[Firestorm] - Quo-Wing-Tzun & Qyreia Arronen

As the time of our assault on the Dominion world of Agua’tah draws near, you and a partner - among other teams - have been assigned the task of destroying hydroponics facilities on the world’s surface. This will disrupt their food supply and distract them from our main assault.

However, we have a secondary objective, for your eyes only…

With the Grand Master’s recent campaign against undesirables and Jedi, the clan has suffered from the vocalness of Jedi sympathizers in our ranks and we now believe that the Inquisitorious has sent agents into our ranks in order to search for them. We cannot overstate the danger this puts Sadow in.

We suspect that your partner may be a Jedi sympathizer or loyal to the Inquisitorious. You are to discover the truth and confront them, if necessary.

This is a joint fiction competition. Members will sign up individually via the google form at this location and be paired randomly with another member. Each pairing will have their own Discourse thread made by one of the competition organizers. Each individual member must make at least two posts. Judging criteria will follow the Fiction Grading Rubric, but also take into consideration the flow of the story between posts. The rubric remains the same, but we will consider this factor when looking at realism and story.

Each pair will place together, so 1st place will be two members, 2nd place will be two members, etc.

Additional Rules:

Each post must contain a minimum of 250 words
No back to back posting by the same member
This competition will run for the entirety of the event, from March 10th-31st.

Good luck!

Agua’tah
30 meters above sea level

Beneath the chalky blue sky, thick with clouds broken by stray turbolaser fire and debris from the battle high in the atmosphere, the ocean-scape seemed almost peaceful. Qyreia had, along with her assigned partner, dropped off a squad to secure one of the many small islands that dotted the planet’s surface, while the duo continued on to their more specific assigned task of destroying one of the many hydroponics plants that dotted the surface. The shuttle was lightly armed, but nimble enough to get them on the platforms where they could then plant explosives that would do the job of more dedicated strike craft. It was a simple enough plan that, by all accounts, should work without much issue.

“About two minutes left,” she said calmly toward her Zabrak companion, lowering the altitude a little more to try and reduce their signature on the enemy scanners.

The Sith merely nodded in response. To the mercenary, he did not seem like much of a talker; more a man of action than of words, which the oft foul-mouthed Zeltron could appreciate. At the very least, it made concentrating on her flying that much easier. They had gone over their plan in the approach from orbit, leaving only the number of enemies they were likely to face as the unknown variable. At least, that was the unknown for the mission itself.

It was likely Clan-wide by this point: choose your loyalties to the Inquisitorius or the Jedi. There was no direction from the Clan high-ups, and everyone seemed on pins-and-needles over the affair. Qyreia had made her distaste for the genocidal flavor of the Grand Master’s new policy known in her conversation circles, but her other activities remained largely in shadow from the rest of the Clan. Furthermore, Quo was not among her close circle of friends, despite being a member in good standing in the Battle Team and Naga Sadow on the whole. He was an unknown entity and, deep down, that worried her more than the Dominion forces they would be facing down.

The island was quickly coming into view, the large facility they wee to destroy dominating a fair swathe of the coastline. Thankfully, the island off which the hydroponics clung was relatively uninhabited, giving the former smuggler an easy time of landing her craft. Despite the tropical nature of the planet, the vegetation was thin enough on this particular sandpit that they could make out the details of their target: tiers of squared-off, blocky buildings formed the outer barrier, while landing pad-topped silos formed the spine of the complex.

“Those silos will be our main target,” Qyreia said, picking up her carbine as the pair made for the exit hatch.

“I’ll try to sense out any immediate defenses once we’re closer,” Quo said flatly. “You can cover my approach while I form the breach.”

“Just like we talked about,” she confirmed.

They reached a vantage that concealed them well enough that any sentries would have to have a sharp eye to spot the duo, giving the Sadowans time to really evaluate the situation. There was only a thin strip of “no man’s land,” but the bridges to the main gates made for excellent choke points. The surprise of the Clan’s attack seemed to have caught the local defenders off-guard though, as the sentries were far and few between on close inspection.

“Well,” the Battle Team Leader said, shouldering her blaster, “whenever you’re ready.”

Agua’tah
Edge of No Man’s Land
Silo Enclosure

Quo and Qyreia were at the edge of the cleared area, the vegetation giving some cover from the eyes of the patrolling sentries. Lying flat on the sandy earth Quo’s eyes scanned the open ground as Qyreia used a pair of viewers to check out their target, the huge silos that held the hydroponically grown food. Some four hundred meters high, and about a hundred across they could hold enough food to supply the local Dominion forces for up to two weeks.

