Into Darkness (Firemane)

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]


Given their divergent life experiences, both girls approached matters from different angles. Elpsis' father had been a Sith. However, he had not turned good. He'd been a monster and died as one. She was the spawn of him forcing himself on her mother Coryth Elaris, whom he had also sadistically tortured and infected with Sith Poison. Siobhan had ripped his spine out and sent him to the Netherworld, where Elpsis had achieved some catharsis by beating the crap out of him.


And the Kerrigan-Alcori clan had spent many years fighting Sith. Siobhan had been possessed, Tegaea tortured by one. So in short, she was not inclined to believe in redemption. To her, Vader had not atoned for his sins by saving his son. It did not wash the blood away. Bottom line, when she saw Sith, she shot them. She did not sit them down and ask them to explain themselves.


Was the Dominion good? Probably not. It's led by Jedi, after all, she thought. She'd sensed Mara's very palpable fear of being punished for 'heresy'. But how much of their authoritarian, reactionary nature was due to circumstance and Tephrike's long isolation and how much due to malevolence? After all, Firemane had dealt with the Eldorai and the Qadiri, even uplifted them to an extent, and neither of whom had been nice sorts.


Perhaps Mara sensed that one was sceptical. She was not inclined to suddenly let this go. "I can show you on a map," she said determinedly. "They have their base in a castle. It is a cursed place. They sustain themselves through the toil of slaves."

"You can show us," Elpsis patted Mara on the shoulder. "Laira...can you access the datapad over there and bring up the pictures Mum sent us?" she would have done it herself, but it was a bit awkward to play with a computer screen when you could not see anything on it.

"Thank you," Mara said gratefully. "Have you fought many Sith?"

"A bunch of them. Killing them is kind of the family business. Heavy risks, but it's less me sleep easier knowing that there's a couple monsters less to hurt innocents. Fought a Dark Lord level Sith Lady twice. Burnt her lung. That was fun." The part where Elpsis lost an arm had been less fun. Her left arm itched slightly. Phantom pain was a thing.

"You must be very brave."

Elpsis looked a bit embarrassed, coughed. "Yeah, well, just doing my part. Anyway, after you've shown us, there's something important we gotta do. There's a lot of diseases your people would not know of and I don't want you to go catch something and get sick. So we need to administer..."

"Vaccination," Mara interjected. "Yes, I understand. The Dominion has such things as well."


xxx


Nyssa would, ironically, take offence if she was compared to the 'cultist Sith', as she referred to them rather disparagingly. To her, they were poseurs, fakes and thieves who had appropriated and bastardised the culture of her ancient, proud people. They had desecrated Korriban and the other Sith worlds and now had the gall to claim that they were true Sith. This was one of the many reasons why she did not affiliate with any of the 'Sith' groups.


"I see the poseurs did not even have the decency to pick a proper Sith as their icon. No, it had to be Palpatine's attack dog. Another human. Are you sure they're not Lost Ren, ma'am?" she asked contemptuously. "Can we eradicate them?" she asked half-seriously. A woman could dream, after all.


She would be alright with killing Jedi, as well. Both would be ideal. Being a Red Sith who had been raised on stories about the Old Republic's campaign to eradicate her people, she did not trust or like Jedi one bit. She hoped Elpsis was not too trusting just because their captive was cute and had innocent doe eyes. She frowned slightly. "The Death Troopers are a secretive lot. Evasive. Closed cult. Could not discover anything concrete yet. Seemed upset about missing the action - not that there was much to miss. You don't trust them."


It was phrased as a statement, not a question. It was difficult to run a campaign when you felt the need to look over your shoulder. This she knew as an experienced soldier. Others might argue that this could be a peaceful first contact, but Nyssa was inherently cynical. She would never trust Jedi.

xxx


The Council was in uproar when Mahtara arrived. This was supposed to be the place where the wisest of the Jedi Masters determined the will of the Force in peaceful communion and saw to it that said will was executed. She had yet to see this happen.

"We must enter negotiations with these outsiders," one of the Jedi Masters declared.

"Have you lost your mind? They are emissaries of darkness. Demons made flesh, animated by the Dark Side. We must resist this incursion."

"And they appear to have technology far in advance of ours. Would you have the faithful die for nothing?"

"Better to die on your feet than serve evil on your knees.Do you even know for certain their technological terrors are so advanced? Machines cannot overcome the will of the Light" a radical Master thundered.

"We must attend to reality, not fantasy, my friends. If life has survived beyond Tephrike, there may be more Jedi. Moreover, who is to say that the star people will not extend aid to the Sith or the heretical rebels if we turn them away? Then our enemies will multiply and our worst fears will become reality."

"So you would choose cowardice over..," the Master never got to finish this train of thought as the Battlemaster entered. Her arrival was heralded by her two guards, who each carried a halberd.

