Forging A Replacement

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

A dropship shot out of the hangar bay of the Ardarvia and took off while the frigate hovered in the orbit of Mandalore, after having sent the appropriate clearance codes. Security was very tight in space. This was more than understandable after a recent terrorist attack carried out by a rogue member of the Mandalorian Empire had caused plenty of carnage and claimed the life of the Clans' Warmaster, Ember Rekali. The shuttle descended through the planet's atmosphere. The two occupants would have a good view of the deserts and would be able to see the distant outlines of the city of Keldabe.


The occupants in question were Siobhan Kerrigan and [member="Tempest"], her friend, lover and battle sister. Calling the Dahomian amazon an acolyte was probably no longer appropriate, since Siobhan had conferred the rank of Master on her.


Siobhan was stoic and looking thoughtful while she sat in her seat. Her datapad beeped and she picked it up, checking her messages. "That was [member="Anija Betna"]. We've received clearance to mine and she's named a good smith who can forge the armour for us, for a price. You know the drill, be respectful to the locals, only take as much as we were cleared for." Her minions were disciplined and knew that they would have to be on their best behaviour. Otherwise heads would roll! To be precise, both wanted to mine Mandalorian iron sufficient to construct two suits of armour to replace their old and by now rather battered ones.


She looked out of the viewing port, gazing at the landscape of Mandalore. "It's been a long time since I've been here. Too long perhaps. Mandalorians are on edge because of the situation with the Mandalorian Empire. Shame about Ember. Did a job with him once way back. Tore apart the Sith Council's treasure trove. " That was a big understament.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Tempest was not a Mandalorian, except by second-degree invitation from Siobhan. However, she found a lot to admire and respect in their society. Their warrior ethos and desire for strength was something she understood well from her upbringing, and though the Mandos were plagued by strife now that did not mean they were without value.

As the ship came in to land she strode out alongside Siobhan. She carried no weapons and wore no armour, a concession since they were there by invitation. They would acquire the Beskar required, have their design forged and leave, nothing more or less.

“It’s a shame, I heard they were quite the power back in the day,” Tempest said from beside Siobhan. The dry, dusty planet was not pretty to look at, especially around the Beskar mine. Still, mines were rarely beautiful places.

“Thanks for taking me along. I’ve always wanted to see this planet, silly as it sounds.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


Siobhan nodded curtly. "Agreed. I'm terribly disconnected at this point. It was different in the old days. I'm just still friends with Anija and her kid Mirshko. The Betnas are good people. Haven't seen Mia since before the Exodus. Last I heard, she tried to stop that terrorist attack."


The dropship landed and she limped down the landing ramp, accompanied by Tempest, some mining froids and labourers. "No problem, sweetie. Doesn't sound silly to me. Besides, you tagging along gives me something nice to look at!" she grinned slightly, then boarded a speeder.


The craft would take them to the beskar mine. Obviously they would not be able to mine enough to equip an entire platoon - and had not been allowed to anyway! - but that was fine. They just needed some new armour for themselves. So the craft took off, kicking up plenty of sand in the process. Sand was coarse and got everywhere.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tempest nodded, and as they pulled up at the minehead they could see the negotiations already going ahead.
The Mandalorians were a proud people and unwilling to give up their unique iron to outsiders. However, after the permission from the Council was accepted and the high price in credits transferred the required metal was brought out.

Tempest examined the ore like she knew what she was doing. Fortunately they’d brought a scientist who knew what to look for, and so the Beskar was pronounced perfectly good.

“And likewise, m’lady,” Tempest said with a grin. “Now, I’ve heard that Anija has a smith lined up for us?”

She looked around approvingly at the productivity, and then at Siobhan. “I can’t wait to get mine made,” she confessed.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


It was an understatement to say that beskar was absurdly valuable. Moreover, it was also rare. Many beskar mines had been exhausted. Hence why it was no surprise that the Mandalorians closely guarded the secret of beskar forging.


Anyhow, their request was accepted, and the scientist was capable of examining the ore in a far more professional manner than either of the two ladies. Warriors they might be, but they weren't researchers. "Vor'e," she spoke to the Mandalorian heading the mine after the negotiations were over. Far as she knew, it meant thanks in Mando'a.


"Yep. Tariq Ordo. I checked his credentials. She gave us the address for his forge. It's not far from here. On the outskirts of Keldabe." Their minions were loading up the beskar ore and once they were finished Siobhan beckoned Tempest to follow her. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get the armour made."

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Swiftly they headed towards the location of one of the famed Beskar smiths. It was indeed a rare art, and even more closely guarded than the Beskar itself.

Tariq Ordo was a fair gruff and grim type of Mandalorian. He nodded as the ore was unloaded, examined their letter from Anija and nodded again. Clearly he wasn’t much of a conversationalist.

As Tempest waited outside, for it had been ordered that no one spy on the crafting process, she looked across at Siobhan.
“So…ever thought about becoming a full on Mando, with a clan and their language and stuff?” She couldn’t really imagine Siobhan as a proper Mandalorian, but stranger things had happened.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


While the Mandalorian smith laboured and toiled at his forge, the pair waited outside. For the secret of beskar forging was not something for outsiders to behold. Admittedly it was terribly unlikely that Siobhan would ever be any use at the forge, even if the secret was divulged to her, but rules were rules.


Tempest's question made Siobhan chuckle a bit. "Well, Clan Kerrigan-Alcori has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? I think we'd get on with the Witches of Dathomir. We have quite a bit in common," she said cheerfully. Maybe they should run into Nightsisters!


