Return of the Damned

[Aeda Shaytari]

It began with the small and unassuming Eldorai scout ship Emerald 4. The small craft had been on routine patrol when the pilot started getting a whole host of strange signals.

Calling up her scanner she could see a very large object was entering into the Asur System from an unrecognised vector. It was moving faster than an object should, and there was the clear signs of engine emissions. As she moved closer the pilot saw that the vast object was in fact a large asteroid which had been hollowed out and fitted with engines.

As Emerald 4 moved even closer to investigate she saw that fighters were launching from bays studded alongside the asteroid and were coming her way!

Not sure what to make of this unknown enemy, Emerald 4 promptly turned and headed for the inner system, pursued briefly, then left alone.

"Alert! Alert! This is Scoutship Emerald 4. Large vessel of unknown origin spotted in outer system at coordinates 378-867-565. Repeat, large and unknown ship, possibly hostile is heading towards the homeworld!"
It would be a little while until her calls were heard by the Eldorai fleet docked over Kaeshana....


Meanwhile on Kaeshana, Aeda Shaytari had come to visit [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] and Tegaea Alcori. She did this both to see how her friend was recovering, but also to offer to take her on an inspection of the latest series of forts being developed in partnership between Firemane and the Eldorai.

[member="Mirien Valdier"], [member="Hevana Martin"], @Any others

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Aeda Shaytari"]


As it happened Lady Tarissa Cadalthor was aboard the Valora's Blade, though the message from Emerald 4 had not been received yet. Communication, contrary to popular belief, was not instant and the intrusion had taken place at the very edge of the Asur System. To be sure the Eldorai fleet was not being complacent and was ever-vigilant, but at the same time no one was exactly expecting an attack at this juncture.


Or at least no one would have the foresight to expect an ancient enemy from the dark past of Ashira's children to return. Such a thought seemed preposterous, much like a Lost Sith tribe from the days of the Ancient Sith Empire of Naga Sadow suddenly returning from the shadows and seizing Coruscant in a surprise attack through dark magicks...


So as a consequence Tarissa was not forewarned and so she went about her duties as normal. In this particular case she was receiving a briefing from the Callidora Kumari, the XO on the refits that were being carried out to the battleship, which was docked at one of the berths of the Tirathana Skyport that had been built to accommodate a vessel of this size. If she looked outside through the viewing port she would see the starfield stretched out before her eyes, behold the beauty of Kaeshana, a planet almost covered by an ocean, and the Eldorai fleet that coursed across the stars.


"We have received the upgraded Quasar bombers and Nova interceptors. Our technicians have worked them over and there have been no technical problems. Our pilots will be carrying out training manoeuvres to familiarise themselves with the craft. They're far sturdier and can pack more of a punch," the commander reported.


Tarissa tilted her head slightly as she looked upon the holographic projections displayed upon the table in the briefing room. The room was sparse and utiltarian, for this was a military vessel, but that suited her just fine. While she was not averse to indulging in pleasures of the flesh, as her dalliances proved, Tarissa was not one for frivolous luxury. Even when attending social functions she preferred simple yet elegant dress instead of showing off more than needed to be part of Court life.


"Good. Of course, we won't know their full capabilities for sure until we have a field test against a target that shoots back. All the training cannot make up for a trial by fire,"she spoke curtly, not realising the dramatic irony of the words!


Kumari nodded. "With the Protectorate in the state it is, I would not be surprised if we had to face an enemy from outside on our own with only token support. But that's what the Queen's self-strengthening is about."


Tarissa did not really like it when subordinates spoke out of tune and without permission, but the officer's thoughts aligned with her own and so she let it slide.


"Indeed. The Goddess wants us to become self-reliant, rather than slavishly dependent on others. What about the Kerrigan Class Bombers? The friendly monkeighs of Firemane have developed a new form of weapon, a torpedo. With the overdramatic name Skybreaker." Doubtless Siobhan would be terribly smug about the fact that a new heavy bomber had been named after her. It might make her stop sulking about the fact that most of the Bando Gora's statues of her had been destroyed in Gehenna. And charge into battle less! Tarissa liked her...but that made the woman just more frustrating sometimes.



"A unit of prototypes is being assigned to us. They're still early models and the technical staff say they'd like to run them through a legion of tests. Appropriate pilots have been assigned for testing. As for the torpedo, frankly it's a gamble. Any bomber armed with it is slowed down and encumbered. In battle it'll take a large fighter screen to even get it through the waves of interceptors that are bound to come gunning for it, then the torpedo has to survive a hailstorm of fire from point-defence batteries to hit its target. If it fails, the bomber has no ordinance. Unless the pilot has nerves of steel and strong faith, chances are she'll panick if swarmed and fire the torpedo off early and bolt," Kumari spoke up.


Apparently her minions thought she was in a good mood today and would tolerate them actually voicing opinions. She would have to compensate by being especially mean later on!


"I am aware and I imagine these concerns have been noted by our Firemane friends. On unshielded or weakly shielded targets the torpedo can unleash formidable damage, and its long range make it useful for ambushes. I question Firemane's belief about how revolutionary it is, but we play the hand we're given. Perhaps we can build a stealth bomber one day and mount the Skybreaker on them,"


Tarissa responded, looking thoughtful for a moment. Getting stealth technology would indeed be a boon for the Eldorai forces, but the sources for stygium and hibridium were few and far between. Moreover, those nations that did have access to it tended to guard it like a natural treasure. Which was something she could not fault them for because she would do the same.


"And I expect our pilots to have nerves of steel. They have the task to protect this world, Ashira expects nothing less than fulfillment of duty. You're responsible for making sure they have the right instincts and do not flag or fail. Otherwise I'll have to find a replacement."


That sounded tremendously pompous but Kumari swallowed her pride. Presumably she was imagining some rather creative Eldarai curses in her mind. "Yes, Lady. Our trainers are the best and will give them the right attitude. Even if they had to put the fear of Illyria into them," the officer responded.