"Enough." Her voice was strong enough to carry across the entire room. "Some battles are fought by a clash of blades, others through subtler means. Consider this: It is almost certain that the Vaderite barbarians and the rebel heretics have spotted the starships in Tephrike's orbit. We cannot afford to think in parochial terms. When our forebears proclaimed that no life existed beyond Tephrike, they were operating on the best of information they possessed at the time. Their decrees shielded our world from the darkness that engulfed the Galaxy. But it may be the will of the Force that we enter into contact with the outside world once more. We will treat with these outsiders and learn their secrets for the betterment of the Dominion."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Laira grinned, "Of course hun," quickly standing and fetching the datapad. She was trying to make up for having earlier forgot Elpsis's impairment by being snappy with her reaction time and compling as quickly as possible. The redhead wasn't entirely sure Mara was correct, she believed Mara believed what she was saying, the ranger was just used to double checking facts and trying to give new people the benefit of the doubt as best she could. Geva had told them the Dominion's information was suspect, and so she had difficulty peering through that veil and assuming everything Mara knew about the Disciples was not constructed hatred. Entities like the First Order and Sith Empire had practiced controlled media for years, and many of the Sith Empire prisoners she had encountered were completely indoctrinated.

Regardless, she made an effort to show her gratitude for Mara helping them to her own risk in her body language. Laira pulled up the planetary images on the datapad and lounged next to Mara so she could browse them and point out the location without having to pass the datapad back and forth. It didn't take the girl long to find the right topographical data and pinpoint the location of the castle and region the Disciples controlled, "There. They subjugate everything in that area. Their defenses and armies are built on the backs of their slaves, its horrible there."

"I've seen how Sith treat their minions too, life even near a Sith can be difficult. You must be brave yourself to help against them." Laira tapped on the datapad and sent the indicated region marked in a shade of red to the control room where Tegaea was watching the interrogation with her command staff. It would be useful to get some better scans of the region before ground crews were sent.

"Not really, I just work the comms." Mara tilted her head downward just a bit.

"It takes all kinds, we all have jobs to do. Everyone relies on everyone else in a fight." It was one of the reasons Laira preferred being a loner, she'd lost enough Wingmen in her career to last a lifetime and she was barely nineteen. Her cockpit already listed a handful of names of the lost and she was more worried she'd run out of space. Some people only noticed the kill markers and red stripes on the wings, she only saw the cemetery of names she had failed.

"I guess."

"Thank you for this, it'll help us a lot. Let's talk about your leaders some, it would help us when we negotiate to know a little about them. Might help us both find some common ground and understanding." Not really Laira's intent, but she wasn't in charge of that part of the decision making. Someone else would handle all of the decision making and inform her of her responsibilities once they were done.

~

"Geva, babe, I don't care about the cultural implications of these people. I just want to know if we could fake identification cards good enough to get through medium security." Stalgis was standing over the Falleen. She was laying in a chair with her feet being held by one of the Firemane crew who was caressing her feet while she laid her back against the chest of another who was focused on feeding her grapes and massaging her shoulders.

"Ugh, you Imperials are all the same. 'What about this is useful to me? How can I use this?' Never once think about how the information is good for others, right?" She asked the two Firemane crewmen who instantly agreed lovingly.

"Don't bring them into this. I understand you can make use of this for your book and might get you published. But let's be honest, I'm not gonna read that book and you know it. Can you help me or not?"

Geva sighed, nodding her chin at the woman rubbing her feet. "That's enough dear. My calves could use some gentle touch," she remarked in a breathy voice. The woman grinned and turned her attention to the Falleen's legs. "Yes, I can. Firemane might have to give you a slicer, but I isolated the information required for their security passes while I was researching real breakthroughs."

"You're the best, Geva." Stalgis took the little card of information and left the Falleen to her pampering, best to get out while his detox drugs were still in affect of he might end up like those two saps. Not a punishment for everyone, but Stalgis didn't like the idea of being stripped of his free will again. He left quickly and took the information to Captain Ul's office.

When he opened the door and the room was empty he frowned, she must have went to her bed to sleep. Best not to wake her for something that could wait. The lieutenant sat down at her terminal and copied the information off the drive so she would a set to send with her report. When he pulled the terminal up he noticed something odd. Ur'dax had sent her a log of immunizations to give away teams that she had checked off. "Looks like virus bombing might be out of the question, that sucks." Would have been easier to beat a sick army than a healthy one if it came to that.

He also noticed the names on Kira's away team request. Laira, Vul Shun, Leo by request. The rest of the team was his people, but he wasn't on the list. The information irked him that she was sending Laira in charge of his boys, not because the redhead couldn't hold her own, more because he wasn't going to be their to watch over them and keep them safe. Hopefully the captain had a good reason for splitting them up.

He finished copying the info and took his leave from the office.

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]
[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"] [member="Laira Darkhold"]

Tegaea cast a glance up at the red Sith. “I would rather not eradicate anyone. They appear to have no way to reach us, so they are not a threat. If it becomes necessary though….” She left that sentence hanging.

“I take time to trust people,” Tegaea said. She was mostly fine with Nyssa by now obviously, but she hadn’t known any of these Death Troopers or even Laira more than a few weeks.

She examined the location on the map, nodded. “Yes, we were right, this installation holds the Sith. A probably functional shield, network of defences. It would be hard to crack, but it could be done. I’d rather not though.”

She looked to Vyron. “Captain, start running analysis on bombardment patterns, penetration and such. I want to be prepared.”

