Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Codify a character established in rp. Expand on Siobhan's Qadiri retinue and House Kerrigan-Alcori.
Image Credit: Here.
Role: Sahmara is another one of Siobhan's unofficial, adopted Qadiri children. She is a noncommisisoned officer and serves as the right hand of Sahal Jai Azal, a Qadiri knight in Siobhan's services.
Permissions: ARGH gear available to Firemane per this thread. Permission for all ArmaTech gear and all other subs made by Laira Darkhold's writer here and here.
Links: The Pyramids of Tygara, Firedawn, Four of a Kind, Qadiri Sepoys, The Ascended, Sin of Pride, Semiramis.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Age: 52
Force Sensitivity: Non-Force User
Species: Qadiri
Appearance: Sahmara is of average height for a Qadiri female, but is well built and strong. As a career soldier her dark skin is scarred by numerous wounds. She has a bad series of scars on her back. These are the result of being whipped at her owner's command. Her most striking feature are her stunning blue eyes. She has long, braided hair and a confident manner. Sahmara prefers loose and flowing attire when she can. When on duty she wears uniform. Her uniform is always crisp, clean and perfect in a drill and camp setting. In the field her armour and weapons are always perfectly maintained.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Name: Jemedar Sahmara Jai Saobana. Jai (Jal for males) is a middle name that means 'of/from' and precedes family/clan/location in the Qadiri language. As a slave Sahmara had no family name, and so she took the name Jai Saobana after being freed. It means ‘of/from Siobhan’. Like many former slaves among the Qadiri, she has taken the name of her liberator. Jemedar is her military rank. It is the Qadiri equivalent of Sergeant.
Loyalties: Firemane Industries, House Kerrigan-Alcori, Sahal Jai Azal, Siobhan.
Wealth: As a slave, Sahmara owned nothing. Now she is a free woman and receives a Firemane Sergeant's salary. Pay is on a sliding scale based on experience, rank, reward and so on. Sahmara is not a commissioned officer, but her pay is regular and she is no spendthrift. It is not enough to allow a life of opulent luxury, but her needs are taken care of. Siobhan has also taken a liking to her, which helps.
Notable Possessions: Her broken collar from when she was a slave. She also owns a silver ring and a bracelet with a holopic of Siobhan. Owns a Shatter Rifle, her weapon of choice for precision shooting. She also still carries the E-11 she was first issued after joining the Firemane Auxiliary Corps. Stormtroopers already complained about this model when it was introduced, and time has not made it better.
Nonetheless, she is attached to it and calls it her little sun gun. It was her first modern rifle, so she trained with it until she had become a marksman. Moreover, she makes use of a Magnetic Repeater. The rifle is capable of firing in burst, but she prefers keeping it semi-automatic because she prefers precision. Siobhan has gifted her a Holdout Bolter. She owns a landspeeder and enjoys riding it. It holds special significance for her because she used to drive it for her master Karajas Jal Haman, acting as his chauffeur. She has held on to a revolver that originally belonged to him and that he gave her as a present.
Skills: Sahmara has been a soldier for most of her life. Thus she is trained in many forms of ranged and melee combat and has fought in numerous campaign. Prior to the coming of the sky people, her knowledge of technology was largely limited to what one might call the equivalent of 16th century tech. She was trained in the use of spear, musket, bow and sword. However, ever since entering Firemane's services, she has expanded her knowledge of weapons and military tactics. She is a very good shot, who is talented in the use of blasters and modern slugthrowers. She is skilled in marksmanship and her preferred combat role is that of a marksman, using carbines and rifles. She also has a knack for improvised weapons and is experienced in desert warfare.
Her first blaster rifle was an E-11. As an anonymous stormtrooper said, "You can't stay on target with these things! You miss your first shot, and you're lying on the ground with a hole blasted through your armor." Nonetheless, Sahmara became a good shot with it. To an outsider her shooting might look slow, but extremely accurate; a remnant of the old days where accuracy was key because reloading was so slow, as the Qadiri used muskets then.
