Malice and Maladi

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Amara Zarides"]


It was time to make their break-in. By the time the shooting had begun, the gang of three was in place. Back on the surface, the deplorables were busy making a lot of noise with their blasters and grenades...while presumably not doing anything that put them in real danger. Undoubtedly some would break off and try to use the chance to plunder with varying success.


The elaborate drill had gotten them underground and into the facility...somewhere. Cautiously, Enyo made her way down the corridor that lay ahead of them. By her estimate, their target ought to one or two levels above them. If their intel was correct. Amara's two little helpers had not been exaggerating, for security was tight.


Military grade scanners, surveillance cameras and security turrets that hovered from the ceiling - or were concealed. All approaches were monitored. In battle, these corridors could become lethal kill zones. Pity they could all be hacked. The clone stretched and pulled at the tangled web of power that was the Force. It was a pathway to many abilities some consider to be...barely canonical.


Cameras did not quite go offline. That would have raised attention. But the image they projected would remain static, showing the same one over and over again. That would of course raise attention as well, but not immediately. An alien will was pressed upon a turret, modifying its programming.


As she peeked around the corner, she heard noise. Guards were approaching. She could sic the turret on them, but that would raise a ruckus. There was a quick, efficient way to solve this. The three security guards did not have the time to see her coming. She was like a blur, moving at lightning speed her old body would have been incapable of.


Ere they had time to raise their blasters or sound the alarm, she was upon them. One guard she rammed outright, using her superior weight and phrik bones to her advantage. He would not be getting up after being hit with such force and velocity. Another cried out in pain when she seized his wrist in a crushing grip. In one stroke, she broke his arm, twisting it at an angle it was never supposed to go, and shot down his companion with his own weapon. Then she ended his mewling by snapping his neck.


The poor fellow crumpled to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been pulled and she bent down, searching him. Her inspection proved fruitful and she produced a datapad. "Drag the bodies out of sight," she ordered. "I'll see if there's a map on this." Her eyes flashed like that of an HRD as she began to hack into the device, connecting it with her mind.

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“Patrol 214, come in please. Patrol 214, come on Gaden, what’s keeping you?”
The security officer was annoyed. The Patrol should have come back now so that Gaden could take over and he could get something to dring.
“Patrol 214, do you copy?” In frustration he leaned back violently. “Stupid commlink reception.”
“Is there a problem?” a soft voice asked right behind him.
Shocked, the officer jumped up. “Oh, Mr Yerevan, sir, didn’t hear you come in.”
“No you did not. Answer me. Is there a problem?” Mr Yerevan was dressed in a business suit, his greying hair combed neatly back, his blue eyes intense and focussed.
Swallowing, the officer pointed to his commlink. “I can’t get in contact with a patrol in the lower levels. I thought it might be bad reception, sir.”
“Show me their route.”
The officer worked frantically, bringing up cameras from the lower levels. They showed nothing unusual. The defences showed no issues.
“Miss Carlisle, has there been any aerial activity?”
“No, sir, none.”
And then he saw it. Monitor 18 showed an innocuous corridor. However, he had caught sight of something. A simple dust mote flitted across the lens, barely visible even to the watching eye. But then it did it again…and again.
Mr Yerevan smiled grimly. “There’s more than one way in. All sections on alert, officer. Miss Carisle, send the rapid reaction force to the lower level and await my signal.” The last was into his commlink. He spared a glance at the officer. “Your colleagues are likely dead, Officer. However, their sacrifice has uncovered a mystery. Go and get some rest, one of my men will take over.”
And with that he strode for the door.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Amara Zarides"]


"Jahangir, what's your status?" Enyo grunted into the comm in her predictably chilly voice. They were making good progress towards the vault entrance. Here a guard had been taken out, there a turret manipulated. But she did not feel like letting down her guard.


"Oh, we're doin' swell, boss. Covering your back and making the streets run red with blood," the thug responded. His words were accompanied by a sporadic staccato of blaster fire, shouts and the occasional explosion. He was predictably a Mon Cal and continued that species' proud tradition of being named after Mughul Emperors. Presumably this meant that the fish people only had a limited range of names to choose from.


"Don't bullchit me," there was a degree of menace in her tone.


"Alright, alright. SYI ain't playing ball. They sent a couple guards out, but it looks their main body's still inside. I can hear sirens. Coopers are coming. We gotta pull back, boss," Enyo felt a stab of disgust at this abject cowardice. If the guards were not swarming out to confront the 'attack'...then perhaps they were coming for them.