"I would not expect anything else. Now...regarding the revised training drills for our marines..." And so the meeting went on and on. Eventually they would hear about the intrusion of a massive, unknown ship and soon Tarissa would have the trial by fire she wanted, but that would take a while...

 

[Linna Beorht]

Linna Beorht had decided to be lesbian until further notice. She was not normally so discriminating, but after substantial research into Eldorai gender constructions and power relations -- not to mention a certain amount of familiarity with Firemane's modus operandi and institutional will (oh that will) -- she felt it politically prudent. There was nothing of substance to be gained from associating oneself with men, at least not in the Kaeshana system.

She'd picked her ammunition, but hadn't selected a target. (She was also teaching herself to think in metaphors [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] would appreciate, in which case she knew should really start conceptualizing institutional will in relation to riding crops.)

Today, unlike most days at the much-lamented Battle For Democracy and her stints as the Protectorate's press secretary and foreign minister -- and, frankly, her stint in rehab, dealing with the dextrophetamine addiction that had burned her prodigy-level Force potential down to something comfortably unimpressive -- today was not about her. Today was about a big unknown ship. She anticipated being able to spin the big unknown ship.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Aeda Shaytari"]


This one has the feeling that before the day was over [member="Linna Beorht"] would be given plenty of opportunities to...spin lots and lots of things! Likewise it was quite likely that Siobhan Kerrigan would be very happy to hear that the doctor had decided to embrace sapphism until further notice. That this was made as a pragmatic choice due to Kaeshana's culture would probably not enter into her mind for a moment.


Yes, Countess Kerrigan had some interesting priorities. Speaking of Battle for Democracy, it had been a guilty pleasure of Sio's. Sure, many of their sensationalist 'news and analysis' had driven her into a rage, but there had been much she agreed with. Like the labelling of several Republic politicians as 'cowards and traitors'. Presumably the fact that both of the show's hosts were very easy on the eyes and not shy about using their assets to gain viewers also played a role!


In any case, Siobhan and Tegaea were at the villa, just finishing up breakfast when Aeda arrived at their tastefully opulent house. Siobhan had been flipping through a datapad that brought up the magazines she subscribed to. Needless to say, these included Ashira's Angels, a magazine she...liked a lot. Also she had received a message from a producer who wanted to make a movie about the two Battles of Gehenna and would like to interview her. Needless to say Siobhan was quite thrilled, but was terribly insistent about having input on who her actress should be.


Aristos had strange priorities it seemed. The Firemane couple was also expecting a memo from Linna about some rather intriguing matters in due time. "Mistress Alcori and Mistress Kerrigan, Grand Seraph Shaytari is here to see you," Shari, her green-skinned Twi'lek 'attendant', spoke up softly as she guided the stoic Eldorai warrior-woman into the dining room, curtseying politely. Siobhan always liked it when people bowed before her.


"Thank you, Shari. Please come in, Aeda." Siobhan said warmly. She would have offered the Grand Seraph some food and drink, but as usual the woman was wearing her imposing mask, so her trying to accept the offer would be a bit difficult! The pyromancer had won her respect during the Second Battle of Gehenna, when they had led a unit of Firemane soldiers and Angelii along with Mirien to purge a Space Hulk of Bando Gora. The battle had been bloody and vicious, for technobeasts, xenomorphs and even Klaxxi had assailed them. None of them had returned without unscathed and without scars.


Indeed, Siobhan had lost a lung and an eye. The memory made her unconsciously reach out for where her new bionic eye now was, with some vicious scarring left over from surgery. Perhaps even more disturbingly, Mirien had stumbled upon dark revelations of a past her memory had been robbed of on Atrisia. Siobhan still wanted to trust her.


Siobhan shook those musings aside as she gestured to Aeda to sit down. Sio's cane leaned against her chair, a reminder of the fact that the battle had taken more of a toll on her than she liked to admit. At least it was a shiny cane with fancy Eldorai runes on it. "It's good to see well and healed again after Gehenna. You have my thanks for saving Mirien. What can we do for you?"

 

[Aeda Shaytari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Aeda walked elect, tall and proud, not showing the considerable pain she was still in at times. She had been forced to have the bacta tank therapy, and had been forced to ignominiously wear an improvised mask whilst there, looking and feeling like a total fool. However, the effect had been worth it, even if the Grand Seraph was loathe to admit it.

Now, dressed in her imposing black armour, she was here for a social call, or at least partly so.
"You have my thanks also for your assistance," Aeda replied, her voice modulated slightly by her mask. Her mask tracked around the mansion, her expression of course impossible to detect.
"The Citadels are nearly complete. I have sent Captain Taldir with the Citadel of Dusk to finish overseeing it. Did you want to see the Citadel of Dawn? Countess Alcori has inspected it previously."
"I have," Tegaea confirmed. "I would love to, Aeda. I get daily reports of course, but nothing beats being there."
"Agreed," Aeda replied.

She looked to Siobhan. "Have you recovered enough to go?" she asked.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Aeda Shaytari"]


Siobhan looked sympathetic as Aeda approached them. The Eldorai was doing a good job of masking the considerable pain she must still be in, but Siobhan had a good eye for that since she was just as unwilling to let her own show. She had only recently come to know the Grand Seraph and it would be very inaccurate to say that she truly knew her, but her actions on the Space Hulk were enough for Siobhan to respect her.


Still, Aeda's face being obscured by an imposing mask made Siobhan feel a bit awkward when it came to communicating with her. She could not help wondering what was the reason for Aeda always wearing it. Word travelled fast and she had heard that the woman had even refused to take off her mask after the battle, saying that it was the law her face could not be seen.


Eldorai law, this Siobhan knew, could often be very cruel. The past of the space elves was coated in blood and in dirty little secrets. But what law could dictate that she had to always keep her face hidden? It was unlikely that Aeda would be forthcoming.


Anyhow, there were more immediate concerns. Over the past months Firemane had been working with the Eldorai to create the Citadels to augment Kaeshana's defensive power together with the Ashira's Crown base. "I won't suddenly collapse and break my leg again. Walking for long's still a strain but I should be fine," Siobhan said. She really did not like admitting weakness, even before her wife. "Inspection the place sounds fun. I'm game for a tour. Will be nice to see what you've set up."