Her people form a nice balance between Eldorai and humans. They are remarkably agile, yet still able to hold their own physically, though they are still more prone to fatigue than a human would be. Moreover, Qadiri have an instinctive skill of navigation. They seem to have an instinctual internal compass. After attaining her freedom, Sahmara learned how to drive vehicles such as speeder bikes, airspeeders and armoured personnel carriers. Examples would be a Yazgid Infantry Fighting Vehicle, a Bladesinger Combat Speeder as well as a 74-Z speeder and common landspeeders. She can also operate weapons mounted on vehicles. However, she is not experienced in piloting starships, though she can serve as a gunner.
Personality: Driven, disciplined, eager. On first blush Sahmara comes across as pretty obedient. She accepts her place in the military hierarchy, follows orders and is dedicated soldier. The old training has made her a good warrior. Indeed it is all she has known. As a noncommissioned officer, she is a vital intermediary between her commander and the enlisted soldiers. She transmits her boss' orders, but also makes her aware of any concerns or issues the soldiers might be having. Her role is to discipline, but also to inspire, educate and lead by example. Sahmara is still learning about modern technology and thus may look at appliances that are normal to humans with a sense of wonder or suspicion. But she learns fast and is an experienced combatant. The 'sky-ships' of the humans scared her, but she would not allow herself to let this fear dominate her. Instead she faced it.
Key personality traits are an independent streak, a fear of failure and a desire not to get caught again. For many years her life was defined by her mistress' whip. Nobody gifted her with anything, and she did not have any special Force powers or noble parents. Instead shee was at the very bottom of society, namely a slave. What she has achieved she has gained through determination, hard work and, lastly, the patronage of the woman she has come to consider not just her liberator and lady, but also her mother of sorts. This has shaped her character. Sahmara is determined not to end up in a situation where she is a servitor again. This has meant educating herself, embracing the wider Galaxy with its many wonders and terrors and being strong.
The young Qadiri soldier is new to galactic standard tech, but has become a good driver. This also ties into her past. In the old days, Qadiri knights and nobles rode upon Yazgid, fearsome lizard mounts. It was a mark of status. Slaves had to bow to them and feed their pets. Sahmara's mistress liked to be transported in a litter and forced slaves to carry it. But now Sahmara no longer has to watch nobles gallop past her. Instead she has her own bike. Her ability to drive is a sign of freedom to her and she is quite proud of it. Driving her bike across the plains is one of her hobbies.
Her life has not been an easy one. She has suffered much hardship and endured abuse. However, she is not all doom and gloom. Bad things happened, but she wants to move past them. Given how much she suffered under it, Sahmara hates slavery. However, the first master she served eventually fell for her. She returned his feelings, though she was still formally his property. He intended to set her free, but fell in battle before it could put it into effect. Sahmara has a son called Shahan she is very devoted to. He is the bastard of her former master.
Today, Sahmara is protective of her personal freedom, but no anarchist. Rather she accepts her place in a hierarchy provided it treats her with respect and as a free woman rather than an object of someone else's whims. She is very loyal to Siobhan personally. When she first met Firemane's leader, she bowed her head and said: “Great Liberator, I greet you as my mother and Lady, for I had no family until I took your name and was freed by Your mercy.”
In short, her devotion is very strong. This does not, however, mean that she is a blindly obedient fanatic who will obey suicidal orders or say allow herself to be maltreated. Rather she has a mind of her own. Sahmara is more than capable of bold action. Instead of waiting and hoping that someone would free her, she ran away from her mistress, who tried to keep her enslaved even after slavery was abolished in the Qadiri state they lived in.
Sahmara is one of several emancipated Qadiri slaves who have taken the surname Jai Saobana, which can be translated as 'of Siobhan'. Siobhan did not emancipate herself personally, but she toppled the old order in Lakish, Sahmara's home, and promulgated the abolition of slavery. Then when Sahmara fled after realising that she could be a free woman, soldiers who worked for Siobhan gave her shelter and helped her bring her owner to justice. Finally, it established a bond of sorts between her and a powerful, albeit distant liege lady. Sahmara is an unofficial member of the family, as Siobhan has not formally adopted her. However, she has not objected either. Perhaps one day she will legitimise her. Sahmara is eager to prove herself and rise in the military hierarchy.
