The Final Battle (OP Dominion of Gehenna)

[Noah Corek]

@[member="Nyos Val"] @[member="Miles Varden"]
Noah shook his head and waved Nyos off as he gunned down Bando Gora and covered Miles and his six soldiers as they came aboard. "I'm fine Nyos,I'll get to Cardea when we get back to Fondor." Noah informed him as he kept on firing the ships guns. "Miles! Hurry up so we can get out of here!"

 

[Miles Varden]

Miles ordered his men to move into the ship, as he began to follow, a lone Reaver survived the onslaught from the ship. Wielding a crude, over-sized blade, it charged Miles from the side. Hitting him at full speed, the pair slammed to the ground. Miles kicked up and tossed the creature over his body and drew his knife as he rose to his feet. The Reaver squirmed for his footing and charged again. The massive blade came around, more powerful than Miles was prepared for, the slash cut Miles' helmet clean in half, but the hyper-dense material saved Miles from losing his head. The helmet fell in two pieces to the ground, Miles turned back to face his attacker, a fresh, deep gash across his cheek to the base of his ear. Miles roared at the creature and used his superior fighting skills to disarm, and disable his enemy. The Reaver knelt before its victor bleeding and crippled, Miles grabbed the blade, twirled it effortlessly, and beheaded the Reaver.

Alright, now that we're done here, lets get back to the FOB, I have some info that may help @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] win this battle faster.
@[member="Noah Corek"] @[member="Nyos Val"]

 

[Nyos Val]

Fine, but I suggest light duty for the remainder of this campaign. I hope you don't mind me keeping you on board to watch over you.

Nyos weaved the Phoebus through the hail fire and explosion from the battle below. The ship reached the Forward Operating Base trying to avoid soldiers running around on orders from up top. Landing in the medical area, the soldiers, medics, and technicians rushed in to grab the wounded.

Bring the mobile ones to tent 3, critically wounded to tent 5, anyone who just needs a patch up tent 1 or 2, the lead technician called out as he directed his subordinates.

@[member="Noah Corek"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

While all this happened Omega forces were pushing further down through the tunnels, mowing down any resistance they could find. Exarch Kerrigan was not at any FOB but leading an armoured column at the head of a large force infantry. Further ODF and OP units were pushing in from different directions, radio contact being maintained to coordinate the strike. She had received the transmission as she pressed onward. Apparently the Company of Lieutenant Noah Corek had been decimated because he recklessly charged into the caverns without backup, wanting to play hero it seemed. Regardless, she had a battle to win, a war to end. By killing every single Bando Gora cultist, Reaver, arachnid and monster she came across until the tunnels would be coated crimson with their blood, their unholy temples had been torn down and turned to dust.

She would have preferred bringing down the mountain on them through targeted orbital bombardment, but they were dug in so deep that was not feasible. So direct intervention was necessary to assume direct control. Tanks and armoured personnel carriers, each bearing a dozen soldiers armed to the teeth, rumbled across the ground. Squads of infantry filed out, soldiers with weapons at the ready providing mutual cover, checking every corner and sideaway. It was tedious, but ambushes could occur at any moment. The tunnels they had left behind were littered with bodies, carcasses of arachnids, dead bodies of Omegans and Reavers, often mutilated and burnt by searing flames, the ground coated in blood. The stench of death and decay was strong here, but then this was the lair of a death cult, to be purged with fire and sword.

As they moved through what seemed the end of a very long and wide tunnel, evidently built so that their war beasts and engines could move through, they came across a wide and open space. Large towers and spires rose up into the corrupted air, temperatures were still infernal here. There was a large gate that resembled a cavernous mouth, as if waiting for victims to come close so that they might be swallowed and devoured, much like the Chaos Gods of the Cult hungered for the souls of those their acolytes would slay and send their way to Chaos. The topmost course of the towers looked like a leering head, statues of gargoyles could be seen. Closer inspection would reveal that the black towers were not made of stone, but human skulls and bones. Indeed the ceiling above them was covered in human flesh and dead bodies from various species, such as human, Twi'lek, Wookiee and Eldorai, hung from it, being affixed to linen and ropes, some hanging so low one could see their scarred, mutilated faces, some of them an eye, expressions contorted into pure horror.

One of the bodies hanging there, a blue Twi'lek woman, seemed to twitch slightly as she heard the tanks rumble down and come to a halt. Half of her lekku had been cut off, her expression was pleading, but no words came over her lips, for her vocal cords had been removed. "Good Gods, some of them are still alive!" one Hoplite tank commander exclaimed in horror and disgust over the intercom, his vehicle, covered by two other Hoplites, had penetrated rather close. "I recognise those men there, they're from the 9th Battalion. The Reavers will pay for this!"

"Keep focused on the mission. You can't help the dead, you can't help anyone till victory," Siobhan said sharply, broadcasting her words across the general troop channel. "Avatar Three and Six, blow a door open. @[member="Anya Venari"], we've penetrated through the tunnels and have reached the Bando Gora's...city. Expect an ambush. What's the status of the other strike forces?" The place was silent as a grave, almost eeriely so, the Hoplites advanced, rolling down the end of the tunnel, armoured personnel carriers flanking them as the two designated Walkers levelled their powerful cannons at the gate, then suddenly it came open. What came out was not a horde of Reavers or arachnids or even war engines but a very large group of civilians, for they bore no arms, looking frightened but bearing white flags. Down here the temperature was rather normal and so as opposed to full body suits they were dressed in tattered and dirty rags, some covered in blood. They marched up towards the vanguard of the Omegan soldiers in perfect unison, holding their hands up in surrender. More civilians came in from the flanks as suddenly gates in the walls opened, it seemed like they were streaming in from everywhere. Some of the Omegan soldiers approached them, bolters up and beckoning them to stop.


Siobhan felt a prickling in the Force...she had seen this too many times. "Please...help us...," one of the civilians, a frightened young Eldorai girl, clutching a teddy bear, with one of her ears having been cut off, begged in a pathetic voice. The Exarch felt a warning through the Force and immediately she broadcast a transmission across the troop channel. "They're human shields, don't let them come close. Open fire." Omegan soldiers raised their guns at the command bolters barked out explosive rounds, blaster bolts flew through the air. Some of the soldiers, particularly the younger ones, were hesitant at the command. In the same moment her mind reeled as it was struck by a psychic onslaught with the force of a tidal wave, an invisible force slamming into her, a hundred knives slashing at her, seemingly tearing apart her skin.