"Do you want to be castrated and lose your tongue as well? If they're ignoring you, make yourself heard. Use the heavy ordinance. Clear? I'll reward, not cowardice. I'll be out soon." No point in showing weakness in conversation with one of the deplorables.


"Aye...boss," he did not sound convincing. Fortunately, Enyo did not figure she needed the thugs for long. They just needed to produce a couple more corpses on the streets for her to get what she wanted. On the bright side, they'd reached their destination. Before them lay the entrance to the vault. The heavy blast door looked sturdy and very imposing.


Perhaps she could break it open with the Force, perhaps not. However, Enyo spied a console and quickly moved over to it. Her mechu-deru senses tingled as she sought to access it. Ethereal fingers ran over the device in tandem with her physical, metallic fingers ones. "It's enchanted," she surmised. "A Force-user was at work. This will take a moment," as she sunk deeper into the Force and began to manipulate the controls, she felt a warning through the Force...

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“Some enchanting evening,” a voice suddenly said from behind them.
Amara turned, lightsabre raised, finding herself facing a small hologram projector which projected a full sized image of Mr Yerevan. He looked mildly amused.

“Greetings to you both, I am Alexei Yerevan, owner of SYI. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“That is not your concern. Do not interfere and nobody needs to get hurt.”
“A curious comment since the bodies of my three guards have been discovered,” Alexei commented wryly. “However, I am pragmatic at heart and I do not bear grudges. What brings you here? Let me guess, Melkar convinced you that the evil and terrible SYI had stolen his whatever and that if you retrieved it he would reward you oh so handsomely? Usually he tries the basest ruffians and crude folk like your distraction at the gate. Today though he has chosen individuals capable of doing the task.”
Amara looked uncertain. She could not detect whether he was telling the truth, but it was said so matter-of-factly that it seemed true.

“So, since we all have things to do, I’ll give you a choice. I have over 200 security personnel in this building with droids and other defences. Now, it’s possible you might successfully fight through them, but would all three of you escape unharmed? That’s more doubtful.”
“The real question is though…why bother fighting? The more profitable option for us both is an accord. I will give you whatever Melkar offered and then we can meet and discuss further terms. I can see you three are capable, so if you’re looking for profitable employment I can provide it. I don’t want revenge on Melkar, his feeble efforts amuse me, and every so often he gives me something I can use better than he…like you. Please let me know your decision.”
Enyo and Amara would sense the presence of many, many sentient beings nearby, just in case they took option one.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

Oh, Force, speechifying. In the light of the fact that Enyo could also get extremely - and melodramatically - wordy, her complaint was more than a little hypocritical! "You assume I give a damn about who's the 'innocent party'. That's cute. Frankly, I don't," she retorted, when the holographic projection of what she assumed was the boss of the place elaborated on how their employer had tricked them.


Hearing his subsequent words, she assessed their odds. She could feel - and hear - that many guards were approaching. Presumably they were not rent-a-cops. Could they take more than 200 mooks? With her ability to turn their security systems against them and her own power, she liked to think their odds were not bad.


But while she did not care about the rock man, Amara might get hurt - or worse. And by the time the fight was over, the cops would be crawling all over the place and they could not fight two armies. "Fine. Let's chat. I'm not invested in Melkar. But if you stab me in the back, your little army won't stop me from blowing your brains out." She'd certainly inherited her template's ego.


[member="Amara Zarides"]

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“Pragmatism. Good,” Yerevan said with a nod. “Miss Carlisle, please show them to the meeting room. Security teams stand down.”

A pretty looking blonde woman in a business suit, heels and datapad appeared from a corridor. She gestured onwards.
“Please follow me.”

Amara had a bit of whiplash from how things had turned from a heist to a negotiation of terms. Still, she had no investment in Melkar or his story. If Mr Yerevan betrayed them then she…and more importantly Enyo…would make him pay.

They were led into a meeting room with display panels on the walls. They were still underground so this was some sort of command centre.

“Thank you, Miss Carlisle. You may go.”

Alexei Yerevan stepped forward, all alone. There was…something about him. Something hard to place. He was extremely confident standing in the same room as the other three. A gentle probe of his mind showed it was locked down just as much as his vault. This told Amara he was either a hidden Force user or someone with an extremely strong will.

“Thank you for meeting me. I will keep this brief as I see you appreciate brevity. However much dear Melkar paid you I will match. That is only fair.”