For her part, Siobhan is formal in public and displays clear affection in private, but is hands-off. Sahmara is smart - and perhaps too proud - to try and persuade her 'lady and mother' to advance her career. Besides, it would breed resentment and jealousy among her comrades if she was fast-tracked for promotion. Sahmara may actually be better off than Siobhan's official adopted daughter Elpsis, as she does not have to deal with the lady being overbearing and having extremely high expectations. Having someone like Sahmara call her 'Great Liberator' and lady mother appeals to the abolitionist in Lady Kerrigan, but also strokes her considerable ego. Siobhan sends her gifts on important occasions, such as Sahmara's birthday and the day she obtained her freedom.
COMBAT INFORMATION
Weapon of Choice: Sahmara is a marksman, a gunslinger and trained in melee combat. She is at her best with a gun in her hand and is trained the use of most weapons available to Firemane. Moreover, she is a driver who is able to pilot vehicles such as bikes, airspeeders and armoured personnel carriers as well as utilise weapons mounted on them.
Combat Function: Sahmara is an experienced and skilled soldier. First she served her mistress as a slave-soldier, now she is a free woman and part of Firemane's armed forces. She is a frontline soldier experienced in small unit tactics. As a non-commissioned officer, she can lead small units into battle and act as a second to a more higher-ranking officer, ensuring orders are followed, encouraging and inspiring the enlisted soldiers in the group.
In battle she leads from the front by example. She is a very good, precise shot. Within a squad, she can fulfil the role of a designated marksman. She is very proficient at firing firearms, both blasters and slugthrowers, accurately. In that capacity, she will often use a scoped blaster rifle, carbine or semi-automatic slugthrower rifle such as a Shatter Rifle. Thus she can boost the capabilities of an infantry unit, as she can engage targets with increased precision and at greater range than the other members of a squad. Thus she operates as an integrated part of a combat unit, rather than on her lonesome.
In addition, she is trained as a vehicle driver and operator. She can pilot vehicles such as landspeeders, airspeeders and armoured personnel carriers. She can serve as a gunner. Leaving aside the obvious battlefield use, this is helpful for scouting. Sahmara is physically fit and agile. A mixture of good genes and harsh conditioning have made her though. However, she is a mortal woman and lacks superpowers or cybernetic enhancements that would give her preternatural abilities, though she has experience fighting Force-Users. She also only has limited experience with galactic technology. Her defence against mental attacks is based on willpower and disciplone alone, as she lacks special racial skills to shrug them off.
Strengths:
- Sahmara is an experienced soldier. She is resilient, brave and skilled in combat. Moreover, she is a very good shot. She is ideal for a designated marksman or sharpshooter role.
- Trained as a vehicle operator. Can pilot various ground vehicles available to her unit. Like all Qadiri, she has instinctive navigational skills.
- Skilled in small unit tactics. She can lead soldiers into action well and is a good second to her superior officers.
- Sahmara is as Force-Sensitive as a plank. The only force she knows about is inertia. Jokes aside, she does not have supernatural powers, cannot use lightsabres or other arcane abilities. She is perfectly mortal in other ways despite her training, and so can be overwhelmed or injured like anyone else. She must rely on skill, determination, tech and planning, not magic.
- She only has limited skill with galactic technology. So far she lacks the training to pilot starships. Likewise, she has not been trained in slicing computer systems and the like.
- Sahmara is a good noncommissioned officer, but lacks experience in the direction of large scale operations. She is good at tactics and thinking on her feet, but not a big picture strategist.
Slavery is a scourge which has afflicted sentient beings since time immemorial and though many cultures have long since discarded the practice, in others it lived on for a long time. One such planet where slavery held sway for many thousands of years was Tygara, in the far outer rim. For some of the civilisations there it was a way of life, for others it was their purpose of existence. All sentient species native to Tygara practiced slavery to varying degrees, though their ideological stance on it varied.
It was normal for the Qadiri of Amikaron, the largest state on the planet. The Qadiri states often warred with one another, for the Amikarese Empire was a decentralised, feudal polity. The strife produced a large number of slaves. Some were captured in battle, others were sold as tribute to appease the victor. And many were born into slavery. The agrarian economy depended on their labour, for the Qadiri did not have droids or other machines. The poor unfortunate souls that were put in bondage provided labourers, servants and warriors for the various cities and tribes.