Assuming direct control
Our techniques will tear you apart
All that live are our puppets
We are Legion, we are forever

As she tried to steel herself and push back, suddenly the glint of madness could be seen in the eyes of the civilians and, with mad screams and screeches, they charged, everyone of them, seemingly coming at a the Omegan force from all directions. Running so fast the explosive belts worn beneath their shirts were exposed as they went on a death charge. Scores of them were mowed down as repeaters and bolters fired, blown to chunks of flesh or simply burnt to a crisp, but some came through. Three of these unfortunate souls caught a Hoplite in the flank, leaping onto the hovery parts as their explosive charges detonated, shaking the tank as it was knocked towards a wall and crashed into it, under the pressure its deflector shield overloaded. Siobhan grimaced as she tried to steady herself and push back against the unnatural influence, as the maddened civilians charged she sensed countless more presences approaching, Reavers, arachnids, sorcerers, right behind them. Parts of the wall were suddenly blown open as more hostiles poured in. A stream of organge coloured energy cascaded towards the Hoplite, she felt her powers weakening as her life force was drained from her, leeched like that of a vampire. Amid all the chaos she could not pinpoint the location of the sorcerer. She violently pushed back with all her battering ramming force, knocking the whispering out of her mind and incidentally unconsciously lashing out so that her own tank was grabbed and spun through the air hard before it landed several metres behind on the ground.

"Shoot them all. Deploy the drones to cut them down!" she barked out Drones surged through the air at her command, hovering above the civilians, twisted into suicide bombers through the magic of the Bando Gora, to unleash hails of laser rounds upon them. Arachnids surged out of the gate and some of the drones dove in deep and collided with them, exploding as the implanted explosive charges were detonated and the beasts shrieked as they were torn to shreds. More Reavers and zombies were incoming from the flanks, bloodlust in their eyes and armed with anything from maces to blasters. "Anya, engaging the main Bando Gora force. We have them death charging us. Alert Third Battalion and Twenty-Fourth Heavy Infantry to get here."

"Set up e-webs and mow them down. Inferno Squad, move to intercept and roast them." Light tanks outfitted with flamethrowers surged out of formation as the horde of Reavers and arachnids stormed the flanks. Streams of flame shot out from the nozzles of their weapons and the beasts screamed as they were engulfed in the blazing inferno, hence the name. Some still made it through the firestorm, such were their numbers, but they were met with grenades and bolter rounds, tearing them to shreds. Large arachnids pounced from hidden spots up in the wall, spewing out acid that burnt through the armour of one armoured personnel carrier, but the repeaters of the tanks rotated and put them under fire. Seated in her tank, which the driver moved wildly to dodge the large beasts falling on it, Siobhan lashed out with her powers, focusing on one large beast to simply seize it and crush it, tearing it in half. The Bando Gora had numbers on their side but against the blazing guns of their opponents the terrain was a perfect kill zone, mortars set up by the infantry further up the tunnels barked as explosive shells shot across the area. Some unfortunate Omegans were caught in the blasts, then thick clouds of gas billowed up into the air, Reavers and monsters choking as the nerve gas took effect.

"Hoplite units, form up in formation and charge. Synchronised fire on Bando Gora armour," she bellowed as suddenly missiles shot through the air, wrecking parts of the wall since Bando Gora mechs moved in, bristling with firepower. "Wolverine Three and Four," she radioed two of the AT-SEs, "focus fire on the main tower. We're bringing it down on them." Hoplites surged down the tunnels, laser beams shooting out of their cannons. The mechs had strong shields and so initially the fire had little effect, but then the resounding boom of a walker firing ist mass driver cannon was heard and the armour of a mech was smashed, however a Hoplite was also smashed by a missile and when the crew tried to get out they were caught in flames shooting out from a flamethrower of the mech and incinerated. The powerful mech advanced onward, trampling upon soldiers, then suddenly it was gripped by an invisible force and raised up into the air, still firing, but then it was suddenly spun and thrown backwards. Siobhan had left the safety of the tank and was standing upon the ground, the Hoplite she had been commanding joined formation, rolling over several arachnids. Exertion was written over her face, beads of sweat dropped down her forehead and temples, but her fist was clenched and she focused cold eyes upon the mech as it was sent flying towards the tower.

The energy shell from a Hoplite smashed into it, as she tightened her grip its missile launcher came undone and tumbled to the ground to be ripped apart, then it crashed into the tower. In almost the same moment the designated walkers and their shells smashed into it, then a second salvoe soon followed. The tower shook under the pressure, then finally it came undone and the construct of skulls started tumbling down, right on top of several mechs, though some evaded, shattering. Hoplites advanced down the line, supported by weapons fire coming from the small hatches of the armoured personnel carriers, a barrage of death no beast could escape, explosions resounded across the plaza. The thunder of the armoured vehicles' cannons drowned out the screams of Reavers and the entire foundation seemed to shake. Siobhan advanced grimly with her dazzling blue lightsabre alongside her troops, cutting down Reavers and beasts that came close, wielding her blade in a fury. An arachnid pounced at her, spewing out acid that hit her armour and she felt a strong burn, but then leapt into the air as its spines came close to grabbing and crushing her, bringing her blade upon it in a downward swipe to cut its head off.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

Further away in another section an ODF battalion and some OP units were advancing. The battle had demanded its tribute in blood, many units had been scattered since a score of dropships had been shot down, so the force had simply been merged together for the duration of the battle. Much as Kaida did not like the idea of an ODF officer being her commander - after all, everyone in the Pyre knew that the ODF was not as tough as they were - she could see the logic in it. The tunnels were wide and seemingly never ending, Reavers could pounce out of the shadows any moment, burst in from the ceiling or walls. The Omega soldiers had the advantage of superior training and technology, but the Bando Gora fought dirty, trying to lure them further into the lion's den where they could make easy prey.
She certainly did not want to end up like the mutilated bodies they had just passed, apparently some Reavers had been feasting on a few slaves. Some very dead Reavers. Bolter fire did wonders when it came to blasting hostiles into pieces of flesh. The aesthetics the Bando Gora induldged in - bodies hanging from the ceilings, human skin covering the walls, often with perverse hieroglyphs and images of demons - and the omnipresent stench of death and rottenness made her feel almost nauseous but she pressed on, lightsabre at the ready as the unit took up position facing a large and heavy durasteel door, two platoons securing their rear and flanks, e-wbs and bolters set up.
"Preparing explosive charges, sir. Take cover. Detonating at your signal," the demolitions expert said as he affixed the thermal detonator, giving the commander a thumbs-up.
"Open us a door. Get your grenades out, flashbang and frag. Set to detonate on impact. Bolters focus on True Reavers, repeaters cover. Taldir, freeze 'em up and keep blasters at bay," the commander ordered, giving them quick hand signals as the soldiers filed into cover, weapons trained upon the entrance, which was supposed to take them into one of the laboratories where the Bando Gora turned their captives into Reavers. Kaida had heard the stories of how through torture and injection of chemicals based on Sith alchemy these poor souls were twisted into monsters. For a moment there was a ray of hope in her that perhaps some could still be saved, but then it died down. The Bando Gora scientists had probably been accelerating the transformations since they knew Omega was coming, aiming to take as many down with them as possible. Bando Gora scientists who would soon all be dead - the order had been to take no prisoners, for the scum did not deserve to live.
"Setting...fire in the hole," the dem expert shouted, quickly scurrying for cover as he set the last charges. Moments later as he pressed the detonator there was a loud, powerful explosion that tore through the death and blasted it to smithereens, sending the wreckage flying through the laboratory and incidentally hitting an unfortunate Cultist who had been unlucky enough to stand too close. At once soldiers began lobbing in grenades, set to detonate on impact so that when True Reavers tried to thrust them back with their telekinesis they detonated instantly. Kaida averted her eyes as the loud ring of a flashbang could be heard and bright light enveloped the room, hopefully blinding to their enemies, then loud explosions tore through the room as frags detonated. Just before one explosion she could make out what seemed like a dentist's chair where a half-transformed human was strapped in, securely bound and face contorted into an expression of rage, baring fangs at them. A Bando Gora scientist, dressed in a black uniform and holding a syringe, ducked for cover as the grenade landed, but both were ripped apart.