Picking up her headset she opened the channel to Elpsis and Laira. “Bring up the underwater city in the north. See if she knows who might be there. Also mention the irradiated wilderness.”

She looked back up at Nyssa. “I hear you have taken to training initiates in the Order of Fire with gusto. That’s good, they need some hard truths hammered home.” She seemed slightly amused, probably having heard some tales.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]


"Our supreme leader is the Grandmaster of the Order," Mara declared piously. "He was chosen by the Council a few years before I was born and has guided us since then. We...do not see him much, but that's because he's in deep communion with the Force. He can cure any disease and smite evildoers with nay a thought. Sometimes...bad ministers try to deceive him by withholding the truth, he sees through them."

It took a good deal of Elpsis' self-control not to interject and ask Mara if she really believed any of that. She'd built up a rapport, but it was still a fragile one. She took notice when Mara admitted that not all of the Dominion's leaders were good, but naturally excluded the Grandmaster from this. Did she really believe this or was it just the only safe way to express criticism in the Dominion without appearing disloyal? "That's very enlightening. Ruling the Dominion must take up all his time," she managed to say. "You mentioned a Council. I guess he's got some important lieutenants who help with the governing. Any that stand out?"

Mara thought for a moment. "There's the Battlemaster, Master Mahtara. She is of the same race as the ancient Grandmaster Soda. She is a very wise woman and a strong warrior. When the machinations of the Dark Side caused many of our brethren to vanish into Chaos, some went astray. But she stepped in to keep order. Our foremost diplomat is Master Airla, and there's also the Grand Inquisitor" she shifted a bit awkwardly, "he is in charge of corrections."

Elpsis glanced towards Laira briefly when Mara spoke of people disappearing. Netherworld, she thought to herself. Akala's mad rampage had left none of the known worlds untouched. It stood to reason that she had affected Tephrike as well. Sensing that Mara felt uncomfortable, she patted her hand gently. "No one's gonna put you through correction. You're helping your people make friends, remember?" she said encouragingly. "Now, our scanners picked up an underwater city in the north of the planet. Quite big, formidable defences. Anything you know about that?"

A expression of revulsion crossed Mara's features. "Red Colar City? It's a den of anarchists and brigands who call themselves the Republican Guard. When we extended our hand to them and offered them peace, they bit it and killed our ambassador. They claim to fight for freedom, but instead of uniting with us to bring the Sith to heel, they support terrorists."

"Does this mean they're in cahoots with the Vader fanboys?"

"No, they hate Force-Users and want to wipe them from the planet. Any Force-user, even Younglings, who falls into their hands is lobotomised or executed. They've fallen under the sway of soulless demons...Vong." Apparently the whole planet was really weird and stuck in time. If Elpsis had been more of a history buff, she might have wondered whether a copy of Valkorion's not so Eternal Empire was lurking in the shadows. At this stage she would not be surprised if they bumped into Kiliks or Lost Red Sith. At least the latter might cheer Nyssa up. Or not. At this point in time, a nurse knocked on the door. She was here for Mara's vaccination.


xxx


Nyssa felt a bit disappointed about Tegaea's lack of bellicosity. Ah, well. There was bound to be a fight. As for hammering some hard truths into the skulls of whiny trainees...Where she came from, such weaklings would have been removed from the gene pool in short order. "It takes a lot to knock that sunshine and rainbows 'be excellent to all' mentality out of them and remind them that the Galaxy is not a shiny and happy place. And the Jedi are the worst. Pampered little brats who think their opponents will fall on their knees if they only wave their lightsabre around and say some platitudes. The earlier you start beating sense into them, the better," her tone was clipped. She spoke in a deep contralto.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Vong?" Laira repeated with a little surprise on her features. Alderaan had its fair share of Yuuzhan Vong, some who integrated nicely and others who lived on a guarded, regularly patrolled reservation. She knew some to be war-like and aggressive, cruel and prone to kidnapping civilians who wandered too close to their territory to enslave with their surge-coral. An plenty that had been shamed ones to the Legion Yun-do or were part of the ancient group that had been rehabilitated by Zonama Sekot. She had some follow-up questions about them she would have liked to ask, but how did she say 'You mean the Nice ones or the Yammka ones?' without alienating herself from the girl.

"I've had some experience with Vong. When I was younger I used to go hunting some of their war beasts that roamed on my homeworld. Have you ever seen any of those?" If she had heard or seen any that might indicate the Vong to lean more purists, which could make a lot of trouble for the Firemane group if they ever encountered them.

Mara shuddered for a moment before she answered. "Um, I've heard some stories of leviathans sinking ships and giant creatures smashing fortifications, but I've never seen them myself. Did you really go kill them?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes Vong, sometimes stuff that got mutated by the Vongspawn Virus." Given Mara's reaction it was probably best not to mention that some humans on Alderaan were Vongformed, some even honored and glorified. One of her former partners had been such a woman, Force Dead and trained to deal with Vongspawn and Sithspawn.

"Vongspawn Virus?" Mara suddenly seemed a little worried about the concept of a weaponized virus that turned people into Vong.

"Oh, its, um a euphemism. Means someone they shaped or surgically altered." Laira smiled reassuringly, trying to pat the fear out of the girl with a gentle touch.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"] [member="Laira Darkhold"]

Tegaea pondered the meaning of what the girl said. Some interesting nuggets had emerged, and some further things she could surmise.