One such state was Lakish. It was ruled by a noble who bore the title of Mirza. While nominally independent, it was a vassal of Amikaron. It had a long-standing feud with the neighbouring state of Jakai, which was also a vassal of the Amikarese Empire. Young Sahmara was born in Lakish. Unfortunately for her, she was not born into a noble or even a freeborn commoner family. Fate had not been kind to her, and so she was born into slavery. Sahmara is not sure who her parents are. Familial attachments were unwanted, so she was removed from them shortly after her birth and given to a wet nurse. Then she was placed in a creche, where slave children were cared for communally.
She never learned the identities of either of her parents. Little Sahmara had many things stacked against her. From early on, everything was done to remind her of her status and drill it into her skull that it was her lot to serve. She had to wear a collar as soon as she was able to walk. It would ensure that she never forgot her status, and that she was marked as a slave for everyone to see.
Unfortunately for Sahmara, she never manifested any Force abilities or, as the Qadiri called it, Zari. As a result, she never received special training or treatment. Force-Sensitive slave children could be conscripted into an elite mamluk corps or be chosen by the clergy. They were highly prized due to their special powers and were given better treatment, as they represented an investment. Force-blind slaves, by contrast, were available in abundance and thus there was no reason to give them any real care.
Sahmara was put to work when she was little. She was put to work as a child labourer, picking crops in the field. She also trolled the low water marks to find the occasional item of value. Discipline was very harsh and cruel. Unsurprisingly, Sahmara resented her owners parading around in fancy silks while she had next to nothing to her name and was treated by them like an object. While they enjoyed their life, she had to toil in the fields in the heat. It was harsh, backbreaking work. Disobedience was punished with lashes from the overseer's whip.
However, Sahmara developed an early bravery and toughness. It helped her endure this grim period of her life. When a disease broke out, she fell sick, but survived unlike many other slaves. She was beaten for stealing rations, but spared. Then she and other slaves were sent to work on a canal. The conditions were poor, and disease was a serious problem. Her life took a turn when she rescued a fellow slave from drowning in a river and hauled them ashore. Her overseers took note. When she was the Qadiri equivalent of age ten, her future 'career' path had been decided for her. Of course, no one had asked her input. She was, after all, a slave.
Once a slave child had reached this age, they were given the most one sided career evaluation possible. Sahmara was strong and tough, so she would be trained to become a Mamluk, instead of a scribe, a domestic servant and so on. Mamluks were slave soldiers. This was a peculiar institution common to Qadiri states as well as the Xioquo. Naturally, giving slaves weapons and ensuring they did not turn on their owners was not easy. However, the Qadiri were very experienced in it.
Their method of breaking down a new recruit was a mixture of carrot and stock. Compared to normal slaves, recruits were given good quarters and rations. This must, however, be understood in relative. In theory, any Mamluk who completed thirty years of good service would be given their freedom. In addition, those who displayed great bravery or skill could be manumitted. Of course, few survived to achieve this cherished goal. Their owners always had reserves. However, the promise was there and it gave the slaves hope. To keep the Mamluks in line, discipline was brutal.
This was the type of corps Sahmara was inducted in. Lakish was often at war with its neighbour Jakai, though both were nominally vassals of Amikaron. It also had to defend itself against nomadic tribes and Xioquo raiders. Sahmara underwent a harsh training process. She proved herself to be strong and quick. Rather than being executed, the problem cases were used as live training combatants in the arena, or as target practice. This was, among other things, how the slave soldiers learned to use the muskets that were being introduced by the Qadiri at this time. Thus Sahmara was forced to murder a fellow slave. She hated it and herself, but it was her or them. Above all, she hated her overlords. But she wanted to survive.
Sahmara displayed an aptitude for using bow and arrow, as well as the muskets that were starting to replace it. She was also a good scout. She participated in some early skirmishes with nomadic raiders who were attacking villages that supplied Lakish with food. Her unit arrived too late to save a settlement from being pillaged. The village was in flames and most of the peasants had been carried away as booty.
However, the petty noble who ruled it had managed to hide. Sahmara and some of her comrades questioned the villagers. Through some clever scouting, they were able to pursue and ambush some of the bandits. Sahmara fought bravely in this engagement and was able to capture the leader of the stragglers. Under interrogation, he revealed that he served the Mirza of Jakai. Whether this was true or not was another question. Regardless, it was a good reason for the Mirza of Lakish to muster her armies and launch a punitive expedition. It was one of many wars between the petty kings and queens. They warred constantly against one another, winning many grand and glorious victories and yet neither of the two cities was ever annexed by the other.
