Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Codify an organisation that has been part of Firemane for a while.
Image Credit: Here. Phoenix Symbol. By SGTsanttu.
Canon: N/A.
Permission: N/A
Links: Adjudication, Into Darkness, After Darkness, Tephrike. Communion, The Long Road, Champions of the Flame, Inferno Platoon, Eldorai, Qadiri, Vashyada, Xioquo, Interview Log 003: The Fires of Progress, Casus Belli, Denouement, Kaeshana, Dahomey, Tygara, Arkas, Tephrike, Adril, Matsu Xiangu, Dominion of Light.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Organization Name: Order of Fire
Classification: Force-Sensitive Organisation.
Affiliation: Firemane Industries, House Kerrigan-Alcori, Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori, Leonina Varkathras, Siobhan, Firemane General Staff.
Organization Symbol: See above.
Description: The Order of Fire is a martial order that was created to organise, train and guide the cadre of Forcewielders employed by the megacorporation Firemane Industries. The Fire Order draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including the the Angelii, Imperial Knights, Grey Jedi and Dark Jedi. They are a small, compact group. What they lack in numbers they compensate with discipline, dedication and training. Force magi who belong to the Order are employed, paid and supported by Firemane. The Order sees itself as a martial organisation and fiercely protects its interests and members.
Members of the Order can be active in various branches of Firemane. Most serve in Firemane's combat troops or in the military's support arm such as medical services, military police or intelligence. However, Order members can also be found in branches like the Exploration Corps or humanitarian aid groups such as Firedawn and Hearthfire. The Order answers to Lady Siobhan Kerrigan, who acts as overall leader, though most of the day-to-day business is delegated to its senior officers.
The Order has a special branch called the Young Flames, which is their youth wing. One could compare them to a military cadet corps. It is a training organisation for young Force-users who belong to or are associated with the Order. In times of emergency, the older members of the group can act as a reserve force. Force-Sensitive offsprings of Firemane employees can join the group to get an understanding of their powers. The same applies to initiates from outside the organisation, who are being prepared for a future career in the Order or belong to allied groups. The Flames have increasingly become the main pool of recruitment, training and vetting for the Order.
Order of Fire members who serve in a military capacity tend to be shock troops, support personnel or special operations forces. Support roles can include being healers, using Force skills such as telekinesis, alter environment, elemental Force powers, mentalism or defensive powers to aid their allies or shape the battlefield. Special operations roles can include force reconnaissance, direct action, infiltration and targeted elimination of enemy Force-Users.
They are directly integrated into the military. A soldier of the Order will not only learn how to use the Force or fight with a lightsabre, but also become proficient in skills such as marksmanship, demolitions, first aid, unarmed combat and small unit tactics. Several Firemane military units are mixed, with both Force-Using and Non-Force-Using members, though there are also Force-User-only formations. The latter tend to be specialists. Regardless of the capacity in which they serve, they are governed by a code of conduct based on military law. A special division called the Truthseekers is responsible for counterintelligence, vetting members and weeding out spies.
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Headquarters: Arx Aeternae. The station itself is owned and operated by Firemane. The Order has its HQ on it.
Domain: The Order of Fire does not claim dominion over any territory. However, while it does not exercise rulership, it has influence in the areas Firemane operates in. These tend to be fringe worlds on the rim. Examples would be Arkas, Dahomey and Tygara. In areas where law enforcement is weak or ineffective, the Order has sometimes assumed a policing function. However, it strives to build up a cooperative relationship with the local populace.
While this lofty ideal is not always fulfilled, Order members are encouraged to familiarise themselves with local customs so that they are not seen as an alien presence. This also helps with attracting recruits. In the broader sense it wields influence through the people it has aided and uplifted. Where native Force orders exist, the Order of Fire does not replace them. Rather it acts as a supplement and sometimes assumes a monitoring function, depending on the political realities on the ground. One of the ways this manifests is cross-training.
Native Force-Users may join the Order on a temporary basis to learn new skills, such as those related to the use of modern technology, then return to their people to share their new knowledge. Needless to say this is also a way for Firemane to try an exert political influence, though how successful this is varies greatly. The Order maintains its headquarters on the Arx, a space station that serves as a hub for most Firemane operations. Moreover, it maintains a presence on the Celestial Vahana, Firemane's Dyson Sphere.