“Bad ministers. The usual way for the ‘loyal’ to be critical. Obviously the Grandmaster is infallible but he is led astray by bad and wicked advisors.” She sniffed. “Well, this Battlemaster sounds like she could be the chief lieutenant and have a big role in it all. Captain, see if we can get any intercepts of their news or data networks, find out some more.”

Vong. Tegaea was no big fan of Vong, but it seemed like there was a real fear in this girl. Judging by her words to Laira she had no personal experience, but propaganda had worked on her.

The nurse entered with a couple of small injectors.
“Elpsis, it’s best you do it,” she said into the headset. “She trusts you a bit more.”

A glance at Nyssa. “Jedi are an odd breed. There are some that are sensible, but from what I’ve seen, the more they follow the old, fossilised, orders and rules the worse they are. They’re just not suited for war, but they inevitably end up fighting.”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]


After more debate, the Council adjourned. The Battlemaster watched the various Masters file out, committing the voices of those who had dissented and - more importantly - those who had hedged their bets to memory. Master Airla appeared at her side. "Master Kolar may be a problem, along with the..."

"The Grand Inquisitor, yes. Always watch the silent ones," Battlemaster Mahtara spoke. "They will be monitored. The Grandmaster's guards are being replaced. The populace is being distracted with the celebrations of our latest victory against the forces of darkness." A hollow laugh escaped her throat. "I trust that you will be able to establish contact with the outsiders and show the necessary discretion."

"Yes, Battlemaster." No doubt the Consular recognised that her superior could always disavow her if things went ill.


xxx

"Haven't dealt with Vong much. Not keen on them. Creepy buggers. My mother killed a bunch of them and their beasts. They die just as anyone else if you know what you're doing," Elpsis chimed in, just before the nurse entered.

"I just need to make some injections for our guest," the Firemane nurse explained. "Unless you would like to administer the vaccination?"

Sensing how nervous Mara felt, Elpsis held up her hand. "I can do it. Don't worry, Mara. It's...just a little prick."

The lame joke seemed to go over the girl's head. "Alright. I trust you."

xxx

"And sometimes they burn cities out of stupidity, while polishing their halo. Then they give the perpetrator a slap on the wrist and blame it on the Dark Side," Nyssa remarked. Being a blood knight with a rather ruthless approach to warfare, she did not object to burning cities per se. But it had to serve a purpose. Rather than being caused by sheer idiocy and ignorance. It was vexing that many of her people did not seem to understand it.


"What do you want with this planet? It is populated by ignorant, fractured people reenacting wars from centuries ago. They will appeal to you as long as they believe you can benefit them and lash out the moment they believe your presence is inconvenient." A very cynical point of view, but perhaps a realistic one. Perhaps it was not the best idea to address your superior in such a direct manner, but like many warriors Nyssa was a blunt sort.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Probabt Shun glided into the hangar, his eyes closed as he did so. The disturbance he felt was there, pulsing and pressing on the planet below in such a way that it intrigued the skeletal givin in few ways. He'd sensed people before, but not disturbances like this. Then again, often his senses of foresight and postcognition muddled his sense of time, it was very possible he was sensing something that had not yet come to pass. Or one that was ages old.

Terrible anger and hatred, loss. Suffering emanated from the disturbance. Resolve. It was something he wanted to explore personally before the Firemane and RESINT forces muddled its interaction with the universe, though he felt that the Firemane crew had been most respectful to his presence. They'd receive a full briefing on it as soon as he had anything beyond the age old 'I feel a Disturbance in the Force'. For now, he simply sat in the hangar, cross-legged on the metal deck waiting for his associates to go to the surface.

~

Laira smiled, letting Elpsis handle the innoculation. It was best, but they would need to keep Mara separated from the populace of Tephrike for a few days if there were any live virus vaccines included in the booster shots she was receiving, but that wouldn't be too bad. For the technician, getting to sleep in, eat chocolate, and watch HoloVids would be like a mini-vacation. Plus the Scarlet Destiny had a gym to exercise to kill time.

"You've helped us a great deal. By having an appreciation for the political landscape the Dominion is embroiled in we can better reach a common ground with them. It'll help open talks and keep things civil and rooted in a desire for understanding." The prejudices people feel towards one another tended to disappear when they could understand each other. From everything she had been told there was the Dominion, which didn't sit well with her; the Disciples of the Vader who were Sith, or at the very least Dark Siders; and Yuuzhan Vong, who may be the classical pain-loving crusader type she had spent her youth learning about. It wasn't a healthy mix, and the Dominion was probably the least of the evils on the planet.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"] [member="Laira Darkhold"]

Some people might have been perturbed or even angered by the presumptive way the Red Sith talked to her. Tegaea though held up a hand to still Captain Vyron’s objections.
“The answer is complicated, Nyssa. I don’t owe these people anything. I could order Captain Vyron and the fleet to up sticks and leave right now. Leave this…Tephrike…to its savage fancies. They can’t stop us, and things would continue much as they were for those below. It would be easy.”