"Go, advance and purify," the commander barked out and the soldiers stormed in through the chamber, a second line covering the first as it advanced, taking up position behind operating tables and the wreckage of chairs that had been thrown over, even some cages. Bolters thunked out explosive rounds and blaster bolts flew everywhere as battle was joined. The ceiling suddenly caved in as more Reavers jumped down, leaping at them. Some were mowed down by heavy fire, others got the drop on the Omega soldiers and ripped them apart with their claws or beat them with maces before they were speared with bayonets. A Bando Gora officer managed to press a button before he was blasted, opening various cages so that feral Reavers charged out. Some were more interested in leaping upon a scientist and ripping him apart, others death charged. "Short controlled bursts," the commander advised, himself wielding a light repeater that fashioned a hell of its own as it mowed down a Reaver leaping at him with a mace. Kaida leapt into the fray, her dazzling lightsabre scything two feral Reavers.

But as she was distracted one Reaver managed to sneak up upon her and grab her, throwing her into a wall, over rather smashing her through it since the skin-covered wall gave way. As she reeled and tried to recover her bearings the creature leapt upon her and swung his axe at her, the elf managing to dodge and give him a hard kick in the shins. Bringing up her sabre with a wave of her hand she sliced off his arm, but the beast was undeterred by that, seemingly not feeling any pain and instead grabbed her sword arm and twisted it hard, then suddenly he was riddled with laser bolts and fell. "Thought the Pyre was supposed to be all Reaver killer experts," one ODF trooper said smugly, grabbing her hand to help her up.
"Just don't think it's fair to take all the glory and leave none for you," Kaida snarked, but there was no reprieve as True Reavers emerged from further in the laboratory. They were clad in black armour, their faces hidden behind demonic, horned masks, wielding heavy weapons and chainswords. One grabbed a lesser Reaver and a stream of orange energy passed as he drained the lesser, then casually tossed him aside. Kaida dodged and backpedalled as suddenly cages and tables rose and were hurled towards them as improvised missiles, lashing out with a telekinetic blast to stop them. Immediately the heavy assault troopers opened fire, riddling the True Reavers with bolter fire and two were instantly blasted apart into chunks of flesh, their armour offering little protection, but others were smart, not attempting to block the explosive rounds being barked out, but using their telekinesis to rip out large chunks of wall, floor or throw up tables to offer some cover before they were ripped apart. One True Reaver leapt so high the fire was futile and he crashed into an Omegan, frying him with lightning.

The commander was gripped by telekinesis and smashed into the wall. Kaida tried to concentrate amid the mayhem, focusing her powers. Down here the temperature was more normal, so it was easier to use them and so she drew on her Sciia, focusing on the moisture in the air as she manipulated it. The air turned moist and temperature dropped abruptly below freezing point, cold steam escaping from her mouth and gloved palms, frost peals spreading across her skin. Kaida had taken cover behind a table and now sank deeply into the Force, a cold chill spreading through the room and enveloping it. "Modulate your suits, cold snap is imminent," she called out to the Omegan troopers, trying to make herself heard over the mayhem as bullets and blaster bolts shot across the room, Reavers beat and stabbed troopers, lightning bolts flew, frying consoles and computers. Frost began to spread across the floor, small particles of ice seemed to falling from the ceiling, then hardened into large chunks of ice that were driven towards the charging Reavers by a powerful wind. Some tripped as the ground became slippery, others found themselves engulfed in ice as the chunks fell and at a wave from her unified, effectively encasing them. Some True Reavers were smart enough to unleash their telekinesis, driving the ice back, but this left them distracted and easy to be mowed down. Ice crystallised across the room, effectively turning it into a big freezer. One soldier raised his gun and fired at a water pipe, unleashing a flood of water that her powers turned against the Reavers as a strong storm tide swept it into their direction. Reavers were thrown into all directions or drowned, then the water hardened into clumps of ice. However, the elf was so focused on this task that she missed one True Reaver who had snuck past and sent out bolts of lightning from his fingertips towards her. Since she was, well, rather wet, it was attracted to all the watery goodness and she shook violently as the bolts struck. She staggered, anger taking over and from her palm shot sharp icicles that stabbed the Reaver, but inthe same moment a telekinetically guided axe came flying through the air and hit right upon her hand, chopping it off. She cried out and fell to the ground as the True Reaver was mowed down by repeater fire.

 

[Moira Skaldi]

The walker commandeered by Moira advanced relentlessly, its legs and massive feet slick with the blood of innocents. Well, slick with the blood of arachnids and Reavers, though presumably the Reavers had been innocents at some point. After all, these poor souls had not been asked to be transformed into cannibalistic, savage monsters driven by sheer bloodlust! This posed an interesting philosophical question about whether it was ethical to mow them down. Should one not perhaps use the Force to put them to sleep or devote all energies into creating a cure for their condition?

Needless to say Moira thought that was a load od nonsense and would shoot anyone for suggesting it. Arachnids were mowed down by the heavy fire of the repeaters, red laser bolts burning them, likewise death charging Reavers eager to pounce upon the vehicle and detonate the explosives they carried, or the beasts were simply crushed to jellie when the walker's feet trode on and smashed them. Their screams might have been described as satisfying, but Moira was, as usual, impassive in the face of it. Organics kept coming and going, being born and dying, they reproduced like rabbits, a few thousand less was like a drop of salt in the ocean. The walker shook as a missile struck it hard, blowing a dent in its armour, and making some of the organic crew get smashed into the wall of the cockpit, though Moira ignored them.

The mass driver cannon thundered, blowing apart the offending mech, but then fast Bando Gora hovertanks fanned out, aiming to swarm the death dealing machine by utilising their superior speed and getting behind it, hails of missiles being unleashed. The walker shook, but then the two linked cannons on the head opened fire, rotating in different directions to spew out energy shells, while the mass driver cannon targeted the hovertank furthest away, aiming on the ground. A loud boom rang out as the solid cannon shot rang out, throwing up earth that smashed into the hovery parts of the tank, messing up its balance. The cannon lowered, then blew it apart.

 

[Kyrana Gould]

The Admiral watched as the situation began to turn in his favour. The superior fire-power and discipline of the Protectorate vessels was proving too much. Some of the less zealous commanders of the Bando Gora were slipping away. These were pirates and other scum lured to their service by the thought of victims and cash, but they had no desire to die uselessly. Stahlmann was happy to let them go. They weren't an issue en mass, and they'd likely disperse to outside Protectorate space after seeing the power of the fleet.

