She Who Fights Monsters (Lords of the Fringe Dominion of Hebrides)

[Ashin Varanin]

http://starwarsrp.net/topic/11468-hebrides/

"Whatever we are, whatever we claim to be, these worlds rely on us to defend them against the terrors of the dark, and always have. What you're facing today, in the space stations over Hebrides, are Bando Gora reavers -- the deadliest, most callous, most savage predators in the galaxy. We know their arts, but we've never sunk as far as them, and they're here to kill and ravage everything. Find them, kill them, get it done. I'll be leading a starfighter boarding assault on their command ship. May the Force be with us all."

 

[Velok the Younger]

Onboard the Lords of the Fringe Star Destroyer Chimaera, the flagship of Ashin Varanin, Rave fired up the alchemical laboratories and sent out a comm.

"This is High Councilor Merrill to all Fringe assets. The Bando Gora are altered by drugs and the Force. I intend to analyze them, and anyone who brings me a significantly twisted specimen will be richly rewarded."

 

[Arage Bao]

Jared stood and waited next to Ashin Varanin, Conqueror of a Thousand Worlds, and listened on. It was a short speech, but maybe fitting in times like these. They would not have a lot of time, before it was too late to safe the inhabitants of the planet. As such they had to hurry on. "Well said, Ashin. I will fight beside you, as always." If there was anything Jared liked to do it was to stand together with the Grand Admiral, seeing her fight was always a privilege and there was still much to learn. So even though an official lesson was out of the question, studying someone while they were fighting was good enough.

@[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

That was conqueror of ten thousand worlds, thank you very much.

"As always, Lord Ovmar -- and my thanks. So let's move forward. We have Dominus-class vessels available for the assault." She was already moving toward the turbolift, bound for the Chimaera's hangar bay. "I trust you won't require Lord Vazela to serve as a seat cushion this time?"

 

[Ashin Varanin]

BANDO GORA FLAGSHIP

The Bando Gora had their own version of the Vong Embrace of Pain. Naked, bleeding, the tough old Jedi Knight Iara Beorht hung upside-down, and waited to be rescued. The Dark Side clouded everything, but somewhere out there was a spark -- a spark of odd duality. The Light Side at work, and a ferocious, disciplined, cold darkness that rivalled the Bando Gora chaos priests.

Something was coming. She could endure.

 

[Velok the Younger]

The alchemy laboratories whirred to life, great metallurgical appliances, assemblages of crystal and runes, blood-forged scalpels, analytical machinery from an assortment of scientific backgrounds. The Chimaera couldn't match the Dark Forge, of which Rave was the caretaker, or her own laboratory on Endor, but it could do the job.

The Fringe had access to Bando Gora teachings and drugs; survivors from Gehenna had made their way to Soledad. That meant Rave had something to work with, while she waited for samples.

 

[Arage Bao]

The Lord of the Fringe did not know he had been mistaken in his assessment of all the different words his Empress had conquered in her glory days. Because that would simply be too meta for this thre-- time, as such the Grand Admiral would have to tell him about it later on.

"You are hilarious." Jared said with a feint smile playing on his lips, as he was following her to their ship. "You know how sensitive my bum is, Ashin. Sometimes you need something soft to sit on and we all know Lord Vazela is the softest of us all. But enough of that now, how are we going to do this?"

@[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Shinju]

"Oh fun times." Shinju raised an eyebrow while she sat there in the cockpit of her ship and was grinning. Enjoying the moment with her finger cleaning each tooth of the chainblade and wiping at the gore that adorned it. She had been bored sitting there in the halls of Rakata Prime but was glad to have something to do. Neer brought about for council business she got bored. Thankfully there was food from Soledad and her child to play with. Now she got to fight drug enhanced reavers who were violent, dangerous and she was clapping. So much fun to behold as the chainblade was slowly reassembled in front of her to get meat. "Oh bring us in and make sure the rest of my blades are ready. I'm going to enjoy seeing how many pieces they can be made into."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

Ashin choked furiously. The turbolift whirred to a stop, and the doors opened to reveal a capital starship's hangar bay in full swing. Squadron after squadron of starfighters whipped down and out. She gestured at a handful of sleek Dominus-class vessels. "The Dominus-class. The TIE Defender of the modern age. You, I, and a handful of others will take these, punch through the Bando Gora fighter screen, and enter the flagship via its bridge. We'll be doing a cold-shirt crossing and a decompression breach, so armored space suits are mandatory." She began shrugging into said armored space suit, a generic kind of thing.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

BANDO GORA FLAGSHIP

The Bando Gora version of the Embrace of Pain twisted her limbs at odd angles, made her joints crack, filled her with alternating pains without recourse. She had no specialized arts for this, just the knowledge that she was a Theran Listener, and the desert and the spacelanes had made her tough.

She could endure. She needed to endure.

Or else the pain would turn her into something new.

 

[Arage Bao]

A chuckle escaped from his mouth, as Ashin was choking on his comment. When the turbolift arrived at their destination, Jared listened on for a while and nodded at the appropriate time. Then without a comment he copied Ashin's movements and starting putting on a suit of his own. "I remember the first time I had to fight in a ship, I prefer ground-combat. Though at least Jorus won't be here.. right?"