“However, I will not do that for a couple of reasons, and whilst I do not have to explain myself to you, I think it will be instructive for you specifically, Nyssa.”
“First, the mission of this expedition is specifically to help planets like this, trapped in time and lost in the mire of history. I will therefore extend a hand – guardedly mind – to these people. If they turn me down then I will not keep pushing, but I feel they can be helped.”
“Second, I grew up on a planet not unlike this in some ways. I grew up in the last years of the Dark Age, ignorance and violence abounded, knowledge was lost. Since then I have seen many planets in a similar position; Dahomey, Kaeshana, Tygara, Arkas and more. Nothing is eternal, and war has overtaken some of those worlds, but perhaps I can bring back a spark to this broken planet.”
“Finally, and most importantly, it’s the right thing to do. Look at that girl, Nyssa, a brainwashed clone raised by demented Jedi, fighting a perpetual war with reprobate Sith and extremist rebels. She didn’t ask to be in this situation. I can help them, I have to try and help them. If I left now I am condemning who knows how many more people to endless war and tyranny. Not all acts of mercy and charity are signs of weakness, they can be signs of strength too.”
“Of course, I don’t know how they will react, and I don’t want to invade for obvious reasons, but if they genuinely want help then we should give it.”

Inside the room, after the injection was given things were settling down.
“I think that’s enough for now, girls. Give her some stuff to do to keep her occupied and come on out. We will try to negotiate with this Dominion now again and make contact with these rebels.”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]


Mara winced slightly when the needle went into her arm. She looked relieved when it left. "I am not sure how much help I could be...but I am glad. I hope this is for my people's benefit. What happens now?" she asked, while Elpsis administered a plaster. She suppressed a yawn, feeling a little sleepy.


"For now, you rest, sweetie," Elpsis spoke, patting the girl's hand gently. "Someone will come over in a bit to give you some food. There should be some snacks and stuff to drink in the fridge," she put the needle away and strode towards a shelf. "There's a couple magazines, a telly and the holonet, too. Laira, can you, uh, show her how to access things?"


Elpsis was no longer able to check her Spacebook page. Sometimes she asked Tempest to read what was on it for her. Watching holotelly did not do much for her because she could not see what was going on. Speaking of entertainment, some of the magazines and channels might shock poor Mara a bit. Suffice to say they were not PG-13. Firelust was a thriving enterprise. Elpsis visited its studio sometimes. She was always a welcome presence.


xxx


Nyssa had expected a rebuke. Truth be told, that was how she would have responded. So she was surprised when Tegaea took the time to elaborate instead. The Pureblood disagreed, but she appreciated the fact that the human took the time to talk to her. Even though she was puzzled by that.


"I see," she stated finally. From what she had seen the Dahomians were tough warriors, so getting involved there might have been a net gain. But Kaeshana must have been a waste of time, since the Eldorai were weak, whiny and useless. "I reckon it is a boon to have ideas, but you must know when to let reality guide you. Many amongst your crew do not trust me. I will not stoop so low to attempt to fawn my way into the affections of people I do not care for by yammering about how much I believe in quests to uplift the unfortunate and the Firemane way. But I shall share my observations, fight at your command and slay your enemies."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Laira nodded, shifting around on the couch to face the holoscreen and grabbing up the remote. "Yeah, I'll give you a quick rundown on how things work. I'm sure you'll pick it up just fine." The redhead smiled, getting close to the Tephrikan girl on the couch. Hopefully she could help the girl relax just a little bit while she was here. So far she had not really handed them any serious information about strategic targets or military capabilities of her people. Maybe Mara could draw solace from knowing that she wasn't really helping her people be conquered.

"So, these channels have some cartoons and funny shows you might like to kill time. They're stupid and pointless, but at least they are entertaining." She flicked to a different channel with a click, "This is news, HoloNet is a pretty reliable source of information." She flipped again to a channel they didn't normally get, they must have been in range a Coruscant First holocomm station. Intel Wars was about the farthest one could get from news without being sued. "That, don't watch that. Its dumb." Next were more news channels of people debating the current state of galactic affairs or economic ramifications such. Boring.

Laira was at least nice enough to show her Three Sith and a Padawan, a sitcom about how the burlap brigade was undoing Sith values by centering around three emo sith and one very attractive jedi padawan learner. "What, is that?"

"Its actually pretty good so long as you don't think that's how it works." It did sometimes, used to be all the time a Sith was redeeming themselves to chase a pretty jedi, or a Jedi was falling to the Dark Side after being tempted by a Sith Seductress, much like her own sith outfit she had brought along.

"Why is she spending time with Sith?"

"Its more they are spending time with her, but they have a rivalry of which one will win her over and seduce her to the Dark Side, each trying different tactics to do so, meanwhile they each are tempted with redemption to win her heart. Season one isn't so good, but season two it really gets going."

Mara blinked, "Why are her robes so... non-existent?"

Laira blushed with embarrassment. She bought those exact robes because she thought they looked cute. "She's wearing robes dear. I guess its just different fashion."

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]
[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Laira Darkhold"] [member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

Tegaea nodded. “That is all I ask from you. Idealism and reality can exist in the same space – one just needs to know when to use one over the other.”

She rose, heading for the door, her guard falling in behind her.