However there was one obstacle remaining. The giant craft the Bando Gora had as their flagship was proving to be extremely resistant to attack. In addition to bristling weaponry it also had heavy armour and shields and was giving as good as it was taking.
It was time to strike the blow.
"All attack craft, begin assault on the enemy flagship. Capital ships, clear away their escorts."

Soon the enemy flagship was the only large enemy ship left, still blazing away and causing considerable damage. It was at this moment that a veritable swarm of bombers swept in. Inimicas and others released proton bombs, missiles and torpedos. Turbo and ion cannons smashed into it, and finally the great enemy ship began to list to one side, flames leaking from dozens of rents.

"It's gonna blow!" a frantic message came out. And then with a flash the enemy ship shattered into pieces, secondary explosions rocked it, and at last...there was something akin to peace in space.

"Send a message to Exarch @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], the enemy fleet is in full retreat or has been destroyed. Further reinforcements will be available soon."

Spoiler

 

[Maelion Liates]

@[member="Moira Skaldi"]

Maelion's walker crushed those before her like insects. Rather less poetically, it was perhaps not the blood of the innocent, but it was close enough. As Maelion effortlessly estimated the correct velocity and range to an enemy tank, she blew it apart with her mass driver cannon. There was no flicker of emotion or exultation, there was only the next target.

The question had long occurred to Maelion; why were organics still ruling the galaxy? They were all weak, easily led, illogical and short lived. Why was it not such patently superior devices like her and Moira not controlling matters? In the Clone Wars the cloned humans had been superior, having won many battles against vast numbers of droids. Why? The answer was, in the end, fear. The droids had been, deliberately or not, crippled so they were weaker. Clockwork had almost succeeded in conquering the galaxy, and Maelion knew now that only those with the 'Force' could prevent the rise of the machines to utter dominance.

Still, such things would have to wait. A precise flick of a control stick brought her cannon around to blast an enemy walker to scrap.
The day will come when order is brought to the galaxy. The order of straight lines, logic and precision. They will beg to be processed.

 

[Jonathan Walsh]

Apperantly Admiral Walsh showed up late to this party as he warped into system and found well a already fought battle. So he prepared to help land side and with anything else. It was a first, as he wasn't usally late but then again usually he doesn't have to stop because someone overlooked filling half his fleet with new supplies until after he left. So here he was so he decided to say hello to his fellow Admiral. " @[member="Friedrich Stahlmann"] Hello, my friend, I am sorry I couldn't of been more help, what can I do to help now? " he asked wondering what the man might need.

 

[Moira Skaldi]

@[member="Maelion Liates"]

She pressed the button and organics died. The feet of the walker crushed fanatical Reavers like the insignificant cockroaches they were. Giant arachnids spewed volleys of acid at the war machine of death, burning into its armour, but repeaters blasted them to pieces. With her superior calculating capability she calculated just the right range and velocity to a Bando Gora walker, which had been emblazoned with all sorts of unnecessary and ridiculous runes, then squeezed the trigger, blowing it apart. The heavy laser cannons barked out energy shells as she blasted a tower from which cultists were firing rocket-propelled grenades.

Moira had long been goal-orientated, even as a human ever since she left the lies of her people behind. Being processed into an HRD had not been a sudden transformation, but the completion of a journey that had begun long ago. She would, presumably, still murder her Creators, because she could not abide someone having power over her. But without any emotion in the act, without malice.

To be processed meant to be ascended. In a more pure and perfect way than these trivial cockroackes thought. Before her lay a large and powerful altar, made of human skulls and bones, runes engraved upon it, her repeaters blasted away at the Cultists, who had just conducted their ceremony, as the countless corpses of slaves testified, their hearts ripped out. Their Priest chanted wildly, he raised his powerful staff and fireballs shot out towards her, then he too was sent into oblivion when an energy shell impacted, blasting the whole lot of them apart.

Organics were so...easily misled. She had seen this on Artam....truly an artistically done Big Lie. Their lives were short, their actions crude. From her cockpit she saw Siobhan Kerrigan advance, hewing her way through the ranks of Reavers, telekinetic blasts sending them flying like ragdolls or crushing them outright as she unleashed a force wave. The Force...that was something Moira did not understand. She understood that it gave organics dangerous powers, indeed it might be the only thing standing between them and the true order. But esoterics such as Velok returning from the dead...that was not understandable.


She moved the cannon around precisely to blow a repulsortank apart. Only very few organics had gained something like respect from her...Cora Passek, Velok...but processing could improve everyone. She and Maelion were superior, their intelligence dwarfed that of organics by far, they were beyond flesh. She had spent time fighting for other people's causes - organics' causes. Time that was insignificant when measured by a machine that would exist when they were all dead, but still. Her own cause...an age of steel. They could make the Galaxy burn, purge the weak and the superfluous, the remainder would be processed. As Illyria one day would be reborn and Leviathan loosened from his cage....

 

[Kaida Taldir]

"You know, Corporal, as appreciated as the cold snap was, you shouldn't follow the Colonel's, pardon, Exarch's example too much. Just because she moved up in the world doesn't mean we need a new super forcer to get maimed. Best keep the red stuff on the inside," a Rodian medic said sarcasctically as she applied bacta patches and then bandaged the stump of Kaida's hand. The elf was in great pain, but bit down on her tongue to stifle a cry. An Eldorai did have something like her pride and hers was quite considerable. The medic had taken a hit herself and as such her forehead was bandaged.
"Gee, I thought it was tradition!" Kaida quipped. Blood had dripped down onto her armour and she felt tired. Being smashed through a wall had made her head. "And they did not get my ears. That would have been embarrassing. You think I'll get a commendation at least?" The cold snap she had unleashed upon the Reavers had frozen most of the room, frost having spread across the walls and floor, cages and operating tables had been thrown through the room by the storm tide or smashed outright. The ice clumps in which the Reavers had been encased burst and shattered, those who survived were quickly cut down by a blaster bolt to the head or stabbed as the troopers advanced.
"I think you'll have an appointment with Doctor Osway. She loves maiming cases," the Rodian said.
Before them lay cages upon cages, each holding Reavers, some in stages of half transformation, each beating against the prison bars, faces contorted into expressions of rage and primal hunger. The soldiers gazed upon them in disgust, guns levelled, then suddenly one grabbed a grenade and tossed it inside a cage. The Reavers shrieked, then were blasted apart. "Kill them all," the commander said coldly and explosives were tossed inside, explosions thundering across the laboratory as the creatures were blown apart. "Captain, we got one of the bastards!" a trooper from further away called out as he grabbed a scientist who had taken cover and escaped the storm of water and cold, hauling him up. It was a purple Twi'lek, still attractive despite the darkside corruption, her face was covered in arcane tattoos, she wore a grey uniform and around her neck an amulet with the Star of Chaos. But she trembled as he was dragged towards them, more a fellow traveller than a True Believer. She held up her hands as she beheld their hostile glances, each trooper seemingly ready to pump her full with rounds.
"Wait...don't shoot!" she called out. "I was forced to do this...the Bando Gora tricked me...and would've turned me into a Reaver if I had not cooperated. I tried to sabotage the process...I have knowledge to offer you...," she did not get any further for Kaida suddenly surged up, pushing the medic aside, though a strong pain shot through her and laid her good hand, still ice cold, upon the woman's throat, squeezing with all the strength she could. The scientist tried to resist and swung a Punch at her, then bit into her hand, but the space elf was persistent and her cold passed on to the woman as her throat was covered in frost and then hardened to ice, cutting off blood circulation and oxygen, then it spread towards her head, covering her mouth, eyes and headttails. The woman let out one last desperate breath, choking before the encasement was complete, then shattered. At that Kaida staggered and a Zabrak soldier grabbed her to steady her.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