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Linna Beorht"]

Being Queen had its perks, but it was not all silk robes, counting money and commanding legions of conquest. No, there was the mundane, often troublesome parts of ruling that was overlooked. There were petitions, advisors, activists and more, all wanting attention, all with a hobby horse to ride, a dead horse to flog. There were also concerns about corruption, modernising the planet and keeping the conservatives, moderates and liberals happy, a difficult task at the best of times.
Of course, in the time of her grandmother such concerns were minimal. Status quo was the order of the day then, and the autocratic leadership style solved some issues but made some infinitely worse.

And all of this all came together in the problem of perceptions. To those in the outside galaxy who concerned themselves with the Eldorai and Kaeshana, they were regarded as 'those lesbian space elves'. It gave Anya Venari, Queen Tirathana VII, no end of fits.
The Eldorai were matriarchal certainly, and it was true that there was no stigma attached to female unions, it was certainly not the majority. It was something of a cultural expression though, so it might rather be said that bisexuality was a cultural part especially for older women and young adults as a sort of mentoring situation.

The Queen sighed. She had a visitor waiting, a new arrival, and all this cogitating would not help. She signalled to her attendant.
"Show Ms Beorht in, please," she ordered.
The Queen sat at her desk, idly ruffling the fur of her demanding Jester Nrrdyrr. The Jester purred, and industriously tried to eat her sleeve until firmly stopped.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]
Citadel of Dusk


Far away from the realm of silk robes, counting money and being pampered by pretty servant girls, Captain Kaida Taldir was on an inspection tour. If you had asked her why the Eldorai were stereotyped as 'those lesbian space elves', she would probably attributed a great deal of that to a certain wanton Firemane couple. Especially that tremendously annoying, ridiculously exhibitionist Kerrigan woman who seemed to think every breathing Eldorai female was eager to spread her legs for her. No, Kaida did not like her much. It had made being with Omega Pyre awkward at times.


But that point was moot now since she had been back with the Angelii for a number of years, even risen to officer rank, something she would never have expected when she was selected to join the corps so long ago. Then again, she would equally not have expected any of the shocking revelations of the truth behind her people she had experienced ever since Kerrigan and Master Alince had come to the planet.


It was windy on Kaeshana, as it so often was, and the wind was especially strong so high up in the mountains. In the far distance the outlines of the gleaming city of Santaissa could be made out, or at least could be imagined. For the Citadel of Dawn was built on the far edge of the eastern mountains, intended to serve as a vigilant guardian of stone from above in mountains so high it seemed like they could touch the sky.


A fanficul notion that was probably too poetic for the practical Captain. The fortress was bristling with firepower, with the most powerful defence being three Tempest cannons. These were planetary turbolaser cannons designed to pound capital ships. They were screened by an array of lesser defence turrets, namely the Javelin and Ballista laser turrets and the newly installed Keraunos missile turrets.


"We just installed those after delivery from Firemane. They'll blanket the sky with anti-air, homing missiles to shoot down faster interceptors and multiple targets," the officer accompanying her explained, presumably also wanting to show off a bit with, though Kaida just nodded. She was not really one for small talk. If anything she tended to be terribly taciturn.


"Minefield has been laid?" she asked laconically. "Shattergun rotary cannons and ARGH flamethrowers deployed?"


"Yes, ma'am. Likewise the hangar is finished and we've received a squadron of the upgraded Nova Interceptors."



"You ironed out the technical issues with the reactor?"



"Yes, Captain. It will have enough energy to power the cannons and the shield projector. It has far more power than the design used in for the individual bases in Ashira's Crown. It can resist almost any bombardment for a limited duration of time. The bunker built deep into this rock may be the safest place in Kaeshana next to the Citadel of Dawn. Unless someone is using a superlaser," the Engineer spoke up, clearly proud of the project.


This was the moment for someone to make a comment about how they hoped this would serve be but to the test. Even someone as rational as Kaida would think of that as a jinx. Keen blue eyes travelled across base to look upon the soldiers who manned the defences and standing sentinel or on patrol.


It was a mixture of grunts from the common Eldorai army, which now was introducing the first male/female units as opposed to gender-segregated ones, and Angelii, the elite royal guard she was a part of. She wore the traditional battle armour of the Eldorai, though here and there she spotted some wearing the duraplast suit Firemane made. None of them carried the old-fashioned stasers anymore, for despite the incessant complaints of conservatives it had finally been decided to phase them out because frankly they were antiques that belonged in a museum. An Old Empire stormtrooper could be bombarded by twelve stasers and his armour would not even feel like it was being tickled, so Kaida was happy to see them phased out. Technology moved on, her people were playing catch-up.


Rather they carried bolters and blasters, the bolt pistol having become popular among some Eldorai officers despite the ridiculously heavy weight. At strategic points soldiers had set up e-webs and shattergun rotary cannon emplacements. The Angelii looked glorious in their ornate crimson armour, bearing sarixi and sarzmigars. There was a good deal of saluting and gestures, though obviously it was kept within a tolerable level since she was just a mere Captain. Some officers shot her glances, for it was no secret that she had once been an exile and labelled an apostate, though she cared not for their thoughts.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Kaida Taldir"]
Since Kaida needed someone to talk to and have a girl-pal to exchange quips as they beat up enemies, Tempest was at the Citadel of Dusk.

She had followed Kaida’s progress through the fortress, marvelling at the massive creation. It really was vast, built deep into the mountains.
The massive Tempest cannons would provide a terrible threat to any ship daring to invade Kaeshana’s western reaches.

If one stood at the edge and looked down, one could catch a glimpse of the sea, and closer, the dunes of one of Kaeshana’s few true deserts. It was just another thing protecting the Citadel, with the desert preventing any land approach into the foothills.

In many ways it was like the triple fortress of Ashira’s Crown, but concentrated into one, and with a squadron of fighters to help defend the fortification.