It was debriefing time, and now the two women were there Tegaea entered.
“I had no idea you were so savvy with popular culture, Laira. I should ask you to consult for Firelust,” she said with a smile.

Her expression turned serious. “You both did well. This Dominion of Light is seriously messed up, but the isolation, Sith and Rebels helps explain…though not excuse. We should be cautious. For now, go and get some rest. Tomorrow we will try to establish contact with them again and arrange a more useful meeting. We will also try and contact these rebels…we will not be contacting the Sith.”

“Any questions or further observations you would like to make?”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]


Elpsis watched while Laira introduced Mara to the wonders of modern television. "Uh, I might know the actress. What's her hair colour?"

"Black," Mara replied.

"Does she have a butterfly tattoo on her back?"

"Uh, yes."

"Oh, that's the one. Selene. I know her. She's real nice. Anyway, get some rest, Mara. If you need anything, just hit the red button and I'll come over." Having gotten Mara accommodated, the pair departed the chamber. They eventually came across Tegaea. Her praise caused Elpsis' expression to brighten.


"Thanks, Mum. I'm sure Firelust would be great for Laira. I could give her a tour of one of the studios," she said cheerfully. However, her demeanour soon turned more serious. "Jedi, Sith, Vong - seems like the common folk down there don't have any overlords who aren't jerks," she stated bluntly.


"Do we know anything about what kind of capabilities they've got planetside? Defences and stuff. And we're gonna keep Mara, right? She's tried to be strong, but she's terrified of being punished by the Jedi Inquisition and I believe her when she says they'd hurt her for conspiring or nonsense like that."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Laira smiled and departed Mara's room, now that the girl was blinking while watching the show, almost in confused awe of what she was seeing. The redhead followed her companion out of the room and into the presence of the elder redhead. "I don't think Firelust is for me. I'm more of a private show kind of girl." She responded with a wink and a coy smile. There was some of the flirtiness she exuded.

"The fact that she's so afraid of the Dominion she serves makes me think of some First Order worlds. I've never seen a benevolent government invoke that kind of fear in any sane person." Places like Eriadu had once been homes to Tarkin style warlords before, and most of them were similar in many aspects. "I've had experience with Yuuzhan Vong, we have some on Alderaan that practice the old ways, but a lot more than are reformed." To a degree, few used technology, and most liked to live in their own communities but were varying degrees of welcoming to outsiders. Some were actively trying to atone for the acts they people committed to Alderaan. "We should try to look for any evidence of surge coral in use. If they use that, they take slaves and we can draw conclusions from that."

Laira had some doubts about the Sith Cult, she didn't feel comfortable assuming they were evil based on what could have been propaganda. Even still she didn't believe any of the governments on this crazy world was blameless or innocent. She could hardly consider any of them good based on what she had been told. She knew that the Resistance would want them investigated, and likely exterminated if even half the information about them was legitimate, something just felt wrong.

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]
[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"] [member="Laira Darkhold"]

Tegaea took Laira’s rejection in good heart, she’d not expected the redhead to jump on the offer…not like Elpsis who was a very enthusiastic – and enthusiastic – fan.

Other, more serious matters soon too precedence however.
“I am not letting anything happen to Mara. She is staying here with us. You’re right, Laira, this is serious iron grip repression I’ve seen before in the First Order, Sith and Black Sun governments. If you have to so crush and terrify your own subjects to remain in power, you don’t deserve to stay there.”

“Yes, if these Vong are of the old, genocidal, anti-Force user kind as Dominion propaganda seems to imply, then I will not look on them favourably. However, isolation might have reformed them. Until we know for sure we will treat them warily.”

“As for defences, from what we see there are functional energy shields, but they are older, less well maintained. They likely have conventional defensive towers and barriers from the Legacy era. It’s not the strength of these defences which concerns me. What concerns me is two-fold; numbers and collateral. I am sure we could easily win a conventional battle against nearly any number of their troops. But if they are smart they won’t death charge into our shatterguns, but will fight guerrilla tactics and use civilians. I am not wanting to fight a war over the corpses of millions so if it comes to battle I am not sure what we will do. Something for me and the senior officers to decide if it comes. For now though, girls, good work, go get some rest.”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Darkhold"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Suffice to say Elpsis was always a welcome presence at Firelust studios. She always knew how to motivate the actresses and dancers. Alas, the topic at hand was less pleasurable. Elpsis nodded, sighing slightly. "They know the lay of the land and a big chunk of the planet seems to be jungle. The roads are probably crap and super muddy. Tempest and Glory told me a bit about how the Dahomians fought foreign imperialists. They lost, but made them bleed despite only having antique slugthrowers and improvised bombs. If they're bright, they'd fight the same way. Still, if the common folk are living in some totalitarian hell, it doesn't seem to just leave them to it. There has to be something we can do about it."


