to her attacks, most of what she had in her arsenal would not even scratch the Empress. No illusions, mental attacks or unbalancing telekinetic blows. She would have to focus on more direct materializations of the Force.

The reason why the Jedi Master chose the small alley, was to hopefully limit the maneuverability of her opponent. The Empress's large blade would be more difficult to wield the deeper into the alley they went. That was something she hoped to exploit, but there was no telling how far the Empress would go in her pursuit of the 'little Rebel'. Perhaps she was willing to tear apart the buildings themselves if it meant that her blade would reach her.

If only my words could reach her... She had her doubts that the monstrous Sephi knew sign language. Nor was she ready to put away a lightsaber to try.

Once the Master found that she had moved deep enough into the alley, she brandished her white-bladed lightsaber with a single twirl. She couldn't beat the red Empress. Not without preparation. And yet, she would try.

Sakadi took a final deep breath. This was where she would stand her ground. And in the fashion of a true Jedi, she would let her opponent strike first.

I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me...

Lirka Ka ​

 

[Lirka Ka]

Her footsteps thundered through the streets as she advanced, the metal crashing against the stonework like clockwork. This was a dance, it always was a dance. This was Lirka's artform that she had perfected for over a century at this point...it was the exemplifaction of the New Way: the new art that Sephi would need to embrace to see themselves rise ascendant, the Art of Murder.

"End of the line, scum."

The grandeur of her speech had ended, replaced by a cold brutality that the Empress had become infamous for in the face of all disobedience and foes who treated her carefully maintained "empire" (if one could even call the fledging uprising such a thing)...as they entered the alley, Lirka made one final grand slash through the ground: throwing up a wall of molten rock and sparking metals, it was beautiful: in it's own short, cruel, way. The beastly Sephi had kept a shockingly sizable distance between them.

Seconds passed.

No blows came, no flaming blade that burned through the air like a strike from the gods, slashing through poor Sakadi Marathi Sinvala . Only a still, unnerving silence. Then noise came, not the obedience of distance battles, rustling chimes, and those Sephi who had simply carried on in their mundane lives in the city. It was a clicking, clicking, clicking. Armored claws clicking against an armored chestplate.

She was signing. Crude, a chimaera of the galactic basic with a swirl of signs from various other cultures that Lirka had lived among. The words themselves came out as choppy as her hand motions, but the intention clear enough. The Empress always enjoyed a nice chat before she killed something, poisoned words to break the will of her foes.

You fight for evil. Why

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

It was a dance indeed. One that differed from any form of art she had been taught by her private tutors back in the day, but it was still a rhythm that pulsed through her own veins too. That was why she recognised the prowess of the Empress. The will of the Empress. And it was why she defied the Empress with every fiber of her being.

Sakadi backpedalled, carefully placing feet behind feet as the blade of her opponent tore through the ground. She understood the angle of attack, the Force screaming in the back of her mind to act as molten rock came at her. The Sephi reacted instinctively, throwing up her lavender hand, palm facing the Empress. A shimmering, milky white shroud formed around the Sephi, one that repelled the molten rock but shattered on impact. Her barrier had been incomplete, but had repelled the brunt of the attack. Some smaller pieces of molten rock and metal, however, scorched the cloth and tore through the skin of her raised arm.

She bit her lower lip as the sharp pain moved up her arm, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she stared down her opponent, hand still raised to re-erect her barrier should she need it.

But no vicious assault followed. Lights flickered on around them in flats and houses, followed by the sounds of barking animals in the small gardens and balconies. But blades no longer clashed, and no one spoke up.

You fight for evil. Why.

Her brow furrowed. The sign language was a bit sloppy, but she swore she interpreted the message the way it was intended. But evil? How could the dark titan, who embodied death and destruction call her evil?

The ethereal Sephi's hand motions were a lot more elegant than those of the Empress. Hers incorporated many motions of the Sephi dialect, but remained closest to the galactic basic of sign language. If Lirka Ka understood a form of sign language, it would most likely be the standard one, or so she expected.