Tempest, lost in a daze, almost stepped over an unfenced platform, but a hand caught her arm and pulled her back.
Looking at her saviour, though she could have probably flown out of trouble, she saw it was a young Eldorai recruit, bright eyed and enthusiastic.
“Thank you, soldier. You must think me a very clumsy monkeigh,” Tempest said with an embarrassed laugh.
“Oh no, ma’am! Are you Lieutenant Tempest, ma’am?”
“Yes?”
“I’m very proud to meet you, ma’am! I’m a big fan of yours…after I saw the videos of what you and the Captain did on Gehenna I wanted to meet you!”
Tempest suppressed a sigh. Fangirls were an amusingly unpredictable force it seemed. “I’m glad to hear it. What’s your name?”
Their chat was interrupted by the voice of authority, an irate Sergeant. “Trooper Maeve, stop gushing over the Lieutenant and get over here right now. Quick march!”
Maeve saluted Tempest, almost tripped over her feet, then ran off to join her squad garrisoning the Citadel.
Tempest shook her head and headed off to try and find Kaida.

 

[Linna Beorht]

[member="Anya Venari"]

As the doors shut behind her, Linna bowed before Tirathana the Seventh, a woman of standard Eldorai agelessness and oddly little chin. I mean, just look at it. It's soft enough to sort of blend into the neck in every direction but up, and up has its own pouty noncommittal overbite issues. Just an unsettling chin, really.

Linna did her level best to ignore it, and as a politician she was fairly good at ignoring inconvenient truths.

"Your Majesty, thank you for meeting with me."

Pleasantries ensued. It transpired that Linna, former OP foreign minister and pundit, was extremely interested in working for the Kaeshana Confederacy in a foreign policy capacity.

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="Linna Beorht"]
For her part, Anya tried to put the other woman's unsettling hair out of her mind. Blue hair combined with reddish skin was something utterly unknown on Kaeshana, yet she perceived.

"I remember we met several times in the Protectorate, Ms Beorht, whilst Lady Alcori was an Exarch. She thought highly of your skills in diplomacy, though I did not get to see you in action much."
She leaned back in her chair. "I have need of an advisor and ambassador to those realms outside Kaeshana. Someone to discuss matters with those outside, someone who can give me an outsider's perspective. Now, I spent over ten years in exile, but the galaxy is not my native culture, and an outsider's perspective could be useful. What are your terms?"

 

[Aeda Shaytari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Aeda nodded. "Then we go now," she stated. She was not one for much small-talk.
"We'll be with you shortly," Tegaea promised.

The Grand Seraph gave the couple their time and headed out into the garden. It was a beautiful place, well tended and thronged with many interesting species.
Turning her head, she looked up at one of the points of Ashira's Crown. The Citadel of Dawn, a couple of hundred kilometres away, was even vaster and more impregnable.

Her legs were hurting, but she did not shift position. She would conquer her weakness, no matter what.
A few moments later Tegaea and Siobhan emerged. The redhead wore standard business attire and carried a blaster pistol at her side. She was going in the company of two of the most formidable women on Kaeshana, but it never hurt to be armed just in case.
Soon they were lifting off and heading towards the Citadel of Dawn....

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]


Kaida was probably not the sort to make witty quips. She was more the type who made acidic comments. Nonetheless, while Tempest was discovering that like her teacher, Siobhan Kerrigan, and Coryth Elaris she had fangirls now, Kaida was finishing up with her inspection of the base.


It was truly a formidable structure, this she could not deny. Countless Eldorai and Firemane engineers had worked on it for months and now it stood tall and proud. It had been built deep into the mountains to provide further protection against bombardment. The massive Tempest cannons - Kaida wondered whether there was a deliberate cult of personality going on in Firemane since they kept naming designs after members of the inner circle - would be a potent threat to any capital ships. Javelin and Ballista turrets and Keraunos missile turrets would menace any ship and ground forces that tried to land. Unlike the Ashira's Crown the base had a hangar and thus a squadron of starfighters could be stationed here. The soldiers manning the base were all part of what had been called the new model army, Eldorai trained in the modern ways of fighting. Would it be strong enough? Only a trial by fire could determine that.


Unlike Tempest Kaid's encounter was not with an eager fangirl, but with a delightful Eldorai officer called Lady Tahril, who was a senior officer at the base as High Captain. She stood tall, proud and erect, carrying herself with the commanding air of an aristocrat and surrounded by a small entourage of aides. Kaida had only known the woman for a short while and detested her already. She was also quite certain that the feeling was mutual, though she did not care. Much had changed since the days of Tirathana VI. For one heretics were no longer burnt at the stake. Likewise political prisoners no longer faced the risk of being drawn and quartered. Even the prison regimen at the Island of Fallen Angels had been reformed.


However, though prolonged contact with a larger Galaxy had weakened the iron-fisted, theoretical control of the Star Queens, strong class barriers still persisted. Aristocrats could have their children inducted into the army right off the bat as junior officers, there were still many instances of commissions being bought. Ironically enough the Angelii might be the most meritocratic element of the armed forces, since whilst they were restricted to force-users, class background played less of a role for promotion.


As for Kaida, she had been an exile and been labelled an apostate until the brief civil war that brought Silaqui to the throne. She was also a commoner and very young for her rank. She was a good deal less idealistic than she had been when she was younger, but still tended to be quite resentful of those who had been born into wealth and had apparently forgotten that every dynasty starts with an upstart.


"Ah, Captain. I see you have been busy inspecting and making recommendations for my base. I trust everything is in order and the Grand Seraph will be satisfied. A fortune of credits went into making it the first line of defence of the motherland," the Lady said haughtily as she stopped. Obviously she did not walk over towards Kaida, but stayed at a distance, thereby forcing the commoner to walk over to hear her and respond. Her tone of voice implied that she did not like Kaida being her, but that if anything was out of order with the base, it would be her fault.


queen, Kaida's thoughts were very clear. Nonetheless the past years had taught her that sometimes it was best to keep her mouth shut and suck it up. Even though she felt like punching the woman.