She furrowed her brow slightly. Firemane had not been able to keep Kaeshana from being subjugated by fascists who built a death camp. But perhaps it could hep the people of Tephrike. Mayhaps. If Siobhan were here, she would probably tell the girl that it was not their job to go on damn fool crusades. Anyhow, they were being dismissed. "Ok, you get some rest too, Mum," having said that she gave her adoptive mother a hug.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

If they had been there, this is the part where Death Troopers would mention things like virus bombings to incapacitate or use of coma gas in civilian centers to keep them away from the fighting, but they weren't here. Instead there was idealistic, naive, and a little eager to prove herself to all the veteran fighters, Laira. She could have said a lot about how they could try to fight each of the governments, but it was all based on what she'd been told would be best against such foes, and she had limited tactical data on each of them. She had even less experience organizing such operations. "Hopefully we can reason with them. First domino might lead for the others to be more open to peaceful resolution." More importantly, as much as she wanted to prove herself to the veterans, she didn't want to kill anyone she didn't have to.

"Yes Ma'am," She responded to the elder Alcori, giving the older woman a dainty wave while she slipped another arm around Elpsis, squeezing her a little.

Laira sighed, letting out all the stress of the day. Dealing with Mara and trying to be comforting while remaining guarded, flying against the Dominion pilots, and going into the hostile moon base all back to back to back. She hadn't had time to come down off her high just yet and was letting it all out in one exhausted breath. "I need a massage, some booze, and some good food. Whadda ya say? Dinner and drinks in your quarters?" Laira's issued quarters were private, but in order to get there one had to walk a lot farther. And go through the RESINT common rooms where most of them were likely still lounging around coming down off their own combat high. Adrenaline made folks crash out, but it didn't necessarily mean they'd already be asleep. Most of the Troopers were methodical in their maintenance.

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"]
[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori"] [member="Laira Darkhold"]

Tegaea nodded. “We shall see what their next move is.”

With the two girls dismissed Tegaea headed back to her quarters. She was tired, and not a little uneasy with the stress and uncertainty.

Nalia was waiting for her, a little more serious than usual perhaps.
“I’ve prepared some dinner, ma’am. Did you…uhh…want anything else?” she smiled flirtaciously.
Tegaea sighed and shook her head. “Not right now, dear, thank you. I’ve got a lot to think about. Though, I could use a pretty elf pillow later. At least then if I can’t sleep I have something warm to snuggle up with.” It wouldn’t be the same as having Siobhan there, but nothing was.
“My pleasure, ma’am!”

Tegaea ate the meal silently, leaving it for Nalia to clear up as she gathered up some more reports. Finally, she went to her commlink.
“Kara, send a message by Enlightenment to Lady Kerrigan. Say ‘beginning negotiations with Jedi-led Dominion of Light. Investigating reports of Sith cults and Rebel factions. Will attempt peaceful resolution if possible.’”
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll send it at once.”
So Tegaea settled back to read before switching off her light. Sleep did not come though, and when a PG-13 dressed Nalia slipped in beside her she was not even inclined to play. She just stared at the ceiling, eventually drifting off to an uneasy sleep, to be woken by a buzzing of her commlink.

“Yes? What is it?” she asked groggily.
“Apologies, ma’am, figured you’d want to know as soon as possible. The Dominion is calling, they want to talk,” Captain Vyron said.
“I’ll be there soon. Thank you, Captain.”
Tegaea rose to her feet, Nalia already sleepily getting up to help her.
“Let’s not keep them waiting. The grey suit today, Nalia. Let’s negotiation fashionably at least.”

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Laira Darkhold"]


Meanwhile, Nyssa had retired to her quarters. They were Spartan and utilitarian, but that suited her just fine. A warrior who became attached to creature comforts grew soft. One need only look at what passed for Sith these days. By and large, she saw poseurs with no stomach for a challenge.


However, she did not retire to sleep right away. Rising from her bed, she moved to a storage cubicle where she rummaged for a moment and then pulled out a small, black stone pyramid. She set it upon the floor and began to concentrate on it. Presently, it began to glow, and the hologram of Sith female in black robes appeared above it.


"I am Lady Alypia of House Vykaris. Scion of Naser Vykaris, bannerman of King Adas the Great. For years I have served my House, executed the dictates of the Sith imperative, battled our foes and soaked my hands with blood. My mother raised my sisters and I to be strong and fierce, with steel in our veins and hearts made of steel. But I have...strayed from the path. In the darkness, I have discovered the Light, a way out of the abyss of paranoia and senseless bloodletting."


Nyssa muted the holocron. "You love being maudlin, don't you?" she muttered to herself. "Tell me, Alypia, was it worth it? Throwing everything away for an idea? Why did you do that? Look how the scheme you and mother cooked up went. I plunged my blade through your stomach - and we both lost. Ah, well, it falls to me to continue our house. I shall."


xxx


So the two girls were dismissed. Elpsis frowned slightly, then shook her head. "Think I'll pass. Today was a long one. Bit tired. Maybe tomorrow? Sure nothing too dramatic will happen." Tempting fate? Perish the thought. "Good night." So she gave Laira a hug and a good night kiss, then retired to her quarters. Most unusually for her, she actually went to bed early, being unable to manifest much of an appetite. Her sleep was not an easy one. Confusing dreams plagued her as she entered the realm of Morpheus.