Karajas Jal Haman, the master of Sahmara, was the commanding general of a legion that served the Mirza. His liege lady regarded herself as a great and skilled general, so she contrived an elaborate plan to outflank and rout the army of Jakai. In principle, the plan was not a bad one. Indeed, if it had worked, it could have delivered a crushing blow. The Mirza had managed to procure a fire-breathing, alchemised beast to supplement her cavalry. It was supposed to be unleashed on the enemy when the time was right. However, the elaborate outflanking movement took too long.
Primitive communications and bad weather played a role in this regard. Thus her infantry had to hold the ground at the centre. It happened to be the legion Sahmara belonged to. Faced with far superior enemy numbers, the Mamluks desperate fought for survival. The new muskets were powerful for their era, but reloading was slow and visibility was low. Soon the mamluks had to defend themselves with swords and pikes.
Nonetheless, they held the line against the enemy onslaught. Sahmara fought relentlessly. In the process, she managed to save the general's life. Unlike some of the nobles, he was fighting on the frontlines along the common soldiers. However, he and his guard were under heavy assault, and he had been wounded in the leg by a spear. A Cataphract charged him, riding on a Yazgid. These were the ferocious, huge lizards Qadiri knights used as mounts. Aiming at the war beast with her bow, Sahmara managed to shoot it in the eye. The rider lost control of his beast and fell. But her foe was no ordinary rider, but a Force-User. This helped him get back on his feet again.
Moreover, he was an elemental warrior gifted in elemental air abilities. The aeromancer blasted her with lightning. The pain was horrible, and the electrical blast wrecked her bow. However, she bravely fought the aeromancer. Sahmara managed to wound her foe in melee and strike her down. The pain from being electrocuted caused her to fall. However, as more enemy soldiers closed in on them, her master ordered his guard to pull her to safety. As the Lakish soldiers made their stand, the cavalry finally arrived, sweeping down upon the enemy. The Mirza got her flanking attack and proclaimed victory. However, the casualties on her side had been extremely high. On paper, it was still a victory, but a rather Pyrrhic one.
Incidentally, her prized war beast had been of little practical use. The campaign continued for a few months, until the rather peeved Shahbânu of Amikaron forced both parties to get their act together. Sahmara was lucky enough not to participate, as her injuries meant she needed time to recover. Her master had not forgotten that she had saved his life and sent a priestess skilled in Force healing to tend to her wounds. Once she had recovered from her battle wounds, Karajas summoned her.
Needless to say Sahmara followed his summons with a mixture of trepidation and suspicion. For all she knew, the lord wanted to get rid of her due to feeling humiliated for needing a slave to save him. However, her master commended her for her bravery. Of course, Karajas was no abolitionist. Those were few and far between in Qadiri society and none of them held positions of influence. To him, slavery was a fact of life. However, he had taken a liking this particular slave and was appalled by the Mirza's carelessness.
So he chose Sahmara for his personal bodyguard. This meant she got better rations and quarters, along with other privileges. From that moment, she was never far from his side. She defended her liege when a rival dispatched assassins to murder him. Karajas took the unusual step of assigning a tutor to teach her basic literacy. Over time, the two became lovers. Her master seems to have developed genuine feelings for her. Of course, she was still a slave and he was her owner. Thus it was an unequal relationship. However, she returned his affections.
Needless to say Sahmara could not change the system. She had to obey his commands, though he would listen to her when she had suggestions to make. She was able to use her closeness to him to improve the conditions her comrades lived in and remove some unpopular officers. This was beneficial to the mamluk corps. Things went a lot better when Lakish army's attacked and sacked Kerman, a Qadiri city outside of Amikaron that refused to recognise the authority of the Shahbânu.
Kajaras led the campaign. The army cut off Kerman from communicating with its allies and assaulted settlements that were beholden to it. These assaults were rapid and ruthless, setting fields ablaze, but always left a path for inhabitants to escape. The reports from these settlements and the streaming hordes of refugees not only reduced the morale of the inhabitants and garrison of Kermany, it also strained their resources. Food and water reserves were taxed by the sudden influx of refugees.