Reaching out with his senses Quo could feel the ebb and flow of currents within the Force as the Dominion security forces carried out their patrols. There were a lot less of them than he had been led to expect by the intelligence, but then again the only intelligence that he trusted was the kind that he gathered himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust other people’s ability, it’s just they were, well, not as good in his mind.

“There are four patrol units that come close enough to us to cause a problem if we’re discovered, and a control room over that bridge to the right, just to the east of the left hand silo. The sun will be down in another half hour, we’ll move in then.” His eyes never left the compound as he spoke to his compatriot from Devil’s Shroud, the volume of his vocoder down to bare minimum, “check your weapons, quietly!”

“Already done, this isn’t my frelling first time you know!” The Zeltron’s eyes flashing her anger

“Check them again!” Quo turned his head to stare directly into her eyes, their red and gold showing nothing but anger burning in their core. Diplomacy was not one of his strong points, although he didn’t see it as a problem. After an extended moment of holding his gaze for effect Quyreia double checked her gear, another check wouldn’t hurt she thought to herself.

The Sith watched as she did so, not through some overriding attraction, nor from curiosity, but rather his own satisfaction that she was carrying out the task adequately. His eyes took in the way that her small hands danced across the blaster, stripping and reassembling the weapon quickly and quietly, and the thoroughness that she assessed the rest of her equipment. This young woman was at least competent, even good he admitted to himself. He had checked his own equipment on the way down, but did so again, hardly making a noise as they prepared for action.

With the last-second gear checks made, the quiet between them was like the calm before a storm. A gentle motion of her hand indicated for the Sith to move forward, only to be answered by a questioning look from him. “Go,” she hissed, not about to let the Zabrak make any more orders or demands for the time being. There was a battle raging overhead, and the mercenary didn’t want to give the Dominion time to rally their forces and, even worse, reinforce strategic points like this one.

“I said when the sun goes down.”

“I said now, you kriffing di’kut! Or would you prefer I alert them with my blaster before you start crossing the bridge there?”

The Sith growled, the frustration in his voice only enhanced by the grating attempts the vocoder made to translate the sound. You said, 'Whenever I was ready,’ he thought as he left the safety of the forest. What the facility lacked in sensors and defensive weaponry, the personnel that were present made up for in alertness. It was hard for anyone to not notice the thunderous sounds of battle in the upper atmosphere or the cries that they were likely hearing over their communication channels. So while the sentries might have missed the low-flying shuttle that had landed outside their visual range, the sentry that was walking over the bridge did not miss the lone shape quickly making his way across the expanse toward the complex.

Yellow-red eyes glanced up, and their gazes met for a brief moment before a red energy bolt seamlessly met the poor fellow in the chest, toppling him backward and out of sight. The sound was distant enough that the other sentries did not take immediate notice, giving the Zabrak time to reach the entry hatch, predictably sealed to outside entry. Thankfully, his lightsaber made for an excellent skeleton key.

While her partner began cutting away at the door, Qyreia kept careful watch on the other sentries, the nearest of whom were looking around anxiously for the source of what they thought had been blaster fire. Just go back to walking aimlessly, kids, she thought, panning the scope on her carbine to each Dominion trooper, most of which were Kaleesh. If there was one thing she did not want to do, it was get in a close-quarters scuffle with those beings, especially judging by the broad-bladed swords that hung at their hips. The analysis was cut short when her peripheral vision caught one such being quickly approaching the dead sentry’s location. A glance at the Sith’s handywork showed him only halfway through cutting the door open.

Well, I guess being stealthy is out of the picture. Quickly acquiring her target, the mercenary dropped the warrior that had just found the body. If the sentries didn’t know the duo was there before, they knew now. Or at least, they knew where one of them was, solid slug rounds soon finding purchase in the trees and vegetation around her.

“Hurry up, Quo,” she grumbled, taking momentary cover behind the tree trunk, leaning out to take pot shots at the sentries. A quick glance his way showed the door almost completely cut through. “Now or never, ol’ girl.”

She quickly cinched the straps on the bag of explosives at her hip before, clutching her carbine tightly, turning out from behind the tree and making a mad dash for the bridge. If not for the small numbers of the enemy sentries, she might not have made it across the open expanse in one piece. They were accurate, but Qyreia was fast, and a relatively small target at that. She arrived without any injury, but winded from the sprint.