Finally the buzzing of her alarm clock roused her. By noise she found the device and hit the button, switching it off. After going through some exercises, she showered and got dressed. Putting on her uniform and making sure everything was in order was annoying for the blind girl, but she managed nonetheless. After getting ready, she went to check up on Laira.


xxx


Once Tegaea had answered the Dominion call, she would face the holographic projection of Jedi Master Airla. The Jedi did not wear a fashionable grey suit. Instead she wore standard brown Jedi robes, the kind Obi-Wan, Yoda and Mace Windu would have been familiar with. They were not suitable for the tropical climate of Tephrike, but they were tradition.


"Lady Alcori, the High Council of the Dominion of Light has conferred and sought the guidance of the Living Force," she declared dramatically. "We wish to extend an invitation to Firemane to visit our capital so that we may discuss terms for what we hope will be an amicable and prosperous relationship."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Laira Darkhold"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Meanwhile, light years away...


It was a cavernous throne room fit for a queen. There were enormous transparisteel windows. Light spilled out onto the floor. The Lady Kerrigan sat high upon an immense seat, a gilded lion throne. It elevated her above any human or Eldorai in the room. Recessed into the wide arms of the chair were modest control pads into which her slender fingers could input commands. Word was that at the press of a button, the occupant could activate a shield generator to protect herself in case of danger.


The Lady wore a majestic armour style dress, made of lightweight leather mounted on a silver and black textured brocade. Her shoulders were adorned with silver lion sigils. A silver circlet studded with jet rested upon her head. She wore her firemane long, letting it cascade about her shoulders. Her unignited crossguard lightsabre rested on her side.


Guards in resplendent armour stood close by. Stoic Kar'zun standing as still as statues, Xioquo warrior with auras that resembled those of barely leashed predators. Her throne was flanked by two of the Excubitors, the elite of the Order of Fire, clad in crimson robes and with lightsabres on their hips. Advisers, aide-de-camps and hangers-on completed the ensemble. Before the throne, a group of Qadiri petitioners were clustered. The high ladies wore elegant robes and jewellry and had brought guards of their own, the flowers of their realms.

The voice of a finely dressed herald broke the silence. "You stand here in the presence of Her Ladyship Countess Siobhan of House Kerrigan-Alcori, First of her Name, Beloved of Kashara, Karishzar, Protector of the Eldorai Matriarchy, Exarch of the Asurans, Bane of Sith, Conqueror of Gehenna, Grandmistress of the Order of Fire, Chief Executive Officer of Firemane Industries, Soter, Liberator, the Unconquered Flame."

The Lady's face remained taciturn as the Qadiri made obeisance. "Rise," she said after a while. "Mirza Kylara Jai Ghonari of Susa, yes?" she addressed the noblewoman who appeared to be the leader of the delegation. "It has been a while since we met face to face. I do recall our armies clashed on the battlefield a few months ago."

"Yes, my Lady," the noblewoman spoke, rising. "I - all of us - wish to repent for our deeds against Your Ladyship. We only wished to preserve our independence from the rapacious Amikarese Empire, but were deceived into taking up arms against you, our rightful liege."

"You wish to submit to me?"

It was not an easy admission to make. "Yes, Karishzar. We will, of course, pay reparations to you and provide hostages. You are known to be great, wise and merciful ruler. We were wrong in defying your will and now bow our heads to your judgement."

"Mine rather than Semiramis'," Siobhan raised an eyebrow, but then looked thoughtful. "You represent some of the mightiest backers of the League of Krolis, yet there are many faces missing amongst you. For one, I do not see the woman you hailed as Saoshyant or the Queen of Surani. Or the High Mistress of the Sistren of the Eternal Flame. She slew many of my warriors. Where is she?"

There was some murmuring. "There are a few unenlightened spirits, but without our support, they will be swiftly swept away. Lady Sahali stubbornly persisted in her wrong thinking, Karishzar. She refused to recognise her crimes and vowed to wage war against the Beloved of the Goddess. As a sign of submission, we have taken the liberty of taking care of this problem for you." The noblewoman gave a signal and a servant approached, holding an ornate box. Upon being opened, its contents were revealed to be the scarred, but still attractive head of a Qadiri female. "May all who defy their rightful liege meet the same fate. We hope that you accept this gift as proof of our sincerity."

Slowly, the Lady Kerrigan arose from her seat. Leaning on a cane that had elaborate runes engraved upon it, she approached the ghastly trophy and scrutinised it before handing it to a guard. "Sahali Jai Bysara was a fierce warrior. One of my own my acolytes was incinerated by her. Her command over fire was marvellous. When Krolis was assaulted by the Xioquo, she rallied the good people of the city in its defence. And when the League rose against Semiramis, she heeded the call to arms without question," she said.

"And in doing so defied her true queen. She would have continued to rain down fire and blood on your armies if..."

"You had not disposed of her, yes. She fought for you...and you betrayed her." The Lady's eyes glowed with power, and lightning blasted from her hands. The forking arcs of electricity struck Kylara. Screams, spasms, then nothing as she crumpled to the ground, smoke coiling from her badly burnt body. "I can respect a foe who engages me honestly on the battlefield for a cause she believes is right. But not a traitor. Seize them." Swords were drawn, lightsabres hissed to life. Calmly, the Lady Kerrigan returned to her seat while the throne room exploded in violence. A servant poured her a glass of wine.