However, the soldiers of Kerman defended themselves, using primitive flamethrowers, cannons and firearms. The Lakish army brought up siege guns and set up temporary fortifications to both prevent both sallies from the city and relief from getting inside it. Using entrenchment, they got closer and closer to Kerman. As the siege dragged on, conditions grew more desperate inside the city. Equally, the soldiers became restless. Finally, the cannons opened a breach. Sahmara and the elite Mamluks led the charge through the breach.
They came under heavy fire, but they fought their way through and she raised their banner atop the palace. Kerman had been offered terms during the siege, but refused, so the city was sacked. Not wanting to risk invoking the wrath of the gods, mindful of his public image, or both, Karajas had soldiers posted to guard the temple. He assigned Sahmara to this task, as he knew her to be loyal to him. Overzealous looters were punished. This had the effect of ensuring that the temple became a sanctuary. Needless to say this was also a way to acquire hostages, as the lives of many members of the upper class were in his hands. This gave them incentive to pay ransom.
However, her new status as a court favourite was also the cause of jealousy, especially after after rumours spread that her master intended to free her. When the sky people came to Tygara, Karajas was cautious. He and Sahmara witnessed their firepower first hand when they participated in the defence of Mansura. There Firemane came to the aid of the Qadiri, who were under attack by the Xioquo. Her lord decided to inspect these outsiders, and Sahmara accompanied him. Sahmara might have caught sight of Siobhan, but the two did not converse. However, her master interacted with some of their officers and soldiers, who showed off their war machines.
He was eager to fire one of their 'muskets', which was a modern slugthrower rifle. He concluded that they were not ghosts or demons, but mortals like him and his lover. He decided that it would be in his family's best interests to learn all they could about their strange technology. Karajas purchased some rifles and a speeder. These designs were old by galactic standard, as Firemane was not prepared to sell state-of-the-art gear to natives who might one day use them against them, but advanced by local standards. He also hired an offworlder to teach Sahmara how to drive so that she could be his chauffeur. She took to it with gusto. She found it amusing that the 'metal steed' was a lot faster than a Yazgid or a litter, which more conservative nobles preferred.
War loomed with the Xioquo, who menaced Qadiri and Eldorai alike. Sahmara did battle against them when a Qadiri force was deployed to fight the 'dark ones'. However, the Xioquo used their enemy's numbers against them by carefully preparing their defences on the coast where their ships could fire over their heads. When the Qadiri soldiers attacked over the sand dunes, they were hit by heavy musket fire.
Then, when Sahmara and the other soldiers got closer still, the drows set off mines filled with liquid fire which trapped portions of the Qadiri, allowing them to be massacred. Sahmara suffered nasty burns, but survived. However, her master had died in battle. The two fought together, but Karajas was wounded while blocking an attack meant for her. Not only had she lost her lord and lover, her path to freedom had been blocked. Karajas had intended to free, but he had died before being able to put it into effect. This meant she was still a slave, and had lost her benefactor.
Her new mistress was Lakira Jai Hamana, her master's daughter. What Sahmara did not know until now was that she was pregnant with her dead master's child. Her pregnancy was at a very early stage, so she had not noticed. However, Lakia was a Force-User and had sensed the life growing inside the Mamluk. She regarded it as a threat to her inheritance. The baby was delivered, but Lakira forced her slave to give it up. She did not murder it, but Sahmara was not allowed to see the child again. Instead she was sent back to the frontlines. Sahmara's recovery period meant that she missed the Mirza's failed assault on the Underealm, the home of the Xioquo. Amikaron was rallying its forces for an eventual assault on the Underealm. The campaign was supposed to be led by Firemane. However, the Mirza was hungry for glory. So she assembled an army in secret and led an ill-fated, premature assault.
The Mirza's soldiers were equipped with weapons acquired from the outsiders, making her confident of victory. She undertook the campaign without the knowledge of Semiramis, for she intended to use it to increase her prestige among the Qadiri, especially among those who believed the Shahbânu was being too accommodating toward the sky people. At first everything went well, but then it turned into a debacle. The Xioquo unleashed their new weapons, deploying ironclads, steam-powered tanks and flying machines as well as black magic.