Notable Assets: It has various barracks, training facilities and warehouses, but no assets in the sense of owning industrial facilities and so on. The Order has access to Firemane bases and stations, but these are corporate property. However, a few frigates, corvettes and cruisers have been assigned to the Order's use. An example would be some Frontier Class Corvettes and Vigilance Class Frigates. These vessels are crewed by Firemane naval personnel. One of their major boot camps is located on the Forge, a mobile patrol station.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Hierarchy: The Fire Order serves as the Force using arm of Firemane. It is not a separate entity, but closely tied to the mother corporation. Lady Siobhan Kerrigan is both Grandmistress of the Order and paramount leader of Firemane Industries. She also has the power to appoint her own successor. Hence both are really the same beast. This means that members of the Order are also corporate employees, with all the benefits and duties that come with this. Unlike the typical Jedi or Sith sect, the Order of Fire does not have a Council of Masters. Rather it is organised along military lines and integrated directly into the corporation. This makes its internal structure very top-down. The ranks of the Order, from highest to lowest, are as follows:
- Grandmaster or Grandmistress
- Master or Mistress
- Templar
- Acolyte
- Neophyte.
Most members of the Order belong to Firemane's military. Firemane has elected not to emulate the Jedi Generals of the Clone Wars. Instead it maintains a dual ranking system. Thus being a Master of the Order does not make one a senior officer in the army, unless one has earned it. As a result, there are no fourteen-year old Padawans giving orders to soldiers. An Acolyte starts with no military rank, as it has to be earned. Upon receiving appropriate training, the Fire Adept will start at the lowest commissioned officer rank, Lieutenant, and be paired with a senior NCO who shows them the ropes, so to speak. This is similar to how in any conventional military, a young, green lieutenant fresh out of officer school is expected to listen to the older, more experienced Sergeant, who actually knows how things work on a battlefield. Members of the Order are expected to follow the orders of their superiors, no matter whether they are Force-Users or not.
For instance, Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori is a Master of the Force, but had no command experience. She was made an Officer Cadet with the brevet rank of Second Lieutenant, which indicated her training wheels status. As she did not have a commission, she was not saluted. After the Tephrike campaign, she was promoted to full Lieutenant and put in charge of a platoon. By contrast, Mistress Leonina Varkathras is a Brigadier. She uses her military rank on the job. This is a general rule, as it makes everyone's place in the chain of command transparent. Hikari Saito is a Sergeant and a Master of the Force who specialises in Force suppression.
Membership: The Order of Fire is a branch of a megacorporation, so joining the organisation is quite similar to applying for a job in a business entity. The prospective candidate can send a holomail or apply in person by appearing at a Firemane facility or recruitment station. Assuming they are taken into consideration, they will be invited to an interview. They undergo mental and physical aptitude tests to gauge their skill level and fitness. They are also thoroughly vetted. Apprentices in need of training will be assigned a trainer, while more experienced Force-users are given roles that fit their skills and rank. Of course, the Order of Fire also does plenty of on the spot recruiting during missions.
Likewise Firemane soldiers or civilian employees who manifest Force-Sensitivity are inducted into the Order. This is mandatory. The Order of Fire does not conscript infants because it considers separating little children from their families to be unethical. Apart from that, it would probably also generate negative PR for the parent corporation. Like among the Jedi, Sith and many other Force cults, constructing a lightsabre is a rite of passage for many Fire acolytes. However, not every Fire adept uses a lightsabre in combat. Several specialised units of the Order of Fire are attached to the Firemane military. These include healers, elemental mages and specialised support units.
Firemane has assumed many functions normally associated with a government. It administers territory, fields military forces, issues currency and has its own foreign policy. Its arkships are essentially mobile cities on the move. As a result, some of the Order's members are people who essentially grew up under Firemane rule, were identified as Force-Sensitives and recruited by the group.