"Yes, Lady. I'm pleased to see many of my suggestions were implemented." But she was not inclined to gush over how great the place and its commander were.


"Good. I expect nothing less than excellence from my soldiers. The eyes of the Goddesses are upon us. I trust you will be leaving soon then? I'm sure you have duties to attend to and I would like to get this base up and running immediately."


"Once I finish up and deliver my report to the Grand Seraph. She is presently inspecting the Citadel of the Dawn with Lady Alcori and Lady Kerrigan."


"A dutiful soldier who understands her place, that's good to see. And, of course, the Firemane couple would like to inspect our fortresses. I sure hope that their company's security has improved after the latest round of Sith sneaking into their home and that their weapons are as potent as they say. They made a fortune with this base, didn't they?"


"I imagine so, Lady. The point of a company is to make money." Probably not the smartest thing to say, but Kaida was getting annoyed and felt like a troll. When it came to Firemane Kaida tended to be neutral. She was not an uncritcal fan of them, but accepted that they were strong allies of Kaeshana. She just completely loathed their Vice President.


"Why, you, are you mocking a high-born, Captain?! Filthy commoner...heretic. You are not even a real Eldorai anymore. In the old days we would have punished such disrespect with flogging by the ancient law of Ardarvia."


"In the old days, ma'am, we thought we were the only intelligent life in the Galaxy. Then we got a rude awakening when foreigners with far better weapons came to plunder. Much has changed," Kaida said bluntly. "We concluded that maybe the Goddess doesn't want us to beat every single heretic. It certainly did not turn them into true believers. Respectfully, ma'am."


"Dirty heretic, if you think your 'heroics' on that demon world with the monkeighs will protect you, you're a fool. Your superiors will hear of this. True Eldorai will still respect the old days." From the palm of her hand came a small flame, not unlike Aeda's control over fire, before it dissipated as she regained control over her temper.


At this moment a young Eldorai Wing Leader appeared on the scene, obviously looking a bit nervous as she approached the Captain and the aristocrat, who seemed to be in a bit of a mood. "Greetings, Lady. Err, Captain, a Lieutenant Tempest is here to see you," the soldier said nervously, giving both the traditional Eldorai salute.


"Understood. I am sorry to interrupt, High Captain, but if you'll please excuse me, one of the monkeighs from Firemane is here. I shall be reporting on the troops' training drills," Kaida said, giving the woman a crisp salute before departing. Presumably the Lady Tahril was glaring daggers at her and would try to get back at her in a rather petty manner, but she did not care much. Sometimes I think the Nebula Front has a point and we should shoot all the 'socially useless blue-bloods'. Or have them work heavy labour. Till I remember that their definition of 'socially useless' covers everyone they don't like, she thought to herself. Apparently Kaida was eager to take a level in snarkiness!


"Ah, Lieutenant. Been swarmed by fangirls lately?" she asked dryly. For the record, Kaida did not have a Spacebook account. She had deleted hers after it kept getting spammed by weird people. Maybe it was just bad luck on her part, but the 'net seemed full of creeps.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Aeda Shaytari"]


For her part Siobhan found Anya's little chin rather cute. While she tended to go for redheads, Linna's exotic blue hair was nice as well. Unfortunately, the Queen no longer allowed her most loyal subject to 'lighten her burdens' due to some nonsense about having to be respectable now. It made Siobhan sulky at times. Yes, we get it, Lady Kerrigan is tremendously promiscuous. Constantly repeating it is redundant, for sexuality is not a personality! In any case, with these meta comments out of the way, this one shall write something that's actually plot-relevant.


Siobhan emerged from the villa alongside Tegaea, though a few steps behind her. Thankfully her wife was being understanding and so Siobhan could keep up with her, which the brunette appreciated despite being loathe to admit her own weakness. Truth be told, it was a pain for her to merely stand at length, and now her legs were hurting even more as she walked into the beautiful garden, though she tried not to let it show. Pain was just weakness leaving the body! That mantra had gotten old a long time ago, yet she still stuck to it.


Her eyes, both of them now mechanical, swept over the beautifully maintained garden. She had actually come to appreciate it more during her latest spat of enforced stays at home. In the far distance the towering Ashira's Crown fortress could be made out. Siobhan was dressed to the nines in standard business gear, though she wore a pendant around her neck that was actually a hold-out boltgun. Likewise there was a lightsabre attached to her belt, though she doubted she would do much good with it.


In any case they boarded a low-atmosphere transport and soon it took off from the villa's private landing pad, shooting through the sky. Traffic had gotten a good deal busier ever since Kaeshana was opened up and from their vessel they would have a good view of Santaissa and what changes modernisation had wrought. But soon they had left the gleaming city behind them and were approaching the fortress in the mountains, the Citadel of Dawn. The first thing they saw were the towering Tempest cannons that stood tall and strong like massive sentinels. An honour guard would be waiting for them at the landing pad. Adril-class starfighters could be seen shooting through the skies on patrol, ever vigilant for Kaeshana.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Kaida Taldir"]
Whilst Kaida had been ‘airing creative differences’ with the High Captain, Tempest had been sidetracked by an unusual encounter, and one which was quite portentous.

She had been going to meet Kaida when she heard a disturbance coming from the path down into the plains below. This road, where much of the heavy equipment and supplies came from, was guarded by duracrete barriers which could be raised or lowered, and by overwatching gun positions.

As she headed down to investigate she beheld a sight she’d not seen before, a Kar’zun. The large, rocky creature was grey in colour, dressed a large cloth robe concealing metal mesh underclothes and garb. It was currently being accosted by three Eldorai soldiers who didn’t look too pleased with its appearance at the first gate.

“Please, I wish to speak to your commander, I have important news,” the Kar’zun was saying in a gravelly voice.
“You Arish aren’t allowed to be here. Push off before we make you into a rockery!” a Sergeant was telling them in reply.
“I am Representative Nar’dvan. I have permission to be here based on my treaty-,” the Kar’zun replied.
“I said get lost, rock face,” the Eldorai replied, bringing up her bolter into a threatening position.
The unarmed Kar’zun held up its hands. “If I cannot make you see reason, I will go.”