The Qadiri troops were routed, though the Mirza's royal guard held. One of its members was a young Mamluk called Sahal Jai Azal. The Qadiri were saved by the intervention of a Firemane assault force led by Siobhan Kerrigan. They could not wrest victory from the jaws of defeat, but force the Xioquo to pull back into the Underealm, thereby preventing the Qadiri forces from being overrun.
When the Mirza accused her of having conspired with the Xioquo, one of her guards, Sahal, punched her in the stomach. The Mirza took this poorly, spewing threats against Sahal and the sky woman. Lady Kerrigan proceeded to use the Force to beat her up. Then strapped a slave collar on her neck. Siobhan proceeded to inform Semiramis of what had transpired. With the Shahbânu's blessing, she travelled to Lakish. There she arrested the Mirza's heiress Surana, who contested her move.
Conveniently, the Mirza had a niece called Mazarani, whom she had kept in the palace as a 'guest'. The young woman had been locked up and tortured in a dungeon, so she was happy about being freed. Incidentally, she had been a friend of Karajas. This meant that Lakish came under Firemane influence. It would serve as a testing bed for policies Siobhan wanted to introduce. One of them was the abolition of slavery. Advanced technology would be introduced to make slavery uneconomical. To prevent strife, owners who proved cooperative would be compensated. Those who did not would, as Siobhan put it, die in the old world. This was meant to be a gradual process, as it would not help the slaves if they were freed, but left destitute.
Lakira was an opportunist and wanted to align herself with the winning side, but was loath to give up her property. So she proclaimed her support for the new order. To this end, she set up a Potemkin village and bribed local Firemane officials. At first, Sahmara was hidden away to prevent her from being liberated. But there was unrest among the slaves, for rumours that the sky people would set them free were spreading. Moreover, while some Mamluks had been jealous of Sahmara's privileges, others had liked her. Lakira feigned forgiveness, but sent Sahmara and some other Mamluks considered unreliable into a trap. It was supposed to be a simple scouting mission, but turned into a hopeless battle with Xioquo.
Sahmara managed to escape with three companions, but was cornered by people her mistress had dispatched. She managed to prevail, but was badly wounded. However, while the Mamluks hid in the wilderness they were found by a Firemane patrol that had learned of the fight. It was led by a Dahomian officer called Tempest, Siobhan's apprentice. Thus they were able to get to safety, saving her life. Tempest was a former slave, and thus had a lot of sympathy for their story.
Thus Sahmara was nursed back to health and able to tell them her story. When she returned to her mistress' estate, she brought friends with her. The new Mirza was amenable, partly because she had been friendly with Karajas and disapproved of Lakira. Gratitude to Siobhan also played a role. When given the choice, Sahmara decided not to kill Lakira. Instead she wanted her to toil the fields, so that she could learn what it was like to be at the very bottom of society.
By decree of Siobhan Kerrigan, Lazira's slaves were set free. This included Sahmara. Firedawn, Firemane's freedman bureau, provided them with food, clothes, shelter and an education. Sahmara spent some with Firedawn. She had received a bit of an education after Karajas had taken an interest in her, but it still had large gaps. Now she was given the chance to fill them. She learned about the outside world and its strange tech. Moreover, she learned about Siobhan, the woman who had come to Tygara from the stars and whose mercy had set her free.
Sahmara read about Siobhan's martial deeds and came to admire her, though for a long time she remained a distant figure. Like her, Siobhan had also been of low birth. Sahmara had never had a mother, and now chose Jai Saobana - 'of Siobhan' - as her surname. It was not uncommon among emancipated slaves to choose the name of their liberator. If Sahmara had been set free by Karajas, she would have probably called herself Jai Karaja. She elected to stay with Firemane. They offered her stability, a paycheck and they had helped her attain her freedom. She took possession of her late master's speeder.
