Private The Storm and the Wildfire

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve strode down the cobbled path to the cabin ahead.

She had no idea what to expect. Yesterday, she'd been purging an old Sith ruin of Dark Side relics when she received the message from Elpsis, an invitation to join her for a mission, and now, not even a night's rest later, she'd traveled to the remote world of Arkas to meet her, at a homestead on a faraway island well out of civilization's reach.

The cabin had a pleasant feel to it. Warm, and not just because of the humidity or the pale sun. It was the kind of place she might've retired to, where she could rest or do whatever it was old people did when age gnawed at their bones—if that day ever came, of course.

Maeve felt certain she'd die in battle before reaching that point. Hopefully.

The air fragrant with jasmine and saltwater, she passed under a looming palm. Dressed in loose robes and with her bright hair tied into a bun, she looked very different since they last met on Ziost. Many months had passed, and since the Maw's fall, she'd been even harder at work in the Outer Rim, chasing pockets of Sith. She looked as soldierly as ever.

Slowly, she climbed the steps up the cabin porch. Bamboo groaned under her feet, signaling her approach, but just to be safe, Maeve rapped twice against the door. She didn't want to catch Elpsis by surprise or alarm her with her unexpectedly quick arrival.

"Captain Kerrigan?" she called. "It's Maeve. I came as soon as I received your message."

Elpsis Kerrigan​

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[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Maeve Linahan

It was a perfectly idyllic scene on Arkas. The waves lapped at the shore, a gentle tropical breeze blew through the palms, there was the click and whirr of insects in the undergrowth. As she headed down along the path towards the cabin, Maeve would hear a low growl. If she cared to investigate the source, she would notice a large feline, which broadly resembled a lion with more legs.

The Cylix watched her intently, baring its large canine teeth and swishing its tail. A warning. If Maeve looked up she would see that there were two other Cylixes overlooking her from the trees. Assessing her. Then the door to the cabin suddenly opened, and Elpsis stepped out. "Leo, down," she grunted, taking Maeve's arm. "Friend. Safe. Enjoy your meal." Slowly the tension in the Cylix' posture dissipated, and the beast backed away.

Elpsis shot Maeve an apologetic look. "Hi. They get tetchy around strangers. Fun to hunt with though. Good to see you. Technically it's Major now. Well, it was for a grand total of five minutes before I quit and told the corpo scum to fuck off. Come in. You hungry?"

Elpsis' right ear still bore the damage it had sustained from Maeve's lightsabre. She either hadn't had the time to get it fixed up or simply hadn't bothered. Either way, it was still missing its tip. She was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and a pair of trousers. Her feet were bare, exposing her cybernetic prothesis. There were dark circles under her white eyes.