Tempest stepped forward. “What’s going on here?”
The Sergeant gave her a look of barely concealed disdain, as though Tempest was only fractionally better than the Kar’zun. “Nothing that need concern you,” she said curtly.
“That’s Lieutenant,” Tempest said, irritated by the other woman. “If you’ve forgotten, the Queen has made my rank equal in your army. Now, what’s going on?”
“Ma’am, this Kar’zun requested my entry, ma’am. Did my job by refusing them entry, ma’am, as per regulations, ma’am,” the Sergeant said sullenly.
Tempest wondered how much trouble she’d get in for electrocuting this obstructive queen. Too much, probably. “Then I will talk to them myself.”

Going down the slope she passed the resentful Eldorai and came to where the Kar’zun was waiting. It towered over Tempest, but otherwise seemed quite passive. It looked as though it had never seen a human before, certainly not one with dark skin like Tempest.
“Representative, I am Lieutenant Tempest. You can talk to me.” She spoke passable Eldarai, enough for the Kar’zun and her to understand each other.
“Thank you for your assistance, human. I came to warn the Eldorai here, but they did not want to hear.”
“Well tell me,” Tempest repeated, not getting impatient.
“The Priests of our community have experienced a disturbance in the Zak’kazan. It has been foretold that a great war is returning to this world. The Return of the Damned is due to come.”
“Who are these Damned? Is that a disturbance in the Force? I have felt nothing.”
“I am not a Priest, but they say it is very important. The Damned are a legend of ours. After Az’vakarz was lost, it is said that a legion of our people saw no choice but to flee to the stars, swearing to return and bring vengeance on the Eldorai. It is said they would return and destroy the Eldorai.”
Tempest knew enough Kaeshana history and culture to know these legends were probably more hopeful. “But that is a legend, is it not? You don’t expect it to really happen?” She had always thought the Kar’zun were rather more practical than that, but perhaps after a thousand years some hoped for anything to save them.
“I know it sounds unlikely,” Nar’dvan said a bit stiffly. “However, the Priests wanted to bring a warning about it. They have seen their return, bringing fire and death. We do not want to be blamed.”
Tempest finally understood. If the Damned did return the other Kar’zun would be in a terrible strait. “I believe your warning is earnest. We shall double our spaceship patrols and ensure nothing sneaks up on us. In the meantime, Representative, keep your people together and safe.”
The Representative bowed. “Thank you, Tempest. I pray that more people become like you and listen to reason, and not to old grudges.”
Tempest thought this odd for someone recounting a prophecy of doom, but took it gracefully. “Thank you for warning us. I will see it goes to those in charge.” She would, though she wondered how it’d be taken, probably as an attempted trick by the Arish. Still, she had to try.
She passed the resentful Sergeant on the way up, but she was wise enough not to say anything to Tempest….

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]


This one notes that Tempest's writer should start using proper Eldorai ranks! Nowhere has it been said that they converted theirs to galactic standard. And if they have, this writer was not informed!


In any case, presumably Kaida arrived on the scene after the large, robe-wearing rocky creature departed from the fortress and walked down the road that led back down. The road was the main supply line for the base, and heavy ducracete barriers and emplacements of e-webs and ARGH shattergun rotary cannons stood guard. As a matter of fact the Captain had been heading towards them after hearing from some troopers that one of the stone people was on the premise, though Nar'dvan had already left when she arrived, under the watchful eyes of resentful and suspicious Eldorai guards standing sentinel at the gates.


Based on their stance and the feelings that could be picked up through the Force a number of them felt like 'teaching the Stone Demon a lesson' on principle, though they held their fire and so the stone man left the base unmolested. The natural habitat of the Kar'zun was the mountains and they had returned after Tirathana the Seventh lifted the quarantine. By Eldorai standards Kaida Taldir was fairly liberal, to the point where she had often been castigated as being a human in an elf body. Undoubtedly the fact that she knew her people's true past and had spent several years offworld during her time with Omega Pyre had contributed to a less narrow-minded outlook. Along with the fact that she frankly resented most aristocrats and by extension the stultrified culture they propagated.


However, though she tried to be modern and was quite cynical about her people's history, Kar'zun still made her uneasy. Certainly in terms of appearance and the fact that they were cultural opposites. Moreover, like it or not, while Ariane's means had been reprehensible, she had ensured that it was Eldorai, not Kar'zun, who would rule Kaeshana and though Kaida found many traditions of her people objectionable, she was still one of them. Hence why it would be difficult to condenm Ariane, despite the despot she had been.



Not like they have the numbers or the tech to suddenly rise up and unleash a jihad, no matter what the paranoiac fearmongerers of Ariane's Way say. Even though many idiots here could use a clobberin'. Like Lady Tahril. She would not mind a Kar'zun giving her a beating! Or Kerrigan, truth be told.


"What's the commotion here? What did the Kar'zun want?" she asked one of the soldiers standing guard. Coincidentally it was the trigger-happy Talon - or Sergeant, as the rank would be called by galactic standard - with whom Tempest had just made polite conversation.
"That Arish came over and wanted entry without a permit. Told the rock face to mind his place if he knows what's good for him. The mon...Lieutenant Tempest went out and had a chat with him. Throwing her weight around. Bloody rocky just wanted to spy on us. If you ask me, we should deport them all."
"Talon, do you want to spend the next two weeks on latrine duty?" Kaida asked very coldly.
"No, ma'am! I was just stating..." the soldier said sullenly, looking nervous and a bit flustered all of a sudden.
"If I want to hear your opinion, I'll ask for it. Now, what did the Kar'zun say? Oh, and if I hear you refer to the Lieutenant as a monkeigh, I may forget that 'cruel and unusual' corporal punishments have been prohibited by the Revised Military Code of Conduct."
Apparently Kaida was intent on taking a level in bitchiness as well! The soldier shot her a look of barely concealed lothing and revulsion, but knew better than to question a superior. Especially one who happened to be a member of the Angelii. They were reverred as the guardian angels who defended Kaeshana, but they also stood for the wrathful aspects of Ashira.
"Ma'am, this Kar'zun yammered something about an armada of doom coming to kill us all. Supposedly Ariane the Great missed a legion of the scum. Says he doesn't want more bloodshed," the soldier said sulkily. Presumably she would be muttering curses under her breath once Kaida was out of earshot. That would take a bit though Eldorai hearing was very good.
"I see. Carry on, soldier," Kaida said laconically and walked over to Tempest.The Eldorai's feelings were well hidden and so it was difficult to figure out based on her expression whether she believed the tale or not.