Climate: Loyal. Dedicated. Fierce. Professional. The Order strives to present an image of professionalism and sophistication. The environment can be compared to that of a corporate paramilitary. The order takes care of its members, but has high expectations of them. Members are encouraged to involve themselves with local communities and mingle with Force-blind Firemane employees, rather than being aloof space wizards. This is supposed to foster trust and enhance cohesion. Initiative, self-reliance and responsibility are valued traits. Order members receive monthly remuneration from Firemane in return for their services. Order of Fire members serving in a military capacity will commonly work along side Non-Force-Using Firemane soldiers. In such situations military rank takes precedence over Force rank. Order members who want to assume a command role must undergo the necessary training, as Firemane is opposed to the idea of putting Padawans in charge of experienced soldiers and letting them death charge.
The pay is on a sliding scale based on experience, rank, reward and so on. In addition, members receive a generous benefits package, including comprehensive health coverage, a retirement plan, day care and educational opportunities for both employees and their children. Of course, members are expected to give a lot in return. Firemane is a corporation, so it hires those who can advance its goals. Order members must have a good work ethic, be self-reliant and mobile. Its hierarchy is modelled on that of a military organisation, which makes it more authoritarian, as its leader cannot be outvoted by an oligarchic council. While not every member has a military role, the Order is permeated by a martial spirit. This climate makes it a poor fit for pacifistic types.
At the same time, the Masters of the Order are held accountable to the rules and regulations of Firemane. Force adepts are expected to adhere to security protocols, especially regarding confidential matters, such as those labelled top secret. Failure to comply with the rules and regulations that goven Firemane can be punished with various forms of penalties, depending on the severity of the offence. They can range from a simple written or verbal notice, demotion, reassignment, court martial or, in the most extreme cases such as treason or murder, capital punishment. Discipline is quite rigorous, like in a military or paramilitary organisation. Rather than regard blasters as 'crude, uncivilised weapons', the Order embraces technology. A warrior of the Order is likely to carry say a carbine, sidearm or a boltgun in addition to a lightsabre or to forego a glowstick entirely in favour of a combination of conventional weapons and Force abilities.
The Order strives to present a sophisticated, professional image to the outside world. Knights of Fire are free to believe in deities if they are so inclined. Many Tygaran recruits worship their deities in some fashion, though the order tends more towards secularism. The Force is treated as a tool. An individual should be judged by their actions, not their power source. The Order maintains its own press office, which handles public relations. It also publishes stories that are often semi-fictitious accounts of the deeds of Knights of Fire. One example is the young adult novel series 'Fire & Iron', which was published as a trilogy. It also cooperated with professional moviemakers to make a holofilm about the Second Battle of Gehenna.
A number of Fire Adepts have written articles for the Order's official news magazine. The holojournal promotes the Order's mission and ideological message, informs readers about its work and job opportunities, but also contains more general articles about the Force and the groups that wield it. Detractors (rightly) accuse it of bias, but then that is to be expected of any media outlet associated with a government, corporation, political or religious group. Adril Tythorin has been declared an honorary Mistress of the Order. Siobhan's once rosy view of her dead teacher has cooled over the years, but she is still held her up as an example. Recently, there has been a push to recruit more Tygaran elves and open the higher ranks to them. This is a result of the deepening ties between Firemane and the elf rulers. The Order has also started recruitment efforts among Tephriki natives, specifically among more inmates of Dominion concentration camps that were liberated by Firemane forces during the course of the campaign.
Reputation: The Order of Fire is tied to Firemane and House Kerrigan-Alcori. So it can be assumed that individuals who view these groups negatively are poorly disposed towards the Order and those with a favourable opinion will on average view it positively. Presumably it has a negative reputation among Sith and followers of the First Order due to opposing them in several battles. However, it has cultivated a positive reputation among those who have been aided by Firemane, such as natives from Dahomey and Arkas and many elves, especially Tygarans. Its staunch opposition to Sith, slavers and the like tends to give it a good name among those who take a more militant stance. Orthodox Lightsiders would view the group with distrust because it is led by a Dark Jedi and has Dark Force-users among its rank and file. They might also have issues with its militarist stance and the fact that it is part of a corporation that has no oversight and acts like a law unto itself.