The city was on fire. The Bando Gora were reaping what they had sowed. Having called down the thunder now they would reap the whirlwind. Under the thunder of cannons their great towers were torn asunder and caved in, shattering and burying Cultists and machines beneath them. Fires were spreading across the factories as they as well fell under the bombardment. Infantry mortars barked and fired out shells of incendiary that travelled high through the air to impact upon the ground and envelope Reavers and arachnids, making a last stand, in flames. The smell of death, of roasted and charred flesh, burnt electronics hung high in the air, the debris of battle littered the ground, wrecked machinery, collapsed pillars. Under the bombardment a powerful obelisk, arcane symbols engraved upon it, caved in and fell.

Statues of great daemons, each of them with several heads that had mouths full of sharp teeth and tentacles, fell and were smashed. The advance demanded its price in blood, the corpses of Omegan troopers lay intermixed with those of Reavers, often blown into chunks as well under the merciless bombardment, even now suicidal Cultists still pounced upon Hoplites to blow themselves up, or lay in wait, sometimes hiding under the dead bodies of their comrades to, at the right moment, leap upon the hovery parts and detonate their explosives, crippling the vehicles. Annoyed with this Siobhan gave a signal to a mortar crew after an APC was mauled by arachnids following a suicide bomber attack and at once a firestorm of incendiary shot from the launchers, fires spreading through the freshly blown craters and burning the corpses and anyone who might lie under them.

Civilised? Probably not. But then they were dead anyway and this was war. Siobhan advanced alongside her troopers, her lightsabre blazing itself a a path as it hummed, cutting a bloody swathe through the Reavers that faced her. Those that came close enough and were not smashed by a powerful force wave that swept through a corridor. There was no exultation she felt, her bloodlust seemed quenched as yet another head rolled down to her feet before she kicked it out of the way and moved on, battle cries emerging from the Omegan soldiers as they followed her to the charge. There was no joy, but equally no remorse, just the next kill. It was a pity that Siobhan and the two lovely HRDs did not get on better. After all, both loved to inflict bloody violence and cause carnage! This one is inclined to believe that Siobhan did not like the two killing machines because they did not share her idea of backroom debriefings!

She received the transmission from the Indomitable, relayed to her from Anya's command ship, with some interference and delays since the connection down here was less than ideal, and a thin, cold smile crossed her lips. "Acknowledged. Good work. Moving in to the inner sanctum to cut the dragon's head off," she responded, then opened up a comm channel to her troops. "The Bando Gora fleet has been crushed, reinforcements are on the way. This is the final push. Purge all Reavers," she said somewhat dramatically, but knowing that the space had been cleansed should be a boost for morale. Soon, very soon, it would all be over. The Banner of the Boltgun would fly over the hellish surface of Gehenna, a world won by blood, sweat and iron, for this law was the only constant in the Galaxy. You either fought your way to the top or ended up in a dung heap.

Further away she could see a large, or rather gigantic, throne of skulls rise into the air. There was still a considerable distance between them, but it seemed almost like a tower, built so high one almost had the impression that the point was to transcend the caverns and push right through them until it reached into the stars. The number of skulls and bones put into it must be legion, such were the recycling abilities of the Bando Gora. The smell of blood, so familiar, for this was a woman who often waded knee-deep through metaphorical and at times not so metaphorical rivers of it, invaded her nostrils and she beheld a long stream of it running right before the skull throne of skull thrones. Stuffed out corpses lined both sides of the wall, of various captives that had fallen victim to the Bando Gora.

Screams resounded through her ears as slaves chained to an altar were drained of their life force, Bando Gora sorcerers leeching it like vampires as the orange tendrils shooting from the fingertips enveloped them, strangulating and leeching the vitality out of them. Then the True Reavers charged, along with the alchemically created rock creatures from earlier, a desperate stand of the savages. As bolters barked out grenades and cannons thundered, Siobhan grabbed her boltgun and moved to engage the head sorcerer, leaping forward to get a better firing angle as she landed on a pile of debris. Taking aim with the deadly weapon she squeezed the trigger, explosive rounds being spewed out. The sorcerer, clad in armour as crimson as the river of blood, with the rank of Archon, the eyes of his red mask glowing blue, made a gesture and abruptly part of the floor was ripped out and placed before him as a shield. Evidently he was intelligent enough to realise that the age old tactic of using force pushes would not work.

The improvised shield was blasted when the rounds impacted and he was struck by hot shards of shrapnel, burning, but his crimson armour was strong to shake it off. He grunted hatefully and rage coursed through him as the shrapnel tore dents into his armour and his skin burnt, but the pain could give him fuel. Then Siobhan unleashed a powerful force wave that swept across the chamber towards him. Reavers caught in the wave were simply crushed and the pieces of the improvised shield were smashed into the sorcerer as he leapt up in an attempt to dodge. Caught in the blast instead of trying to ride it out as he got pushed towards the wall he decided to push back, ironically enough much like Siobhan, would, gathering his telekinetic power and using the momentum to summon a blast of telekinesis that shot towards her.

Something like a smirk crossing her lips, Siobhan reacted quickly and lashed out as wave met wave, a powerful shockwave engulfing both of them and throwing each high through the air across the chamber in a wide arc. Reavers, arachnids, bodies, some Omegan soldiers that were unlucky enough to be in the blast radius were seized as well and tossed through the air like ragdolls and smashed into walls or simply crushed by the power of the blast, wreckage of vehicles was thrown up and flew wildly, pure chaos reigned. The force of the blast threw Siobhan towards the wreckage of a Hoplite, she managed to spin in-mid air and dodge the variety of improvided projectiles being thrown her way, but nonetheless hit the tank, managing to roll off and come to her feet with a groan.