He glanced at Enyo who still showed signs of the metal beneath her skin. “As for the future, what do you know of Archangel Research and…oh I see you know of them,” he said, seeing Amara’s narrowed eyes.
“As I suspected. They are a rival of mine for the robotic and ship design markets, and if I am not mistaken you were both once affiliated with them, but not any further. I do not have all the details but one of my drones observing one of their shipyards witnessed a ship being liberated from them – the same ship which arrived a few days ago in Coruscant orbit and from which you debarked.”

“You bear the faces of powerful people yet have become powerful people in your own right. If you have a grudge against Archangel from a personal point of view I think that would mix well with my grudge against them from a business point of view. Do we have an understanding?”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Amara Zarides"]


Still too much yammering, Enyo thought. She hated it when people got wordy...unless she was the one doing the speechifying. The man before them oozed self-importance, but he could be very useful. Presumably he was a Force-user. "Let's say you're right. Archangel's your competitor, you give us resources to mess with them so that you have your little proxy war and their business is hurt," she said. Her expression looked like her face had been carved out of stone.


Of course, you'll only give me enough to be useful, while trying to keep me dependent. But that's fine. I'll soon have my own army. Then I will take back what is mine and destroy those who wronged me. Anyone who turns on me will burn, she thought. Someone just give the girl a dragon. Maybe Amara would persuade Enyo that freed slaves were more reliable minions than coerced criminals...and then realise she might have been too persuasive when the cyborg started crucifying slavers.


"I value my independence. I do not kowtow to anyone. Those who turn on me wind up dead. But if those are the terms and I get the payment Melkar promised me, we have an arrangement." Enyo was not the type to pussy around.

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
“You clearly do not know me very well,” Alexei said chidingly. “I never break a promise, and like you I strike those who break their word with utter fury.”

“I will give you a monthly fund of 5 million credits, plus the one million Melkar promised you as a starting bonus. How you use it is your choice, but I am counting on your animosity towards Archangel to deliver results. The look upon Ms Alderana’s face when you do some damage will be priceless. I wish I could get a picture of that.”
Little did he know that Nalia Alderana was less human and more robotic than he could imagine and certainly would not show any emotion no matter the news.

“So, if we have an accord, Miss Carlisle will handle transferring the funds to you. Feel free to purchase what you need from our stock at a 50% discount from your fund. I look forward to hearing about your actions.”
To Yerevan 5 million a month was nothing, but he figured he had something here worth far more.

As they would turn to go he chuckled. “I’m sure you don’t care, but Melkar is my brother. My older, more resentful and eternally outmatched brother. I’m not above dealing with most people who mess with me, but family is family, yes? Good luck, ladies.”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

“You clearly do not know me very well,” Alexei said chidingly. “I never break a promise, and like you I strike those who break their word with utter fury.”

No, I just met you ten minutes ago. So obviously I don't know you. Fool. Or trust you. I'm not going to let my guard down because you try to lull me in with fancy talk, Enyo thought cynically. Fortunately, she did not voice those thoughts.


Given her expression, her face looked like it had been carved out of stone. Those cybernetic eyes flashed for a moment, acquiring the colour of molten lava before they resumed their human colour. She felt a stab of wry amusement when he referred to her former boss. You really don't know Ms. Alderana. But there's no need to divulge anything. She wondered how Yerevan's expression would look when she took over Archangel.


"We have a deal. I will require a ship. Something fast, mobile and with teeth," she spoke at the end of the discussion. Five million meant nothing to a captain of industry, but would go a long towards funding her operations.


She made no response when Yerevan casually let it slip that Melkar was his brother, but filed the information away regardless. If it were me, I'd kill him because betrayal is all the more heinous if it is committed by family. However, she did not voice that thought. It's time to hit Archangel.
[member="Amara Zarides"]

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Alexei smiled. “I will get you the very best, Enyo. And you, Amara, I will be greatly interested in your progress. Good day, ladies.”

One wondered if by doing this he had unleashed the metaphorical sealed train to Russia and sowed the seeds of his own downfall. Only time would tell.

Miss Carlisle led them out and up a level to where several holographic blueprints were displayed.
“Mr Yerevan has given you access to choose one of these ships. Please let me know your choice and I will arrange it to be delivered.”

Eight different craft were listed. Some were full on attack ships, armoured and heavy gunboats. Others were sleek blockade runners with fast engines and stealth components. Others still were built for carrying cargo or crew.