Curios: Many members of the Order carry Lightsabres. Many prefer Crossguard Lightsabres to standard ones, as they offer better hand protection. Use of lightsabres is not universal though. Sarixi and Force Imbued weapons are also popular. In terms of attire, Fire Order members receive robes commonly coloured in red, yellows and orange. As a fire rises in temperature, so do the colours change. The hotter (and thus more powerful) you get, the lighter your colours. This is reflected in the robes. However, robes are only worn on ceremonial occasions.
Order members who serve in the military would wear a uniform while on duty and armour on the battlefield. The uniform is olive green and has an Order of Fire emblem, a rank bar and a beret. Even an Order member serving in a non-military capacity is more likely to spend most their time wearing something other than robes, such as a uniform, suit or exploration attire, depending on their role. Senior warriors of the Order may be awarded a suit of Centurion Armour.
Rules: The Order's rules, in a nutshell, are as follows:
- Obedience to lawful authority.
- Respect for others at all levels.
- Personal discipline and resolve.
- No mercy to traitors, slavers and enemies who refuse to yield.
- Sith are the enemy. Consorting with them or their minions is forbidden.
The Fire Order sees the Force as a tool for both individual empowerment and service. Members are encouraged to embrace their emotions instead of being afraid of them, but also at the same time taught discipline and self-control. Ideally, a member of the Order embodies the eye of the hurricane, sweeping all away before her but remaining the focal point of it instead of being blown away by the storm. Hence the Order of Fire teaches that one must balance calm and rage. Power is a means to an end, not an end in itself. To be a Knight is about taking control of your life with your own two hands and becoming the master of your own destiny. Fire can bring both warmth and destruction. It is warm, pleasant and welcoming in one go. But just as easily as the flames can warm you, they can also consume everything in their path. Using Dark Side powers is not seen as the path to damnation, as long as they are not employed to slaughter innocents or against allies of Firemane.
However, certain applications of the Force are still prohibited. Examples would be raising the dead as zombies, transforming sentient beings into monstrosities etc. Many members have a rather secular, demystified understanding of the Force, but religious beliefs are permitted, unless their teachings contradict Firemane's values. Elpsis, for instance, is highly spiritual, as are many of the Tygaran members of the group. The Arx, where the Order has its headquarters, has several places of worship for various major faiths. Non-denominated shrines are common in military bases.
The principles of the Fire Order are that they obey their leaders and that there is a clear hierarchy which determines duties, rights and responsibilities. Members are not forced to become cloistered monks. Indeed, that sort of attitude is discouraged. The group seeks true order, serving the people practically while being integrated with them. Ideally a Knight finds a balance between her individual aspirations and the needs of the group. The Order is unyielding against its enemies and punishes betrayal harshly. However, it is equally a matter of principle to take care of its members. Its overall alignment is best categorised as Lawful Neutral. The group is deeply hostile towards Sith, and regards Jedi with scepticism.
That said, the Order's rhetoric about balance, while sincere, should not distract from the fact that it is the arm of a megacorporation. While Firemane has certain principles it adheres to very rigorously, it is obviously very interested in making a profit because that's what a business entity is all about. It also acts like a law unto itself without any external oversight. Siobhan Kerrigan is an autocratic leader who maintains a tight lock on all major decisions and there are no legal mechanisms to remove her from power. Thus the Order's member take their marching orders from Firemane's leaders and are expected to act in accordance with the corporation's interests. And the corporation does have an ruthless and aggressive side to it. Discipline is quite rigorous, like in a military or paramilitary organisation. Rather than regard blasters as 'crude, uncivilised weapons', the Order embraces technology.
Goals:
- Fight against the forces of chaos and destruction
- Bring civilisation to remote corners of the Galaxy through discovery, education and emancipation
- Grow the influence and prestige of Firemane Industries
- Defend House Kerrigan-Alcori
- Offer independent Force-users a home and an alternative to the traditional orders
- Siobhan Kerrigan
- Tempest
- Nima Tann
- Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori
- Leonina Varkathras
- Nyssa Vykaris
- Karrigan'Xalda
- Sahal Jai Azal
- Ziva Khalan
- Vailkai
- Lacy Lennox
- Jazan Jai Khalal
- Hazani Jai Bysara
- Hikari Saito
- Shikoba
- Rhea
- Zhaleh Jai Bijana
The Order of Fire's is a very young organisation. Its history is intertwined with that of Siobhan Kerrigan. As a young refugee, Siobhan was saved from thugs on Nar Shaddaa by a female Eldorai called Adril Tythorin. Adril was a former slave who had been abducted from the Eldorai homeworld Kaeshana by pirates. Eventually she had managed to escape after unleashing her powers on her tormentors. Stowing away, she had ended up being taken in by the Jedi and trained in the ways of the Force. However, though brave Adril was not a good Jedi. Adril’s career as a Jedi Knight need not detain us at length, but suffice to say she became more and more radical and and aggressive, virtually becoming a rogue in the days before it was cool and trendy.