She had to deal with racism and the usual hurdles that resulted from having to learn about tech that was millennia in the future for her, but she persevered. She joined the Firemane Auxiliary Corps, which was composed of Qadiri Sepoys. Sahmara participated in the final battle with the Xioquo. Firemane, the Eldorai and the Amikaron launched a joint assault on the Underealm. Despite the outsiders' technology, it was a bloody battle. The first Xioquo, a powerful sorceress called Mystra, was awakened, but vanquished by Siobhan and her allies. Firemane's leader did not enslave the Xioquo though, but put a light sided renegade called Liavondra in power as their queen. During the battle Sahmara crossed paths with Sahal. In the aftermath, she requested and was granted a post in her unit. Sahal had been made a Subedar, the Qadiri equivalent of Captain. She led a Company in the Auxiliary Corps.
Sahmara integrated well in the unit. Many of its members had come from similar rough backgrounds. She became very good with an E-11 blaster rifle. The unit was conducting training exercises, when suddenly Siobhan showed up. Sahmara struggled to maintain her composure when the Lady appeared. Siobhan watched the soldiers display their marksmanship, then witnessed a mock battle between them. She praised them for their precise shooting and hard work, declaring that she was confident that they were just as good as humans. Indeed, she openly mocked racist Firemane employees who disparaged them as 'sand babies'.
Afterwards, Siobhan had a private meeting with Sahal. The Lady was here on official business. She wanted to investigate a mysterious Pyramid in the Dune Seas. The Qadiri did not know its origins, and considered it cursed. However, Firemane scanners had detected a buildup of radiation and Siobhan wanted to nip the problem in the bud. She was also probably bored with paperwork. One of Sahal's previous masters, a friend of the former Mirza, had once visited the pyramid, forcing her and other slaves to come along. What happened there drove him mad and left her traumatised. However, she would not let her lady go without her, so she volunteered to accompany her.
She chose a squad of her Sepoys as escort. One of them was Sahmara, who knew the area well. Upon finding herself face-to-face with Siobhan, Sahmara bowed her head, calling the humand her lady and mother. Incidentally, this was when Siobhan learned that many former slaves had taken her name. This gave her the idea to form a cracked freedman force. Sahmara also encountered an exotic minion of Siobhan, a Kar'zun called Kar'zakush. This warrior was essentially an intelligent golem and kept cracking jokes filled with meta references the Qadiri did not understand.
Regardless, the party arrived at the pyramid and set up camp. However, they were assaulted by a mechanical monstrosity. Working together as a team, the dynamic trio was able to take it down. Then Siobhan, Kar'zakush, Sahal and Sahmara entered the pyramid, while the squad guarded the camp. Inside the pyramid, many hazards awaited them. They had to fight war droids and traps left behind by the Rakata. Sahmara fought bravely against the droid guardians and monsters the builders of the pyramid had left behind, displaying her marksmanship when she took out a cybernetic monstrosity.
However, guardians were not the only hazard the quartet faced. The the pyramid's creators had imprinted powerful illusions on it. Rooms, staircases and doorways disappeared, voices tried to turn the members of the party against each other and at one point the trio was seemingly trapped in an enormous hall that warped itself whenever they tried to break out. The illusions confused and frightened Sahmara, who came close to cracking under the stress. However, Siobhan's firmness helped her get ahold of yourself. However, the party was able to overcome these hazards. After communicating with a hologram, they learned that the pyramid was in fact a ship. Radiation was approaching critical levels, but Kar'zakush was able to discover what they had to do to shut down the reactors. On the way, they faced a horde of Rakata zombies. After overcoming this final hazard and shutting down the reactor, they came across the tomb of a Rakata warlord. His ghost awakened and speechified about his glorious return to power.
However, Siobhan had enough and drained him from existence. Thereafter, the quartet headed to the bridge, where Siobhan took possession of the pyramid-ship. The ship was still functional and she piloted it, picking up the Qadiri Sepoys along the way. After this adventure, Sahmara and Siobhan had time to bond. Sahmara told the 'Star Queen' about her life, including the child she had lost. Siobhan, who had lost many of her adopted daughters, decided she could do something for her unofficial adopted child. Using testing, Firemane was able to find the little one in an orphanage and return Sahmara's son to her. Needless to say the former Mamluk was overjoyed. Sahmara has now returned to her duties. She continues to pursue her career while looking after her child. Fortunately, Firemane has good daycare and parental leave. Sahmara now serves as one of Sahal's Jemedars. Siobhan is handsoff, but keeps watch from a distance. Doubtless she has plans for her.
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