“What do you think?” Amara asked, looking over the ships.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Amara Zarides"]


Yerevan reminded Enyo of a used speeder salesman mixed with mafia boss. And I have the feeling I'm going to kill you once you have outlived your usefulness, Enyo thought. She did not like his attitude, or his smug, creepy parting words to Amara. Besides, he knew too much for it to be safe to let him live when the time came. She kept these thoughts to herself.


"That one seems suitable," she pointed to one of the blockace runners. Fast, stealthy, but with some teeth, it would serve their purposes best for now. They were not about to death charge fleets or fortresses guns blazing and could not maintain a small army yet. Archangel had taught her surgical precision.

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
The ship looked magnificent. Its sleek lines were mixed with features which made it a magnificent craft to use. It’d also be a great ‘home base’ for them.
Amara nodded. “Looks great! How soon can we get one?”
“We have one waiting in our orbital skyhook. We could arrange that to be delivered to you if you wished to depart today.”
In other words, they were hoping they’d take the ship and gear and leave the planet today. That would certainly be more convenient and get them out of the way and on their mission.

Amara decided to speak up. “We’ll take delivery today, but it may take us a couple of days to depart. We have some matters to conclude. You know how it is, got to make sure we’re all set for our great crusade,” she added sweetly.
In reality they had to have their Kar’zun treasures fenced, gather up their stuff and perhaps most importantly…make sure the ship they were delivered didn’t have any ‘surprises’ on board. After all, they only had Alexei’s word that he was the most honourable of criminals.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Amara Zarides"]


The ship looked nice. But unlike her mirror, Enyo did not care much for beauty. Substance was more important than style. Nonetheless, it would serve them well. "What she said," Enyo spoke flatly, daring the minion of the used speeder salesman to disagree. The expression on the cyborg's face was predictably frosty and mechanical.


"Very well. I will make the necessary preparations," Ms. Carlisle said. If she was disappointed, she hid it well. Her eyes fell on Enyo's partly damaged face. "We have some very skilled surgeons who specialise in cybernetics. They could fix you up in no time. Perhaps even install upgrades, if there's anything you want."


"No. I just want a medical droid and synthskin. I'll handle the repairs myself," she interjected before Yerevan's minion could make any more 'helpful suggestions'. No one would ever be allowed to tinker with her again. Or 'upgrade' her. From this moment onward, she would be the ward of herself.


"Naturally. Now if you'll follow me, we can arrange for the transfer of funds and then you can be on your way as soon as possible. Do you have an account they can be wired to?" A bank account? Enyo did not even have an ID.


"I'll set one up and you'll get the contact info. Just give it to me in credit chits today. Untraceable." As they walked out of the hangar, Enyo pulled Amara closer. "We need a crew and a better gang. People who are actually reliable. I know one person I'm going to call." A certain Valkyri barbarian was just perfect.

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
It was time to gather the crew! Just like an RPG, one gathered together their cast of sidekicks, acquired a ship, completed missions and went on to fight the final evil.
Of course, in this case the protagonists were a naïve clone and a nihilistic cyborg. The goal was not galactic domination or salvation, but revenge.

As they stepped out, Amara reached for her commlink. “Faelar, Shoshahry, come in and pick us up. We were able to negotiate a settlement, and we’re getting free stuff like a silver ship!”
The last was a code word to indicate that they weren’t being coerced and that it was safe.

Thus, a few minutes later two speeders touched down.
“Did you want to go give an inspiring speech to your new gang of deplorables? I’ll get stuff at the hideout packed up and ready to move.”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Amara Zarides"]


Enyo thought for a moment, then nodded. Did she particularly care for her gang of deplorables? No. Amara had been right in her assumption that Enyo had only an extremely limited ability to feel empathy or mercy for anyone who was not a fellow clone. I don't care whether they like me - or even live. But they can be of use, she thought to herself. I need better lieutenants though. Organics are...untrustworthy. Amara and the other clones were not, but those weren't an option for obvious reasons.


"Yes, I intend to. I'm keeping them around for the time being. Those of them who aren't useless," she glanced towards Shoshary. "Come on. I'll give you directions," Enyo spoke imperiously and approached the Cathar's speeder, embarking.


"Uh, sure. Just tell me where to go." The cat woman, who probably remembered the crisp incident, looked like a deer caught in the headlight, but then nodded after looking at Amara for reassurance.


"Then let's get a move on. Time's a wasting," as the speeder's engines roared to life, Enyo gave a certain Valkyri a ping. Whenever the Space Viking found the opportunity to pick up her comm, she'd know her cyborg buddy wanted her company.