“What took you so long?” the Sith asked as he completed his cutting on the door, concentrating briefly before sending the metal inward with an invisible push.

“Shut up and get inside before we start looking like an exogorth rock!”

In a hurry, they slid through the opening, the edges of the door still red-hot as they stepped inside. The hallway beyond was devoid of life - a clear sign that they were neither expected, nor was the enemy’s reaction time very quick. It would give the Sadowans enough leeway to start laying the explosives without much issue; at least initially.

“If we split up, we’ll be able to finish this more quickly,” Quo said, reaching out a hand. “Give me some of the explosives.”

“Do you even know how these work?”

The Sith’s expression soured, but his hand dropped. “I could ask the same of you, Qyreia.”

“You and me aren’t on a first-name basis, kid,” she chided. “Besides, mercs like me pick up a whole medley of skills out there in the wide galaxy. I might’ve also read the manual on the trip down.”

“Fine, we’ll stick together. Let’s get this over with.”

Silence fell on the conversation as discourse turned to duty, and the two of them rushed headlong, deeper into the complex, hoping that the going would be easy.

Agua’tah
Entrance corridor, Main complex

Both of them set off down the sloping corridor. It wasn’t a steep incline, but it aided their speed as they both rushed forwards, Qyreia holding her blaster at the ready as Quo lead them down, searching ahead for life signs. The gloom of the enclosed space was an advantage, masking their approach from view. The control room lay ahead, some thirty meters in front of them, a single door the only way into the space beyond. Ten meters from the door Quo signalled to Qyreia to stop, a mechanical finger raised in front of his breather. The Zeltran dropped to one knee, bringing the rifle up into her shoulder, watching through the scope mounted on the top of it.

The door opened a fraction, light and noise spilling from the other side. There were no cries or alarms from within, just conversation carrying along the tunnel, amplified by the plascrete walls. Glancing towards her partner she was taken aback as he faded into the background, seemingly disappearing from sight. What the…?

“You might have flarging told me you could beshtek do that!” She hissed through clenched teeth.

“Shhhhhhh!” Came the reply from five meters away.

The door opened fully revealing two heavily armed guards standing in the doorway, there were at least three others within the control room beyond. The door was swinging back to its closed position as Qyreia’s first shot took the first one just below its brow line, the knees buckling below it as it fell with a loud thud to the floor. If a reptile could look shocked the second would have done at his comrades demise had he not been taken with a throwing knife to the throat. His hands came up to the wound instinctively as the Zeltron’s squeezed gently on the trigger, the second shot taking out his right eye, the back of his skull erupting as a red mist spreading across the door and wall behind.

Qyreia dropped to the prone position aiming at the door, waiting for the next victim to appear from inside. A smearing of the blood and brains on the wall marked the position that Quo had take up against the dividing wall. There were already sounds of manic movement from behind the door as the remaining guards armed themselves.

The way was clear; it was only a matter of exploiting the opening. The Zeltron watched the shimmer of Quo’s outline move into the space beyond, stopping only briefly to collect the throwing knife, before moving on to secure their avenue. I don’t know what to think of this guy, she thought absentmindedly as she rose to follow the path that would lead them to the first drop point for the explosives. His demeanor aside, she wondered if the Zabrak knew where she stood on the question of the Inquisitorius and the Jedi. Perhaps that was why he seemed to be so hostile and commanding? Qyreia could only guess.

Moving quickly proved a greater ally than getting embroiled in a fight, as the security forces could only muster light defenses while their reinforcements could only track the scattered trail of bodies. Despite their misgivings, the mercenary and Sith worked well together, tactically speaking. Qyreia could almost snipe the long-range targets, yet hold her own in a brawl, while Quo specialized in close quarters, able to finish nearby targets with his throwing knives.

All he lacked was an expertise in explosives, and patience while the former Black Guard set them up.

“Reinforcements are coming,” he said as Qyreia hurriedly laid a charge. “You need to work quicker.”

“Hey, I’ve never worked with this stuff before! You wanna see how good you are at it?!”

The Zabrak’s only response was a growl as he deflected an incoming blaster bolt, speeding a few meters away to deal with the incoming Dominion warriors. They did not lack for skill, which made covering the red woman all the more difficult while she struggled to remember what the manual had said about setting a timer versus a detonator. What’s more, he wanted to make sure the enemy was silenced quickly enough so that they could not report back what their actual objective was.

“There! Got it!”

“Then let’s go!”

Pushy, pushy, she thought as she shouldered her carbine and dispatched the remaining two warriors that had been pressing her compatriot.