Into this mix she rescued Siobhan Kerrigan and made her a Padawan. Her training was rather unorthodox though, and became less about the Jedi and more about making Siobhan an apprentice in her own personal mould. Perhaps in those days both women suited each other well. Though she tried, Siobhan never assimilated into the Jedi way of life. To her being a Jedi was largely about inflicting punishment on those who had wronged her, namely criminals, slavers and Sith. After many adventures, many heartbreaks and quite a lot of radical feminism, Adril and Siobhan met for a final time on Manaan. There they enjoyed a last happy time together before a bunch of cultists raised Cthulhu from the depths of the ocean. Adril, showing she had courage even in the face of certain death, sacrificed herself to destroy the beast. Heartbroken, Siobhan Kerrigan grew more sullen, cynical and critical of the Jedi Council.
Siobhan participated in the Republic takeover of Anaxes, joining Republic soldiers during an assault on a warlord base. She was contemptuous when she learned that several Jedi had elected to visit a Jedi enclave rather than participate in combat. Her time with the Jedi came to an end when a mission to negotiate the release of slaves went wrong and ended in fighting, with most of the Jedi negotiators dying. Siobhan defended herself and prevailed with the help of an Omega Pyre task force led by her friend, Tegaea Alcori. The Pyre was a new rising power in the western rim and Tegaea had recently become its second in command after a meeting with its leader Cira. It did not take much persuasion for Siobhan to recant her Jedi vows and join the Pyre.
Here Siobhan was introduced to a different way of life. The Pyre was a paramilitary corporation. Force-users were integrated directly rather than being an aloof order of monks. Siobhan had always struggled with the dissonance between the fact that the Jedi Code cautioned against aggression and regarded violence as a last resort, yet the Jedi were often called upon to take up arms against menaces such as the Sith. She believed in taking direct action and had an aggressive, uncompromising spirit. The traits that made her a poor Jedi now turned into assets after she became a soldier. Siobha rose through the ranks, soon gaining a field command. As the Pyre evolved into the Omega Protectorate, she participated in many campaigns. She made a name for herself during the conflicts such as the First Battle of Roche, the Battle of Metalorn and the Bando Gora Campaign. For a while, Tegaea and Siobhan ruled the Protectorate as Lady Protector and Exarch.
However, after being near-fatally wounded by the Sith Assassin Kaelin Isandros, Tegaea had to step down from office. With Siobhan following shortly after, the pair withdrew to Kaeshana, where Tegaea recovered under the protection of the Eldorai Queen. The two soon founded a company called Firemane Industries. The history of the company need not concern us here. Suffice to say it grew from a retirement project to a megacorporation.
More pertinently it acquired a Force-using arm, the Order of Fire. The Order started as a rather informal association of Force-users employed by Firemane. Siobhan was a woman of action, not a philosopher or sage. However, though not the natural teacher type, she recognised the need to organise Force-Sensitives in her company somewhat. Training had to be standardised, knowledge shared, rules laid down and it had to be ensured that Force-Sensitive employees did not bring the company into disrepute by abusing their powers. The same applied to making sure that Firemane was not infiltrated by Force-users with hostile intent. Tempest, a former slave from Dahomey who had been rescued by a Pyre liberation force led by Tegaea and Siobhan, became her first student. Her homeworld would supply the Order with several Fire Adepts.