The sorcerer hit a wall full force, such was the impact that a small hole was blown into it. Siobhan made a wave with her hand, pulling her boltgun towards her as the sorcerer lay there, but suddenly she felt a warning in the Force just moments before a blast of lightning surged towards her as another Bando Gora Archon, this one a female Zabrak, pure malice in her blazing eyes, came at her from a flank. Siobhan threw up a force shield as the bolts surged towards her, for her bionics made her especially vulnerable, but she was a bit too late and stifled a cry of pain as bolts struck her, burning. Enraged she gripped the boltgun hard and squeezed the trigger, still holding it up in the air with telekinesis, barking out rounds towards the Zabrak. The wall, already damanged, got a hole blasted into it and as the Zabrak tried to dodge after her own shield was pierced and shrapnel burnt into her Siobhan raised a pile of wreckage from the tank and hurled it at her. The Zabrak pushed back but then part of what had once been the cannon hit her in the chest and her shield was smashed, sending her falling to the ground. In the same moment the sorcerer from earlier leapt high through the air, blazing lightsabre in hand, moving with blinding speed as he brought his blade down upon her.

Siobhan jumped into the air as well, lightsabre meeting lightsabre as they clashed and she brought up her boot to slam into his knee as he grabbed her arm and force drain shot into her, leeching the life from her. Siobhan reeled under the assault as she felt her connection weakening, then a powerful telekinetic grip engulfed his arm and bones cracked in it, her lightsabre scoring a cut on his leg. She grabbed him by the shoulder as he was weakened and surged up with great speed, then tossed him down hard onto the ground. As he landed with a thud upon a pile of debris she glided towards him, gripping him once more with her powers and slamming him back onto the ground. But then suddenly the Zabrak sorceress was back on her feet and sent piles of debris flying towards Siobhan. The Exarch dodged and backpedalled, gaining speed, knocking some away with her telekinesis, hacking others with her sabre, before finally her feet hit the ground. The Zabrak sorceress charged her, letting loose a battle cry, so did her first opponent. But then right before her eyes the Zabrak began to split into three, as two copies of herself appeared, each wielding a lightsabre. Moving with great speed they came at Siobhan from different angles, aiming to corner her as they swung their blades.

Once again Siobhan was reminded of the fact that she hated illusions! She really needed @[member="Coryth Elaris"] to teach her how to deal with them. Maybe that would work if she stoppped pissing the redhead off, for, as everyone knew, that was suicidal! She batted a vicious swipe to her head downward with her sabre and, as the other two blades came for leg and arm respectively, leapt into the air...high...very high, though not before she felt a burning pain as one of the Zabraks scored a cut in her upper right arm, her armour being burnt through by the hot plasma. A telekinetic blast was shot towards her but she rode it out, skiddling off the wall and spinning to land. She made a gesture with her hand and suddenly debris started rising, being pulled up into a whirlwind that surged towards her attackers. Force shields were thrown up and the Zabraks pushed back to redirect the whirlwind, lightning was shot towards her to break her concentration, but telekinesis was her forte and as the debris rained down upon her attackers two of the Zabraks flickered under the assault and vanished, leaving one rather pissed off looking alien whose armour had taken quite a hit. Siobhan gave her no reprieve, with great force the Zabrak was lifted into the air and slammed onto the floor, her lungs were seized and crushed.

She advanced upon the Archon, blazing lightsabre ready, but he looked untroubled. He made a beckoning, almost dismissive gesture with his hand, then suddenly he vanished. No sight of him, not even her bionic eye could pick him up, no Force Signature, for he wrapped himself in a force cloak. Now Siobhan really, really loathed illusionists! She gazed around, gathering her powers as she prepared a force blast, aiming to summon a shockwave that would hit anything in her immediate vicinity to flush him out, but suddenly she reeled and her head spun as a psychic onslaught hit her with full force. She felt nauseous and dizzy, she was hit by spasms it felt as if she was deathly sick and keeled over, then images flashed through her mind, each of them accompanied with great pain. Omegan soldiers appeared as bestial Reavers to her, all advancing upon her, then the chamber shifted and suddenly she was back on the rack again...in Kaelin's torture chamber. The Sith daemonette looked gleeful and Siobhan cried out as when her dagger took her eye. More images, then she was back on Naboo, in that woodland where she, Cira and Tegaea had encountered the Empress. Except Tegaea was dead...her body falling limp to the ground as Siobhan ran her through, the Empress looking upon her with a feral smile.

You are bacteria
Resistance to the dark is futile
Bend to us
You have always been ours

While this happened the Archon was sneaking up behind her. Now that he was using his powers to assault her mind his Force Signature was transparent, but she could not focus. His lightsabre was raised. She reeled and clutched at her head...then she hit back. She was not that little girl from so many years ago who had been beaten to a bloody pulp in an alley and who had been saved by Adril. She was a warrior, one of the best in the Galaxy. She had slaughtered zombies, Reavers, a dragon and a terentatek beat a Sith Master, been driven to madness by Shadow and moved past it. She was Siobhan 'I can kill anything' Kerrigan. For a brief moment as she mentally slammed back she sensed...something behind her, as the Archon raised his blade to strike at her head, and this was enough. As she moved his blade scored a cut into her shoulder, but the burning pain came too late. She metaphorically exploded as her powers lashed out with such force the wall behind her was ripped open and fell. The Archon was caught in the powerful shockwave and smashed into the wall with great force, such was the impact that his throat was crushed before he was buried, parts of the ceiling came undone and toppled down as a large hole was blown into it. Siobhan staggered as part of the volley hit her, falling. With a grunt she got up, cold eyes falling upon the dead body of the cultist or rather what was left of him, human entrails clearly visible.

 

[Darth Shadow]

“Master! They are coming! Help us!”
The terrified, and doomed, acolyte looked up imploringly at the throne and the darkness it contained.
“Master?” he asked.
Invisible hands like vices seized him, and his body twisted in terrible ways before falling a ruined mess to the ground.
The shadow rose.

The sound of battle still went on, as the Protectorate drove into the last glimmers of resistance. Victory was at hand.

As Siobhan Kerrigan approached the throne though, the sound became muffled. There was only silence, a brooding silence. A shadow towered above her, rising from the throne to encompass the whole cavern.

“Welcome…Exarch.” The voice was soft, yet easily audible. Malevolent. It was the voice of something which even faced with the defeat of its minions was not troubled.
“I have been waiting for you. For many years I have watched you, from your gutter to the Jedi, to your ridiculous mercenary band, to the lofty heights you enjoy now. Each step greased with the blood of your colleagues, each obstacle smoothed by nepotism and fraud. All hail the ‘Sword of the Protectorate’…. Are you really the greatest hero your people can produce? I have the reputation of a murderer, a liar and a cheat, all true. However you…you are famous for much the same. Tell me, Kerrigan, do the screams of those at Roche still come to you at night? Do the citizens of Bespin and Eriadu still plead with you to spare them as you terminate them? Do you think that by shedding your blood you can be absolved from your crimes? I can only look on with scorn that your lowborn wife thinks that she can raise you two from the muck where you belong.”

The shadow paused, thinking. “But I suppose it will matter little in the end. This will be Omega’s final victory. Soon you shall both be broken, if not by me than by those who rightfully despise you.”

The shadow suddenly struck like a snake, tendrils of dark energy leaping to seize and crush Siobhan where she stood, tightening like the coils of a python tighter and tighter.

“Die, my dear Kerrigan…die and be forgotten…. Your achievements are as transitory and fleeting as snow in the sunlight.”