He did not expect an answer, neither did he really expect Jorus to show up here. Because.. what the feth would he be doing here? Then again, the man had a way of showing at the wrong times. Or right, depending on the perspective.

@[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Jared Ovmar"]

"Jorus Quentin Merrill may have no love for us, but he knows when to back off -- he pushes too hard, we nationalize his bacta farms on Verkuyl and suck up the losses. That, and if he shows up here today, it'll be to help us. Nobody on our side has killed nearly as many Bando Gora reavers as he has -- he was getting close to Siobhan Kerrigan levels of reaver-killing for a while."

The helmet settled into place, and she hopped into a Dominus-class and took off.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer had been missing for some time, she had taken a brief leave of absence to do the things she enjoyed doing. Standing on the surface of the planet she ran her fingers quickly over the data pad, her time spent on the Hebrides was lovely and the Asha'ladier had been wonderful hosts. Some had started to see her as some sort of Demi-God as they had perceived the Rakata. The language barrier was disastrous, but Spencer seemed to be making headway. Looking up from her data pad, she noticed the fleet mobility. Raising an eyebrow she was curious on who would be attacking a planet such as this especially with larger targets in the area. Calming her thoughts she meditated and then felt the familiar feeling of the one and only @[member="Ashin Varanin"] and of course the blonde's own bumbling Padawan @[member="Jared Ovmar"].

Setting the data pad down, she opened up a holovid with the two.

"What are you doing?"

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Lady Exedō"]

A voice reached out through the Force. Theran Listeners could hear words spoken very far away, despite obstacles; this one could also send her voice. The voice was full of pain. Maybe it had found Shinju because of her special relationship with pain; maybe it was just chance. Maybe Iara had latched on to anything she could find in the Force.

Hear me...on the command ship...can't hold out long.

 

[Arage Bao]

Jared only nodded at her words, she had been doing this kind of thing for a very long time. She probably dealt with Jorus longer too, so chances were she knew exactly what she was talking about. Closing up his suit, he picked out a fighter of his own and took off himself. Carefully he touched Ashin's mind, to ensure communication would be smooth. "I am sorry, hate using the radio. So while we are here in the vacuum of space, flying towards our possible impending doom. Anything you wish to share with me?"

Then he waited patiently for her reply.

Though it did not take long for a familiar face to say something to him, while he was waiting. A smile appeared on his face as he saw Spencer on the holovid. "Just chewin' bubblegum and kickin' ass, Spencer. You know us. What are you up to down there?"

@[member="Ashin Varanin"] @[member="Spencer Jacobs"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Jared Ovmar"] @[member="Spencer Jacobs"]

Spencers's voice carried through on both of their comms.

"Hey there," said Ashin to her wife, pinwheeling the Dominus through the Fringe fighter screen. Full battle was joined, all around them. "Lord Ovmar and I are just about to start punching our way through the Bando Gora fighter screen, and the flagship bridge once we take down the shield generators with the Force. How's things on the ground?" Ovmar was still patched in on the channel.

 

[Velok the Younger]

Bearing a crate of Bando Gora drugs, she moved over to to a corner of the room where strange machines stood - crystal, golden runework, vials of blood instead of transistors and circuits. Stripping her flight suit to the waist revealed a simple breast band and skin long since embedded with soot. She took the haft of a hammer that leaned against the wall, and brought it up to rest on her shoulder.

This would require all her arts.

 

[Allyson Locke]

"Things are fine for the moment, the Bando Gora are in the planets space? I should have known, the Asha'ladier are mobilizing to defend against them. They expect them to come planet side...these people they're not fighters, but they'll defend their technology. I'll do my best to have them understand that the Fringe on their side."

Spencer removed the video feed and kept the radio line open with the two leaders. She had to play a rather specific role down on the ground and that was something she was specially trained for. To be the Ambassador, one of the few that could truly understand the way a mind worked. That was her job here, not to fight, but to build a bridge.

"I'm heading towards their capital, keep me updated on the Bando Gora - hopefully you guys can keep them from landing planet side. I think I can figure out a way to keep the Asha'ladier interested in peace talks with us."

Remembering Jared was still in the call, Spencer decided to address him.

"Apprentice, don't be cute get the job done...I know how you are to a cute face."

@[member="Ashin Varanin"] @[member="Jared Ovmar"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Spencer Jacobs"]

She began to encounter resistance -- ramshackle, ferocious Bando Gora starfighters, homing in on her and Jared Ovmar as if drawn by the appetites of their masters. One, then another fighter flared to dust.

Focusing on the Force, she projected a false Dark Side signature of unusually chaotic ferocity, and the Bando Gora faltered, sensing a kindred spirit.

 

[Arage Bao]

At once Jared came back to his usual charming and respectful self. "I promise I will not disappoint, my Master." He felt Ashin's web closing down around them, confusing their opponents by projecting a signature of darkness. With a chuckle he added his own power to her. Two was better than one.

He wondered how hard it would get, he still did not enjoy piloting fighters. Give him solid ground to stand on, he would pick that any day.

@[member="Spencer Jacobs"] @[member="Ashin Varanin"]