It is my duty to save the lives of those you wish to crush under your boot. I do not fight for evil. The one who does… Well, I am looking at what remains of her." She conveyed, her gaze fixed on the demonic ruler of the Sephi Dominate

Lirka Ka

 

[Lirka Ka]

She could've launched into another offensive, and the weakling was corned and outclassed: mortality could never best a force of nature. But she did no such thing, instead walking into a predator's pace. The glowing green eyes of that vile helmet bore into Sakadi Marathi Sinvala , they were a swirling tide of emotions, but cold all the same...

"Misguided."

She turned again in her pace, but her eyes never left the Sephi woman. Her form radiated raw, murderous, power. Each step seemed caluclated, ready to pounce into a furious assault at but a moment's notice.

"Ignorant."

And again, she turned, her words oozing like vile honey.

"Lost."

She continued to pace, ranting on once again. Her fiery passion bubbling forth like magma, that of a true zealot. For that it is what Lirka truly was, a zealot, cruel, heartless, and supremely arrogant.

"You have been deceived, Lost Daughter of Thustra. Twisted and broken by the lies of the Jedi, do you think I take pride in what I must do? Are you so blind in your hubris to not real that you and your ilk have forced my hand!?...each moment you fight, my hand is forced to a fist. I can not allow you to destroy what I have fought for, killed for, died for. Don't you see it, you blind little girl!? This Galaxy is no longer the place for the Artist-World! We must adapt, we must grow! Lest we return to just another tool of the Great Powers of the Galaxy."

Spoken like the true "nationalist" she was.

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Sakadi kept her lightsaber between her and the armored giant at all times. The words of the monster were coated with violence and cruelty. One did not need the Force to recognize the hatred in every move the Empress made. It contrasted heavily with the shorter Sephi, who despite the situation still showed no signs of intimidation, panic or nervousness. Her hands moved again. Conveying words without sound.

"Your people never asked for this. Please, stop this cycle of carnage and suffering. Stop it, and listen to your people." Could she really get through to this woman? She didn't think so. But that wouldn't stop her from trying. She was a Jedi, a keeper of peace and justice. If there was no other way, she would end her opponent. But if there was… She would have to try, right?

That brought her to her next intricate series of signs. "There must be a way we can settle this peacefully. You don't have to kill everyone who stands in your way." Her grip tightened on the cool metal hilt of her lightsaber. The Empress could strike at any moment. "Let those who cannot adapt, those who oppose your regime leave with me and resettle in Silver space." It was a daring proposal. But what was life without a little risk?

Lirka Ka

 

[Lirka Ka]

At first, the only response that Sakadi Marathi Sinvala got was a snarl, bestial, unnatural. The ignorance of the girl was boundless as it was frustrating, but that had proved to the be the case with so much of the Galaxy now. Fools prancing in fields of their own ignorance and misguided understanding of the Truth.

"You haven't seen the Truth, heard his foul words while you sink into oblivion. This is not a matter of want you idiotic girl, this is a matter of necessity. Stagnation is like a hive of rats, mewling and squirming, and in the compliancy of want they grow ever more numerous. Until stagnation grows to rot, and you are left crumbling into the Dark's embrace. We shall rise above, we shall persist after the void."

It was the passionate outcry of a zealot as much as it was the hand extended to the Jedi, to understand, to see what no creature should have to see.

"Don't you get it? The cycle of the Galaxy is destruction! Through suffering, enlightenment dawns. Through carnage the weak melt away and the strong rise to persevere. But such is the anthesis of the Jedi, isn't it?"

Her endless wrath turned to a mockery of the ever-hated Jedi, she knew that ultimately the foolish girl would never understand. But alas, that was simply how things went with the blind and the deluded. She paused for a time, pondering her offer. It was reasonable enough, to cast the fools back into the arms of their beloved-conquerors.

"I accept you proposal, worm."