Other fringe Force-users found their way to the Order of Fire. These included Eldorai who found the orthodoxy of the Angelii and the Matriarchy too restrictive. Others were former Jedi, Witches, Tygaran elementalists or refugees from Atrisia's Force-User Purge. A Sith Pureblood was probably the most exotic recruit. As the order grew in size, it became clear that some form of formal structure was needed. Siobhan could also not give every recruit her personal attention because she'd become Firemane's de facto leader. Thus the order came into being. The proposal was not without detractors, as some Firemane officers and bureaucrats voiced concerns. Siobhan stuck to her guns, but made assurances that the order would be a component of Firemane, not apart from or supreme to it. Any Knight of Fire who sought a command role would have to earn it the hard way, just like everyone else. The Board of Control would also continue to be composed of career bureaucrats. After she began chairing board meetings, Siobhan had a vested interest in ensuring that she would be the only Force-using member. After all, other mages could turn out to be disruptive. She had taken the reins of power and was determined that she alone would be in charge. To drive the point home, the Order of Fire introduced a dual rank system.
While the group started out as a martial order of Force-Sensitive warriors, it soon acquired functions that went beyond the battlefield. It expanded into the medical corps, the intelligence services and the exploration division. However, the Firemane assets under its direct control remained limited. After becoming Firemane's official leader, Siobhan assigned a few warships and transports to give the Order greater mobility. Order members have played an important in most conflicts and crises Firemane has been involved in over the years. Examples would be the One Sith War, the Cleansing of Gehenna, the Kaeshana Exodus, the Xioquo War, the Omega War, the Battle of Atrisia, the Kaeshana Rebellion and the First Galactic Alliance-First Order War. The order earned itself a place in the Firemane hierarchy and gained the respect of the corporation's non-Force-using employees. It spawned a number of specialised units in the Firemane military. These tended to be special forces, shock troops or support units.
Aside from helping wounded soldiers, Order of Fire healers also participated in several humanitarian operations to provide relief to those in need, especially on fringe worlds with little infrastructure and low economic development. After Firemane entered into an alliance with the Vashyada, the wood elves of Tygara, a number of their more adventurous healers found their way into the Order. The Order also found recruits among the Qadiri and Xioquo, especially due to its anti-slavery efforts. Of course, there were also setbacks and personal tragedies. A promising Rogue Knight called Natoline succumbed to madness, partly due to her experiences in the Netherworld, and was eventually banished. This was a blow to Lady Kerrigan, who had taken the spirited girl under her wing and adopted her. Two of Natoline's three children became wards of House Kerrigan-Alcori. Of those two, Adril Kerrigan-Alcori manifested Force powers and eventually began basic training. She will probably become a full member of the Order once she was old enough.
The Order moved its headquarters to the Arx. This was in keeping with the fact that the enormous command station now acted as central hub for the entire megacorporation. Extensive training, meditation, medical and teaching facilities, along with accommodations and a well-stocked armoury could be found in their wing. It was located close to the Firemane offices. On an idiosyncratic note, the Order of Fire acquired a bit of a rivalry with the Sith Lady Matsu Xiangu and her followers. Siobhan Kerrigan fought two brutal duels against the Dark Lady, one on Dromund Kaas, the other on Shador. Both of which caused a lot of destruction and left both combatants broken - though they would live to fight another day. Perhaps one could consider it a twisted form of balance in the Force. Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori followed in her mother's foosteps by fighting the Witch-Necromancer on Ession and during the Battle of Gree.
More recently, the Order was pulled into Tephrike's perennial civil war. This came to pass when the Scarlet Destiny, commanded by Tegaea Alcori, came across the planet during its maiden voyage. However, what was supposed to be a peaceful exploration mission to initiate first contact with worlds cut off by the Gulag Virus turned into something significantly more bloody when they came across the world of Tephrike. A Firemane delegation was ambushed by extremists in the Jedi-led Dominion of Light, a totalitarian theocracy. Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori covered the delegation's retreat and was captured by the Jedi Inquisition and interned in a reeducation camp. In response, Firemane declared war, allying with the Republican Guard, a native insurgency that opposed Force-Users. Firemane bombed communication centres, Jedi academies, military installations and levelled the Jedi Temple. Unbeknownst to Firemane, there was an internal power struggle in the Dominion's hierarchy, as forces opposed to the war course rallied around the Battlemaster. But by now the war had acquired a dynamic of its own.