Hard soles clattered against the metal grated floor as they ran from silo to silo, planting their explosives and keeping the security at bay. Thankfully for them both, Qyreia learned quickly enough from the first couple attempts, with the result that setting the charges became significantly quicker. As much as Quo hated fighting off the Dominion troops by himself in those instances, the Zeltron didn’t like sitting in the open without the ability to shoot back while she worked with the volatile materiel. The Sith seemed to be skilled enough that she didn’t have to worry too much, but the thought of one lucky shot getting through his defenses and hitting her vital areas kept picking at the back of her mind.

“Four charges set,” the mercenary said, winded, as they dashed down a corridor. “That means two left, then we blow this blue milk stand.”

“Hopefully not while we’re still inside of it.”

Agua’tah Hydroponics Production Factory

Silo V

Qyreia knelt over the compact charges as she set them, fingers moving deftly and with growing confidence with each weapon. The penultimate charge was set in less than forty seconds, a far cry from the first which had taken nearly two minutes. Quo glanced over his shoulder to check her progress as lightning danced from his finger tips, engulfing the three security guards in its grip, making them dance within its glowing tendrils.

Qyreia looked up, her ministrations completed, “What? You gonna send a report back to the flarking Inquisitorious? ‘The Jedi sympathiser worked well under pressure’?”

Quo roared in response, the intensity of the psychic burst increasing exponentially, the grip of the energy tightening on the Dominion patrol, burning them to a crisp within seconds. Turning on the mercenary his eyes bored into her, the gold flecks dancing across the blood red, menace contained within the stare.

“For your information I am a member of the Inquisitorious to gain knowledge,” he spat at her, "If they are going to try and infiltrate the Clan I want to be the first to know so that I can do something about it!! Pravus is a snecking megalomaniac! I may be a Sith, but this is the only family I know, and I’ll fight to the death for them, not just for money!!"

The last word was spoken with such venom that Qyreia involuntarily took a pace back away from the Zabrak. Qyreia’s steel coloured eyes locked onto Quo’s, the words had hurt her and she didn’t want him to see that, but her sassiness wouldn’t allow her to let it lie.

“I don’t do it all for money!! They’re my family too!!!”

Turning on her heal she made off towards the final silo, trying to look nonchalant on her exit, knowing that she had instigated the exchange of words, but not willing to say sorry to the young Sith following behind her.

Quo watched her back as she moved towards the final target. He had to give it to her, there weren’t many that he knew that would stand firm against an angry Zabrak. She had spirit this woman, and he found himself, despite all the warnings that his brain was parading before his inner eye, liking her. She was efficient, disciplined, and had a bit of fire in her belly, Quo liked that and found himself thinking that, should the need arise, he would like to spend some time with her, even if it was just blowing things up. Maybe a contest in the Combat Centre would be a pleasant distraction for them both.

Staying low and quiet they covered the patch of open ground that led towards the final silo. As they approached the base of the massive structure Qyreia was already retrieving the last device from the holdall that she carried. Skidding to her knees she checked it over ensuring that nothing had been dislodged by the jiggling of their progress. Removing the protective covering she scanned over it with her eyes, shoulders hunched as she worked.

Quo crouched a couple of meters away from her facing away from the silo, vibro blade in his left hand, his saber in his right, although the blade was not ignited. No point in leaving a beacon on to attract attention.

Working in the failing daylight Qyreia was working under trying conditions, but she was methodical in her manipulation of the device. Taking another detonator from her belt pouch she connected the wiring to the explosive charge, double checking the connection. With a ‘clump’ the magnetic plate the whole apparatus was mounted on connected with the skin of the silo, securing it into position.

“OK, we’re…”

Qyreia never finished the sentence. A blaster bolt arrowed its way into the back of her right shoulder leaving a charred hole through her tunic, exposing the wound beneath. The impact knocked her forward, leaving her in a crumpled heap on the ground, face down in the low vegetation at the base of the silo.

Quo reacted instantly, his legs extending rapidly, the leap heading in the direction of the point of fire, his feet hitting the ground running, covering the short distance in a matter of seconds. One more blaster bolt came from a small copse of vegetation which the Sith avoided with a roll forwards, the red bolt passing harmlessly over head as Quo regained his feet for the second time. With a roar he burst through the cover of the shrubs, his saber igniting and slicing down in a low arc through the protruding barrel end of his enemy’s blaster.