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"]
Amara watched the speeder vanish into the distance.
“Poor Shosh, should have brought her kitty litter!”
Faelar gave her a look she reserved for when Ami was telling bad jokes. “So what happened? No one’s shooting at us.”
“Our winning personality persuaded them to go give us money and a ship.” She got into the other speeder. “Giving us help against Archangel so that we can go fight them. We’re basically being made into their own little proxy war, and I’m fine with that. Upside is, we’ll have a proper ship to live on and we can get off this planet.”
“I’d like that,” Faelar said softly.
Amara gave her a nudge. “You know, you don’t have to stick with us anymore. Now we’ve got a ship and money we can set you down anywhere you want.”
“There’s nowhere else for me, Amara. My family died in the Cataclysm, and I got…caught.”
“Well then, you can’t complain about my jokes then because I gave you the chance to leave!”
Unfortunately, Faelar was not feeling jovial and simply nodded. “I won’t. Thank you.”
Amara sighed. No one appreciated her jokes. It was most unfair.

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Amara Zarides"]

It was a motley crew that greeted Enyo whe her speeder came to a halt. They were scumbags, cutthroats and mercenaries. Some were deserters or ex-soldiers who'd never adjusted to civilian life after the Republic-One Sith war ended with the collapse of both powers. Others had been born and raised in the slums of Coruscant.

Their only loyalty was to the almighty credit chit. Enyo found that she could work with that. She disembarked from the speeder, ignoring a somewhat wary looking Shoshary. Understandably, the Cathar kept her hand close to her blaster. She suppressed the urge to draw it when she recognised one of the gangsters from the Blue Suns.

"Uh, boss. Welcome back. You're...alive? I mean, not that I doubted you. When we lost contact we...," Jahangir began when he saw her. It looked a little like she'd just cut a speech short.

"That there'd be a regime change?" Enyo finished for him, raising an eyebrow. The alien was not a short man, but she seemed to tower over him. She placed her hands on her hips, looking expectant.

"Of course not, Boss! So...did you get the plans? Sorry we couldn't back you up. Things got hairy when the coppers showed up," Jahangar said quickly. Doubtless some were enjoying the Mon Cal's predicament.

"I got something better. The big shot in charge is paying us to make things difficult for his rivals," Enyo spoke. Hearing rumblings amongst the group, she raised her voice. "Make no mistake, I am the Bosss. You work for me. We take his money, the stealth ship he made for us...and build our own organisation. I'm gonna take over the underground, expand beyond Coruscant and set up my own kingdom. I will crush anyone who opposes me with an iron fist. If there is anyone who has the balls to challenge me, step forward now." There was no one.

"You proide leadership and a fair share of the loot, I'll follow. I know the underground well, and I got connections you can use. But don't think for a moment that you're queen and I'm your subject," a female Voss dressed in light armour suddenly spoke up. Her skin was a bright scarlet and she carried herself with confidence. "Drugs, slavery, assassination - it makes no difference to me. I don't kneel. You show weakness and feth up, and it's game over. Droid, human, it does not matter. All turn to ash in the end. Only the Force is eternal."

There was a moment of tense silence. Would the cyborg strike the alien down for her insolence. Surprisingly, Enyo began to laugh. Coming from her, the sound was rather unpleasant. "Oh, I like you. You got guts. What's your name?"

"Ka-Tai. Scarlet Shadows," the Voss gangster replied. She did not waver for a moment when Enyo's cold, mechanical eyes fell upon her. Instead, she stood her ground. Good. Enyo could not abide weakness.

"Well, Ka-Tai, seems we're of one mind. I have no room for weaklings or cowards. Fail me, and I'll rip your spine out." There was a beautiful savageness in her eyes.

"Then we understand one another. Consider me on board...Boss"

Her lips curled into a thin sort of smile. She liked it when people called her that. "Good. First order of business is to reward those who showed courage and punish those who turned into cowards while under fire..."

 

[Ylva Wolfsbane]

Meanwhile, a certain Space Viking was drinking at a bar in Coruscant coincidentally. It didn't have the huge mugs like the inns of Midvinter, but of course, there were not many Valkyrie outside their own planet, which also caused the curious looks towards the Valkyri. Also, drunken brawls, they were quite fun. But of course, after a while, everything would get predictable, and not so entertaining anymore. Especially in a planet covered with snow, and more snow, there was nothing much to do. Coruscant was different. One second you would think that you're safe, and the other you're surrounded by some gang demanding money. The planet itself was stinking with criminal activity, which made it unpredictable. And soon, Ylva would realize how much she was right for thinking that.