The Dominion retaliated by deploying powerful strategic missiles against Firemane's fleet. These represented their strategic reserve, only to be used in the direst of circumstances. The Battlemaster's agents were able to secure two of the missiles, but the others were launched. One destroyed a Firemane corvette, the other was stopped by tractor beams before it could do the same to their command ship. Firemane made an uneasy alliance with the Republican Guard and landed ground troops to take Fortress Purity. At the same time a task force was dispatched to locate and rescue - or avenge - the lost Elpsis. The captured Fire Princess was subjected to mental and physical torture until she succumbed to her brainwashing and was reborn as 'Jedi Roxane'. She was eventually able to overcome her indoctrination.
A brutal battle was fought at Fortress Purity. There the fanatical General Kennobi led the defence. By order of Lady Kerrigan, the rules of engagement were suspended throughout the theatre and the area was declared a free fire zone. Colonel Leonina Varkathras led the Firemane ground assault. The Dominion troops compensated their technological inferiority through bloody-minded determination, kamikaze pilots, mass use of Force-Users and by deploying a weather control machine. They hoped that their enemy would be bled white and withdraw. The storm made it very hazardous for Firemane to deploy bombers and gunships.
The Republican Guard had the manpower, but was initially reluctant to deploy in full force, as it had failed here before and did not trust its new allies. Dominion militia and Jedi were well-entrenched and many units fought to the last man. Firemane troops made use of heavy firepower, white phosphorus, elementalists and targeted orbital strikes. Sergeant Hikari Saito rallied a rag-tag force of Firemane soldiers and Silencers. Working together with Laira Darkhold and a squad of Resistance soldiers, they fought against Dominion troops. The Silencers were special forces operators who were skilled in suppressing or dampening the Force abilities of other adepts. House Kerrigan-Alcori's Tygaran Sepoys were deployed in large numbers, proving themselves in the heated engagement.
Indeed, the Qadiri pilots from Mirage Squadron were among the few who had the skills to navigate through the storm, making them invaluable. Commanded by Jazan Jai Khalan, the squadron was composed of Force-Sensitive Qadiri pilots. The Cataphracts, a Qadiri praetorian guard unit of Siobhan, bore the brunt of the enemy counterattack when the Dominion deployed the Ever Loyal Vanguard, a sect of elite warrior-priests. The Silencers provided support, sniping or Force suppressing enemies. It was the Celestial Dragons, a unit of Qadiri aeromancers, who were able to harness the storm, turning it into something Firemane could use against its enemies. Karrigan'Xalda, a Xioquo dark side warrior, fought in this batte. Eventually the fortress fell to the allied forces, though the price in blood was considerable. In the last stages of the battle, the Dominion commanders deployed a brigade of indoctrinated Younglings to cover their retreat. They went on a suicidal death charge.
Meanwhile, Major Tempest led a task force charged with rescuing Elpsis - or avenging her. To gather intelligence on Elpsis' location, they attacked what was believed to be the largest Dominion brainwashing camp. Most of the camp guards and Jedi Inquisitors were slaughtered, with Tempest slaying the Inquisition commandant and Nyssa Vykaris taking out an illusionist. With the help of Kira Ul and Natalie Dorne, two anti-Sith terrorists, the team was able to seize the camp and acquire the information they needed. On the way they clashed with Dominion forces. Ironically, these had been dispatched by the Battlemaster to free Elpsis from the camp so that she could be used as a bargaining chip. The rescue force met heavy resistance outside the camp. By the time Firemane task force were able to the brainwashing camp, Elpsis had freed herself.
After slaying the Dominion's Grand Inquisitor, who had orchestrated her abduction and sabotaged the Battlemaster's peace policy, she teamed up with rebellious prisoners and a repentant Jedi Inquisitor to burn the concentration camp down. The lost daughter was in an understandably traumatised state when her comrades arrived. The surviving prisoners were evacuated along with her and received medical attention from Firemane medics. As the concentration camp had been designed to hold dissident Force-Users, all of the former inmates were Force-Sensitive. The Dominion had suffered a blow, but was far from defeated. Indeed, it defeat might have turned it into a more formidable foe, as its more irrational leaders were removed from power in a military coup. Firemane now faced the decision whether to press on or to contend itself with having punished the Dominion for its betrayal.
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