"I hear some grunts need to learn manners and our visitor brought dramatic tidings of doom. A lost Kar'zun legion has followed the Lost Sith's good example and is coming to unleash vengeance after a thousand years? she asked, tone dry.
It sounded a bit ridiculous, but on the other hand Lost Sith kept returning from the shadows and invading Coruscant. For instance, apparently the ancient Sith Emperor had waited 1, 3000 years before invading the Republic way back. Besides, nothing could be more absurd than an Ewok behind a curtain being the true god of the Bando Gora.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

This one would use the correct ranks, were not the possibility of confusion still high. Though admittedly since not many people read these, perhaps the thread has been exaggerated! Regardless, it shall be done.

Still, Tempest came to meet Kaida after the Captain had abraded the resentful Eldorai Talon.
“I don’t know what to make of it, Kaida,” Tempest said after a moment of reflection. “The Representative sounded earnest in their concerns. I’m still trying to determine if it’s a genuine fear or something else. They’ve been mistreated for a long time, perhaps they both hope and fear for the Damned to return.” Tempest clearly came down on the side of the Kar’zun, at least as far as their long decline and imprisonment.

“But regardless, we should pass this on. I’ve felt no disturbance in the Force, but perhaps their Priests are uniquely attuned to these things? Or perhaps it was merely a millennial vision. On Dahomey we had legends about the Sky-Men who would one day return. Unfortunately, they did, and they didn’t bring ascension with them,” she said gloomily.

An Eldorai Host Leader came down to them. “Ma’am, my apologies, the High Captain requests your presence for the commissioning of the reactor,” she said, saluting Kaida.

“Let’s go see, shall we? If there are going to be invincible doom legions coming, we might as well have our cannons ready for them,” Tempest said.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Tempest"]
Citadel of Dusk


This one that maybe a post should be made with the Eldorai table of ranks!


A frown creased Kaida's forehead as she pondered. Though more sympathetic to the Kar'zun's plight than most Eldorai, what with the fact that the Eldorai had driven them to the brink of extinction, she was a good deal less idealistic than she had once been. At that time Eldorai civilisation had been on the brink of collapse. That said, she thought oppressing for a whole millennia had been unjust.



She very strongly doubted that Firemane's Vice President and Tempest's teacher, Siobhan Kerrigan, would have acted any differently than Ariane. It was ironic really.


If the 'Damned' were to return chances are the native Kar'zun population would become a target when we retaliate. The mob would clamour for a holy war against all 'stone demons'. Even though they have not been a threat for a millennia." she said this matter-of-factly, though clearly she did not like it. Any further musings were interrupted by the arrival of the Host Leader. For the purpose of clarity, that was the Eldorai equivalent of Lieutenant!


"I imagine the High Captain will dismiss claims. But it's not like I haven't been busy sabotaging my chances for promotion anyway, so looking like a fool for passing on the 'delusional tales of a stone demon' is the least of my worries. I do wonder whether the 'invincible legions of doom' bothered to upgrade their weapons in the past millennia. We learned the hard way that stasers are useless when corsairs came from the stars to rape and pillage."


Apparently Kaida was too genre-savvy for her own good and so the girl had not realised that you did not need armies or fleets to conquer even capital planets. All you needed was a small elite group of space wizards, who utilised their magicks to turn planetary defences into mere background noise!


Anyhow, with the Host Leader as their guide the pair quickly returned to the fortress and were led through the facility down to the level that held the reactor, which was located at the very bottom of the base. Quad-turbolifts connected each of the levels. There was a good deal of saluting and such going on as they passed Eldorai troopers on guard. Many still wore the traditional Eldorai armour, though a number were clad in the duraplast battle suit that Firemane manufactured.


Finally they took a turbolift and it took them down to the lowest level of the facility, where the High Captain and her entourage were already waiting for them. Obviously the reactor was heavily guarded, as its importance warranted. "Ah, Captain, Lieutenant, good to see you found the time to join us at last," the High Captain spoke a bit pompously. "Now that we're all here, we can bring this base online. Today is a great day for Kaeshana. This base shall be a strong pillar to defend the homeworld against all barbarians who wish us ill."


Clearly she liked to hear herself talk a lot. A bit like a certain Aurelia Saelari. Or Kerrigan when she was plagiarising Harbinger quotes like she so often did, since she was under the delusion that made herself appear terribly witty. Kaida hated speechifying on principle but put up an effort to look enthusiastic, for she had learnt that sometimes you just had to fake your through!


"Yes, ma'am,"


Kaida said stiffly when it seemed that she was expected to say something.


"The Eldorai shall become a force to be reckoned with. Engineer, activate the reactor."


"Aye, ma'am."


As the engineer pressed whatever commands were needed to bring the machine online the High Captain scrutinised the pair.


"It has come to my attention one of the stone people shown up unannounced and without a permit at the base and you had a conversation with him, Lieutenant. What did that thing want?"


"He claimed that his people's priests felt a disturbance in the Force and that an armada of Kar'zun who fled Ariane the Great's Crusade and swore vengeance is returning," Kaida said bluntly, though the commander had not been speaking to her and shot her an annoyed look. "He called them the 'Damned'. Sounds like a fairytale the Kar'zun cling to, but then Lost Sith return every few millennia," the Captain added.