Then her expression grew a bit more serious. "I thought about it back in the old days. They would probably be a better fit than hanging with the Jedi hippies. Our home is in Coalition space, but I feel little attachment to them beyond that. Contrary to the stereotype, the Mandalorians aren't a bunch of savages. But their attitude's a bit too mercenary for me and they've been wracked by instability. The Clans' last Mandalore just vanished, Death Watch attacked and they lost a lot of their territory. Now they're split in two," she shrugged.


"Besides, I'm not keen on wearing beskar all the time!" Siobhan was a very girly femme when she was not fighting someone. She loved pretty dresses, high heels and lipstick. "Still, I guess we could spend more time in their lands."

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tempest nodded. “It’s hard to be on any one side because they’re rarely on yours in return. The Mandalorians are fair and reasonable, mostly at least. If they sort out their internal troubles I suspect they’ll be the stronger for it.”

The sound of hammering redoubled from inside. Tempest kicked at the dirt idly.
“You know, I always wondered why smithing this stuff was such a problem? Isn’t it like other metal?” she asked. All Tempest knew about smithing could be written on a very, very small piece of flimsy though.

“Clan Kerrigan-Alcori…we’re practically there, you know. Wait until the kids grow up and you’ll have a real game of thrones on your hands.”
Tempest had pretty much given up the thought of her own children…though that didn’t mean celibacy!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


"If they can work through the conflict, one way or another, they may emerge stronger, yes. As for the secrets of beskar smithing, honestly, I have no clue. I mean, beskar is metal. Just bloody tough. Admittedly I've never asked a smith about it!" Siobhan said. Then again, she had no clue about smithing. Presumably she'd hit far too hard with a hammer if she ever chose to apply herself at the forge. There was a loud sound of hammering coming from inside.


She chuckled a bit at Tempest's quip about Clan Kerrigan-Alcori. "I guess I'll need to rewrite my will due to the new additions to the clan. By the way, when can I expect you to do your duty and get some kids? You're a clan member as well." Meanwhile, the beskar smith Tariq Ordo kept applying himself at the forge with utmost seriousness. Whatever the two outsiders was discussing was not his concern, for they were not initiated.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tempest had been taking a sip of water when Siobhan’s last comment hit. She choked slightly, glaring at her boss.
“You do this on purpose,” she said grumpily. “I’m not really the maternal type, and besides, I’m not really favoured towards men. Just…not my thing.”
A trolling comment did come to mind though, something she planned to use on Elpsis if the time came.

“I’ve never known any smiths aside from the ones back home who made basic steel tools and weapons. I guess the principles the same.”

The Mandalorian smith exited and beckoned them in. Presumably a time lapse had occurred because the Beskar had been shaped into the exact plates requested. These would then be connected together at their leisure without needing Tariq Ordo to specifically tailor the armour itself.

“This looks good work. Your reputation is well deserved. Does your honour allow you to take reward over what was promised?”
The Mandalorian looked grizzled, but shrugged. “The clan will take what tribute is offered.”
Tempest nodded. She didn’t need to offer more payment as the amount was already very hefty, but it never hurt to be generous. The Mandalorians were touchy about honour. Better to reward than inadvertently offend.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


Siobhan had totally done this to troll Tempest. "You could always adopt! It worked well for Tegs and me. As for not being the maternal type, I wasn't either till Galina came along. Besides, there's clone splicing." It occured to her that Elpsis was actually very good with Laina's baby, which surprised Siobhan a bit. Then again, although the teenager was still a brat, she'd matured a lot lately.


The smith came to them and they were led inside. The beskar had been shaped as required, now they could put their armour together at leisure without troubling Tariq. After all, he probably had work to do! Like spend more time forging stuff. She bowed her head slightly to the grizzled Mandalorian. "Your work does you credit, Tariq of Clan Ordo. Vor'e. We shall wear the armour with pride," she spoke.


"Verd ori'shva beskar'gam. But it helps. Fight with honour when you wear it into battle," the Mandalorian grunted. Now that pleasantries had been exchanged, Siobhan paid the fee to reward him for his services, then they were ready to depart with the beskar plates.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
The transaction complete they headed back towards the speeder, getting help to steer the hoversled now containing the forged plates.
“This is good. Now we can get this finally made and we can be the queens of battle!”

She took another look around Mandalore. “We should come back here some time, Sio.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


"Hahaha. Hopefully we don't get brutally maimed the first time we wear it. That would be embarrassing!" Siobhan, you could reduce the likelihood of maiming by not death charging every enemy in sight. Something to consider for the future. Right?


"Yeah, we should come her again. Tygara's awesome, but it's a welcome break from elf intrigues," she said with a laugh, gazing across the landscape of Mandalore. Then they boarded the speeder and took off, leaving the warrior world behind them.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
“Where would the fun in that be?” Tempest asked with a grin. “Besides, the Skyport hospital wouldn’t have anything to do if you didn’t get brutally savaged every few weeks,” she added cheekily.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

She’d kept one of the small piece of Beskar ore not needed for the armour. She had no idea what she’d do with it, probably stick it in a cabinet somewhere.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tempest"]


"Yeah. We wouldn't want to keep your lovely beau waiting for too long, would we? She's so into her Tempest," Siobhan could not resist snarking. Trolling Tempest about her little romance was her new hobby! Well, one of them.


And so the two battle sisters boarded the shuttle after the beskar plates had been loaded up. Soon the craft took off into the sky. Both would have a lovely view of Mandalore as they gazed out of the viewing port, though soon the planet grew smaller and smaller as the craft shot through the atmosphere. The Ardarvia was waiting in orbit for them and so the shuttle landed in the hangar bay like a bird returning to the nest.


FIN for Firemane