The calm aura of the bar suddenly changed as some brutes entered the scene. The music stopped, total silence conquered the place. Some of the customers walked out, knowing that trouble was coming. Ylva continued drinking, not affected by them at all.

"I believe I warned you the last time, barkeep. I want my fething credits. Now."

"I'm sorry. I know. I'm gonna pay. You see, the job hasn't...."

"I'm tired of hearing excuses barkeep. I told you I would protect you if you keep the credits coming. But I guess you need some... reminder."

With that, the brutes started destroying the place, tables flew, glasses broken. Eventually, their path would cross with Ylva's table.

"Why're you still sitting there for? Get up." The brute said angrily. Ylva ignored him and continued drinking.

"Are you deaf? Get up or I will hurt your ugly face."

"Du börjar irritera mig. [You are annoying me]" Ylva said, sighing. One thing that Ylva liked more than fighting was drinking, and these humans were disturbing her right now. The others quickly gathered around her.

"What's the problem, boss?"

"There won't be soon." The brute said, and threw her mug to the ground. Ylva, as a response, caught the human by his head like a predator and hit it a few painful times to the table. Before the others understood what was happening, she quickly stood up and took her vibro-ax nearby, lashing towards them. The fight lasted a few moments, before the guts of the brutes splattered across the floor, and blood all over her black-red armor. Once the battle was done, she returned back to her table under the looks of fear, and realised her communication thing was beeping. She activated it, and seeing a very familiar name made her chuckle.

[member="Enyo Typhos"]. Now it has been quite a long time. It was her who introduced her to the outer world, and then left afterwards, having struggles of her own. The two didn't contact each other for a while, and now she was calling her to meet. A few things changed since then, Ylva didn't have the primitive equipment she once had, thanks to some mercenary work. She messaged her back with a broken Basic, telling her that she was coming. She walked to the barkeep first, though. One more thing she had to do before leaving the place.

"I... It's on the house, m-my Lady." The barkeep stuttered quickly.

"Find me someone who can bring me to this place." She showed the message. "Fast."

A few minutes later, Ylva's transport was found and she was brought to the said coordinates...

"Stop right there! " A young woman suddenly shouted as she saw Ylva approaching, since with blood on her armor, every inch of her shouted trouble.

[member="Amara Zarides"]

 

[Amara Zarides]

[member="Enyo Typhos"] [member="Ylva Wolfsbane"]

Whilst a Valkyrie was dispensing justice and Enyo was giving motivational speeches, Amara was on the move.
They returned to their hideout and quickly gathered their few possessions. Faelar had recovered her usual mood and scuttled around whilst Amara contacted their rocky friend.
“So, whatcha say? You want to come with us? It’s more fun than hanging around on this planet.”
“Once I’ve safely disposed on the treasures and fetched your price for the remaining loot I will join you.”
“Great! You won’t regret this!”

Amara was buoyant when she emerged to find Faelar packing their last possessions in the speeder.
“Right, to the spaceport. You can get aboard the new ship and break it in then we’ll pick up Enny and Rocky when he’s ready.”

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Amara Zarides"], [member="Ylva Wolfsbane"]


Discipline and motivation were important. Those who had shown their mettle and done well received rewards. By contrast, the cowardly received a caning. Or were branded. It was amazing to Enyo how easily the human animal - or alien one - tried to ingratiate itself with authority as soon as you offered them a carrot or a stick. None of the scum were trustworthy, but they'd fulfil their purpose.


It was in this moment that Ylva burst into the assembly in the warehouse. Her arrival was suitably dramatic, especially since her armour was stained with blood. One of the thugs demanded she come to a halt and raised her blaster. Ka-Tai, meanwhile, looked rather bemused. Perhaps she'd had a vision - or not.


"She's with me. Put that down," Enyo said flatly. "Ylva, meet the gang. We're going to raid, pillage and conquer together." That was truly the best way to motivate a Space Viking berserker. "Help me whip them into a proper fighting force, follow my orders and you'll get plenty of things to burn."


"Another violent, exotic addition to our multiracial, multidenominated mafia, I see. Lovely," Ka-Tai said dryly, looking rather bemused. Perhaps she'd had a vision. Or not. She did not seem the type to sit around and meditate about the future all day and night.