"I long thought that being offworld had done you no good, Captain, but I did not take you for an idiot until now. A Kar'zun comes up here and claims a lost legion miraculously escaped the Great Crusade, has somehow managed to keep a coherent force of our ancient enemies together over a millennia and will now return to the homeworld, on the very day when our defences come online, and you take for a fact? Ridiculous claims. He is either mentally ill or wants to stir up trouble."


Well, she did not say 'ah, yes. The Damned. An army of Lost Kar'zun allegedly plotting to return and exact vengeance. I have dismissed that claim, Kaida thought to herself. "I'm not saying I believe him, merely that we should be alert. Far more insane things have happened in the Galaxy, High Captain. According to the Lieutenant he sounded earnest and stirring up trouble would make no sense for them because any Kar'zun with brains knows that the moment we even suspect a rising, chances are they'd be wiped out to the last."


"Captain, I believe you're no longer needed on this base. Perhaps you would fare better in a less high rank and a less central location. This base is fully running and operational, so consider yourself relieved. I will discuss your inability to maintain discipline with the Grand Seraph." And with that the reactor came online. The Citadel of Dusk was live and the mighty cannons had power!

 

[Aeda Shaytari]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
It was probable that Aeda’s chin would be also appreciated, that is if she ever removed her mask.

Regardless, the trip in the shuttle was relatively short, and soon they arrived at the Citadel of Dawn. Like Dusk, this one was built on high mountains some 400km from Santaissa, but rather than desert it looked down onto verdant plains and rivers flowing towards the capital. This policy had been deliberately made as the eastern side of the mountains was even more inhospitable than the deserts of Dusk.

In strategic terms this really made Ashira’s Crown and the Citadel of Dawn able to provide fire for each other, whilst isolating the Citadel of Dusk thousands of kilometres away. However, having two fortresses to cover the cradle and heart of Eldorai civilisation was no bad thing, whilst one supported everywhere else.

As the shuttle came in to land they found the fortifications were at the same advanced state, almost ready for activation. A rather more formal greeting party awaited two peers and the Grand Seraph than a mere Captain, and spoke volumes about the relative importance of Dawn and Dusk.

As they landed a formally dressed High Captain was waiting for them. She bowed respectfully.
“High Seraph, the Citadel is at your disposal,” she said in the formal ritual of such occasions.
Aeda, despite her evident disdain for such things, saluted. “Thank you, High Captain. Show me the site.”
Siobhan and Tegaea were left to follow if they wished.

In a sign of how much things had changed, there was even a male Host Leader helping with the preparations. Questions of whether males were suited to military operations, or whether their presence would be a distraction for the female combat troops had come up recently. In the spirit of the age, more and more males were pressing to enter the service, and most fields had been opened to them, with the exception of the Angelii and armour units. These were considered too dangerous for males to take place, as their undue aggression and lack of ability to follow orders was deemed to make them unfit for these roles.

Gender roles now clumsily satired, the tour could continue.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Aeda Shaytari"]


Unlike Aeda, Siobhan wholeheartedly appreciated the pomp and circumstance, even if she was not being the centre of attention. But she liked the feeling of being treated like a peer of the realm, complete with an honour guard of soldiers clicking their heels and saluting to her. The fact that quite a number of the Eldorai probably still wanted to see the human monkeighs driven off the planet, even if they loved the modern toys that contact with the larger Galaxy had brought them, did not matter to her.


In any case Siobhan obviously followed after Aeda and the High Captain since frankly she had little to do otherwise and simply standing around would have made the trip extremely pointless!


What she most assuredly did not like was the fact that she was in considerable pain in her organic leg and back, which seemingly each step she took sending painful sensations shooting through her body. Thus as she stepped down the landing pad and into the base she was leaning far more heavily on her cane then she would have liked. It was unbecoming to show weakness, she would conquer it, just as she had conquered armies and planets! This also meant that she refused to ask anyone to slow down their pace because if she had trouble keeping up, she would not admit that.


Still she tried to put up a brave front to appear as weathered and indomitable as ever while the High Captain played tour guide. In structure the Citadel of Dawn was the mirror image of the Dawn base, just with the advantage of being positioned such that it could cover the cradle of Eldorai civilisation along with the Ashira's Crown base. As she passed through she could behold the ducracete barriers that guarded the entrance to the base along with the road that was its supply line. Heavily armed Eldorai soldiers kitted out in duraplast armour manned the defences, with heavy weapons emplacements guarding the perimeter. Three massive Tempest cannons formed the crown of the base facility, along with laser turrets and Keraunos missile turrets.


queen is dead, now she serves us well, Siobhan thought as she glanced over at the Keraunos turrets, which could fire a flurry of homing missiles to blast faster moving craft such as interceptors out of the sky and hit multiple targets. As insiders would know, Keraunos had been the Darth title of the Sith Assassin Kaelin Isandros, who among other things had brutally tortured Tegaea. Vengeance had been...very swift and brutal.


"Impressive facility," she spoke to Tegaea as they passed through. "I figure we'll need a couple more smaller bases dotted across the planet. A basic fort with a couple turrets outside of Abomey should suffice for Dahomey. I've already talked to the governor and the legislative council. The Eldorai fleet received the first load of the torpedoes you came up with today?"


There were other plans, of course. One of them being the creation of a modern Eldorai Armoured Corps after the success of the Ariane's Fist Battalion during the second purge of Gehenna. Perhaps they could even make an Eldorai walker for them.


There were those among the elves who complained that all these moves constituted warmongering and that Firemane was a foreign exploiter enriching itself by deceiving the Queen. Siobhan dismissed the second claim and found the first humorous because apparently those Eldorai did not know their history. After all, once upon a time they had driven a sentient race to the brink of extinction in a holy war. They had not tried to go out and conquer beyond Kaeshana because of lack of ability, not willingness. The Countess had little patience for journalists making disingenuous assertions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cenKx5hV9N4​

​

Why is this writer posting this vid? Well, no reason really other than Rule of Cool! To be fair, it had been a long time since Siobhan punched a journalist whose 'snide insinuations' she disapproved of.