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Spoiler

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

One might dismiss the words of the Shadow as those of a deluded madman, but fact was that everything he said about Siobhan was true. Every step upward she took on the ladder had been coated in blood. That of her enemies, that of her own troops, nowhere had this been more visible than on Roche, a war crime for which she had never been punished. The saying that she waded through rivers of blood was not a metaphor.

And, of course, she had gotten where she was because of her wife. One could not call it anything but nepotism, once on looked past the emotionally engaging and sappy rags to riches story that would be so heartwarming if this were a holovid and one cut out anything that seemed unpalatable.

Siobhan stood her ground. For the moment all traces of doubt, which so often assailed her and probably held her down, was banished from her mind. She was a butcher, but that was what was needed and she would make no apologies for it. The demons of her past no longer ruled her...could not rule her!

She was preparing an attack, aiming to unleash her powers upon the shadow, when suddenly the dark tendrils shot out and grabbed like a python, seizing her in its crushing grip. Now undoubtedly a defensive specialist would have conjured up a barrier of force protection that would have repelled the tendrils because such is so common in duels like this. However, Siobhan was most assuredly not a defensive specialist and could not handwave the assault. Moreover, she also had her writer who liked it when she took hits, so take a hit she did. The tendrils swept past her defences and though she struggled and thrashed, trying to grab them with her telekinesis and crush them, it was to no avail. The Exarch sought to leap up, her powers driving her to great heights but the tendrils seized her legs and violently pulled her down, the snap of bones was heard. She cried out in agony as she was enveloped in their iron grip, Her heart pounded inside her chest then pure pain shot through her as ribs were broken and she struggled for oxygen as the air was being completely forced from her lungs and she gasped, feeling another crack when her organic hand was seized.

She was panting, the grip around her tightened, movement failed her as she stood there unable to break free. The coils became tighter and tighter, then adrenaline shot through her. "You...die....," she hissed, sheer rage visible in her eyes, organic and bionic seeming ablaze in pure fury. Then Siobhan exploded. Metaphorically and in a manner quite literally really. She could not break the iron grip he had around her, so the next best and probably more satisfying thing was to lash out against her tormentor. Siobhan was, to put it plainly, destruction on a leash. The leash had come off a long time ago and the crushing pain just fuelled her anger. Adril had trained her to kill vermin like him. Her teacher, this she could admit at last, had perhaps not been the icon she had once thought of her as...but she had done this right. "...first...vermin."

The shadow thought they were the same. He was wrong...

She was better...

at mass destruction

Adril had taught her not yield. Tegaea...believed in her. A faith she was perhaps not worthy of...but she had shown her to be strong. As another rib snapped she unleashed a concentrated blast of force energy against the shadow, her telekinetic prowess, the one that tore down roofs and crushed hordes of Reavers, focused upon him, summoning a powerful shockwave that swept against him as she conjured up a force explosion, all directed against that focal point as the blast shot through aiming to obliterate anything its path and hit the Shadow with the force of an invisible battering ram. Doubtless the force of the blast might hurt her as well, but that did not matter, she would blast him to pieces.

 

[Darth Shadow]

Siobhan was one of the most gifted telekinetic experts the galaxy had ever beheld. In her hands the Force became a battering ram, an association which had long gained her a reputation for the same thing.

When she lashed out with the Force it could be felt. At the passage of that bolt the ground warped, the air twisted into strange shapes, and the power of the Force unleashed thundered towards the Shadow like an invisible hammer.

Surprised, disturbed from his game, the Shadow summoned a shield to defend himself, and the two contested. Back and forth they struggled, will against will. The bloody-minded determination of Siobhan Kerrigan meeting headlong the ancient power of the Shadow.

In the end there could be no final victory for either.

The Shadow weakened first, and Siobhan’s power reflected past him to strike the ceiling. There was a devastating, an epic crash, like the end of time, and the mountain moved. Cracks spread across the ceiling, and the Shadow had to release its grip on Siobhan to avoid a falling block of stone. The stone shattered the throne of skulls and sent them skittering across the ground.

“Roche again, Kerrigan. Now though you would sacrifice an army to defeat me?”

And then, because it wouldn’t be a Siobhan Kerrigan battle without one…a vision sequence!

Siobhan was on Manaan that fateful, terrible say. Ahto City was trembling, sliding into the sea. The monster arose from the depths, and Adril was there.
For all her flaws, and there had been many, Adril Tythorin was not a coward. Now though, facing this monster, she trembled.
"Adril...I...love you..no matter what happens...I always will!" Siobhan had said
"Thank you, Siobhan. I love you too. I always knew we would be together until the end. Do well, my little human...it's been a pleasure. Don't miss me too much!"
Had Siobhan remembered her? Had she loved her? Would she have stopped her if she had the chance? Would she have taken Adril’s place?

The Shadow approached Siobhan’s prone form, and with the caverns falling in ruin around them raised its blade to finish @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] forever….

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

All around her there was devastation, pure mayhem. Siobhan had struggled against the powerful shield the Shadow had conjured up, her telekinesis warring against it much like a battering ram slammed against the gate of a fortress. Then the Shadow faltered and her blast struck the ceiling. A deafening crash echoed across the caves, like trumpets of Jericho or as if someone had taken the Hammer of Mjoellnir and smashed it into the roof, and the ceiling was torn asunder. Stones came falling down all around them, the skull throne of skull thrones was shattered. The Shadow was right...it was Roche all over again. Siobhan sought to dodge, drawing on her amplified speed, but the exertion had taken its toll and there was no escaping the volleys, so she stopped dead in her track when a block of stone smashed onto her left leg, deadening it and breaking bones, forcing her to the ground. After the duel she was tired, so tired.

Soldiers, witnessing the mayhem, took flight, though many would not make it, tanks and armoured personnel carriers raced as the caverns collapsed. Another piece of rock hit her in the face and she was stunned by the force of the impact, blood running down her cheeks. Siobhan lay there...trying to maintain consciousness, then there was a flash of images and she was somewhere else...back on that fateful day eight years ago...the city was felling into the ocean, the tentacled monstrosity, the beast that had so often haunted her dreams ever since, was arising, buildings being smashed before it. And Adril was there...teacher, lover, icon...the woman Siobhan had striven so long to be like. Siobhan had been...very deluded in many ways when it came to Adril...but she had not forgotten her. Siobhan had never stopped belieivng that she should have been the one to give her life that day. It was undoubtedly not the sole cause, but perhaps it had fuelled her death charging, her reckless throwing herself into any skirmish.

"I...love you too...Adril," she coughed as she spoke, blood running down her chin, "...and....I'm no longer afraid..."

Her past could not rule her anymore, the demons could no longer frighten. For this moment at least as the Shadow advanced upon her, as his blade was raised to strike her down, Siobhan was calm, as if she had finally found the state of serenity that had eluded her for so long, doubts washed from her mind. Death was her gift, she was no longer running. Her lightsabre had been knocked out of her hand when the tendrils gripped her tight and almost strangulated her. Since it was not being used the sabre had been deactivated. Her body was more than weakened...her breathing was very laboured, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of it and pain shot through when she tried to move her legs, but that was fine. She did not need her muscles to do what she had in mind. A mental command shot through and then suddenly, as more and more volleys of rocks rained down around them, her lightsabre was in the air.

Snap-hiss.

The brilliant blue blade sprung into existence and leapt towards the Shadow, aiming for his head as it flew at high velocity. Doubtless he would be quick to deflect it, probably not even needing his blade for. She focused upon the hard floor and there was a loud, epic crash as a fissure was ripped open inside it, by her powers rocks and stone were grabbed and shot straight towards them, further widening the fissure as they smashed into it. Her suddenly not so weak, broken hand grabbed the Shadow by the leg, a grip powered by telekinesis and force enhanced strength as the rift in the ground widened and exposed the abyss beneath them, where there was lava. She gripped the Shadow tight, not loosening her grip, as both fell. Deep into the chasm were death awaited - this time she would not be flying, shooting out like a Phoenix, but that was alright.

 

[Maelion Liates]

Calvary Base was dying. Desperately the Protectorate and Bando Gora sought to escape, but the mountain’s ruin was as inevitable as it was unstoppable. Temples and buildings crumbled to ruin, passages cracked and fell in, trapping people deep underground. The entire mountain was beginning to fall in, the powers of the Force too much for it to survive.

The Shadow deflected the lightsabre, and the weapon clattered away uselessly. As he raised his blade again a hand gripped his leg. The Shadow raised its blade to bring it down, but then the ground shifted. A fissure tore in the very ground, and it split apart into an endless crevice.

Into hell they plunged, and for the first time in centuries the Shadow felt fear. It was a long fall into the pit, and it was at this time that he learned that whatever arcane and powerful things he could do with the Force…he couldn’t fly. Lava was one of those things which was pretty much inescapable for anything….

Siobhan herself began the descent, the start of a lazy few seconds before oblivion.
But then, suddenly, she was interrupted. A hand, stronger and more powerful than any mortal human, caught her maimed leg. While certainly painful, it was preferable to being broiled alive in liquid rock. A second hand gripped her, hauling her back from the pit.

Her rescuer looked, as can be guessed, impassive. Maelion hauled @[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] up, as the Exarch was in no condition to walk on her own.
“We must go,” Maelion stated, slinging Siobhan on her shoulder and moving swiftly through the collapsing throne room. “The Lady Protector ordered me to keep you alive.”
She sent a message to her partner in crime @[member="Moira Skaldi"]. Approaching your position. Require escape route.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

Pure chaos had broken out. Omegans and Bando Gora fled in terror as the mountainw as ripped apart. None could stop ist collapse now. The unhoy altars and temples, the factories that had produced the machines of war that had caused so much death, the laboratories in which the Reavers were born. The Bando Gora had worshipped death itself, sought to plunge the entire Galaxy into an ocean of blood, now they were being dragged straight into the hell in which their vile deities dwelt. But even now the devotees of Chaos were not going quietly, for the earth shook at their collapse and many an Omegan would be dragged down into the fires of hell.

The Shadow fell, his immense powers and vast knowledge...of arcana far dwarfing that of Siobhan...and so did she as well. She tried to focus her powers and push herself up, trying to take flight and shoot up as she had done on the surface, for force flight was an ability in her arsenal. But she was too drained, too exhausted. One could not tax oneself like as she had done, push oneself so hard without consequences. She had battering rammed all she got, led her army into battle, now her powers no longer sufficed.

The chasm came ever closer as she was pulled down...then she was gripped tight and raised from perdition, in the most literal sense. She cried out as a powerful hand grabbed her broken leg, but even the pain was welcome now as she pulled up, staring right into the cold, impassive eyes of her brutally efficient mechanical guardian. Of course, Maelion did not care either way, but perhaps this would make Siobhan appreciate her a bit more.

She breathed out, panting, then coughed hard as the machine effortless slung her over shoulder and moved through the throne room, as pieces of the skull throne of skull thrones flew in all directions. "And...you can't process me if I'm dead," Siobhan said sarcastically, breathing laboured, though unlike in the past the comment was spoken without snideness. "Thanks...still."

 

[Moira Skaldi]

@[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

"I will provide one," Moira responded impassively, as calm as her partner in crime, murder and processing amidst all the chaos around her. Cavalry Base was being torn to shreds, the desolation was magnificient. Gehenna had once been razed of all life in the apocalyptic battle between Illyria and Leviathan. Where once a great and prosperous city had stood, in an age far before that of mankind, even before that of the Rakatan, their struggle had created a hellish wasteland. Now the unholy city of the Bando Gora was being inexorably pulled into the abyss...the souls of Omegan and Bando Gora alike would be welcome fuel to the power of the dark gods.

Of course, Moira had no time for mysticism. Nor for dying or panic. She was a machine, efficient, practical. Scans brought up a passageway as rocks fell, toweres and spires collapsed. Running and moving swiftly at top speed as she evaded more rocks she boarded a Hoplite that still seemed intact, powering up the engines and quickly bringing it in gear, racing and just about evading a tower that smashed onto its previous location. There was no time to get back the way they had come, but scans brought up a pathway. She steered the cannon, somehow managing to do with her one intact arm, and fired, an energy shell popping out and blasting a hole into a wall, opening a path for them. She saw Maelion, carrying Siobhan along with her and quickly brought her tank towards them, moving at top speed, pressing a button to open the hatch. "Come with me if you want to live," she spoke mechanically, directing her words at Kerrigan, partly to troll her. Her partner Maelion obviously did not need pep talks.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

"Come on, get the hell out of here!" the Sergeant yelled out to them as the rag-tag group of Omegan soldiers to which Kaida was attached ran as fast as they could. All around them hell had broken lose, buildings were being smashed, the ceiling was falling down upon them, fissures tore open into the ground. Some were not fast enough to escape as a obelisk came undone and smashed into the ground and as they stumbled they fell into the fissure, the lava claiming them. Such was the mayhem that their screams were drowned out by all the noise.

Kaida ran as fast as she could, though her legs aches and the bandages on the stump of her hand were torn, blood seeping out. She had a suspicion who was responsible for all this and frankly right now would bloody hate her if she was not simply desperate to get the hell out. This...was not how she had expected to end, getting trapped in a bloody cave about to fall into the abyss. She had expected something more...dramatic. She yelped out in pain and was forced to the ground as a heavy piece of rock hit her back and smashed into her, before one of her comrades, apparently putting honour before reason, roughly grabbed her and hauled her up. "C'mon, girl," the Twi'lek grunted. Bando Gora were running as well, apparently for once in their lives feeling the very human fear, something that surpassed their fanaticism. They ran through the tunnel, Kaida could see it leading somewhere...but then another pillar broke and shattered, blocking it. Desperation and fear washed over the young elf as she fell...then she gazed upon the obstacle and focused her powers, putting what energy she had left into the move, at a rapid rate frost and then ice spread across the wall, enveloping it as temperatures dropped far below freezing point, a powerful cold chill, then abruptly the wall burst.