Pivoting on the ball of his right foot he spun, the weight of his whole body centred on the vibro blade that sliced a swathe through the bushes in front of him. As the fronds flew he caught site of his attacker for the first time, a Kaleesh sentry, masked and falling backwards, his arms thrust out in front of him in an instinctive form of defence.

Fury blazed in the Sith’s eyes as he regained his balance, the saber reversing the direction of his first strike with a flick of the Zabrak’s wrist.

“If you’ve hurt her…” The threat was never heard by the Dominion soldier as the crimson of Quo’s blade cleaved the masked head from its supporting shoulders, the head spinning backwards with the force of the blow. Quo gazed down for a split second before spinning and heading back to where Qyreia had been lying.

Approaching the silo footings he expected the worst, Qyreia lying there in a pool of her own blood, lifeless and cooling. As he crashed through the undergrowth he saw her sitting up attempting to apply a dressing to the wound. Reaching down he took the field dressing from her wrapping it over the burnt skin of the blaster impact. Tying it to her shoulder she winced slightly as he tightened the ends, securing them over her tunic.

“Can’t you do healing?” Qyreia asked, a glint in her eye.

“What do you think I am? Some kind of Jedi?” The chuckle that came from his vocoder surprised her, it was the first time that he had showed any kind of humour towards her, the shock registering on her face. She knew that Sith grasped and used their emotion, but the thought hadn’t even crossed her mind that they might actually display them to their comrades. “Come on kid, let’s blow this thing and go home,” he said as he helped her to her feet.

“OK, but you’re driving home,” she smiled as she said it, glancing over at him with a countenance of curiosity.

Working their way back up towards the scrub surrounding the compound, Quo warily scanning as they made their way back. With one eye on his wounded compatriot he was watching for any further patrols that may have followed their trail as they ingressed the compound, although there didn’t seem to be much movement anywhere within the fenced area. Signalling to Qyreia he motioned that they should stay as low as possible, realising that she would struggle to do that with her injury, but knowing that they weren’t out of here yet. Waiting a second to check that there were no patrols near, and giving Qyreia time to regain her breathe they moved off towards the entry point they had crossed on their way in, over the bridge to the scrub land beyond.

Covering the ground quickly and quietly the crossed the bridge, ensuring that they were out in the open for as little time as possible. Quo let Qyreia lead across the span of the bridge, watching for incoming fire as they broke into the open. Qyreia made straight for the cover of the shrubs, Quo ran sideways, trying to encompass as large an arc of observation as he possibly could. Sliding beside her he lay flat behind cover as the Human beside him reached into the pouches at her belt to retrieve the trigger unit. Rolling onto her chest she brought it up level with her eyes, thumb poised over the switch placed on the top of the grip.

“Ready?” She asked the Sith at her side.

“Do it!” He hissed back at her.

Without any hesitation her thumb tensed depressing the trigger. They could see the dust erupt from the bottom of each of the silos, plumes of orange and yellow erupting from the base, a nano second of separation between each of them. The blast could be seen by the bending of the shrubs and undergrowth radiating out in six circles from the point of the explosions. Only then did the sound of the blasts reach them at their vantage point, six booms ringing out in a staccato rhythm, each one being over written by the subsequent eruption.

The percussion wave of the blasts shook the ground, they could feel the vibrations progressing towards them through their chests pressed into the ground, the wash of the compressed air sweeping over them making them gasp for air as the pressure built. As soon as it arrived it was gone. Quo looked over to Qyreia, checking her to ensure she was OK, the gleam in her eye told him that she was.

More eruptions from the silos saw two of them topple, their contents spilling in a wave over the compound washing away all before it as gravity and the mass of the liquid expanded from its formerly enclosed shape. A huge fireball leapt skywards, lighting up the surrounding landscape, smoke forming into a column in its wake. Another massive silo exploded from the inside sending the metal sides spinning across the compound, the contents combusting as they contacted the open air. Several panels flew like large flat missiles, flattening all structures that lay in its path, slicing through buildings and structures like a lightsaber through butter, levelling them in an instant. The fluid that had be contained was now a burning tidal wave of destruction flowing across the enclosure that the Dominion held dear to their hearts, and stomachs.

“Let’s go home Qyreia,” the Zabrak said, “we’ve done enough for one day”

She groaned as he hefted her to her feet, an ache pulsing through her shoulder as she rose. “And it’s your flarking round when we get back!” She laughed as he supported her as they set off towards their waiting shuttle. Pulling out his commlink he keyed the button.

“Black team to Control, Bingo,” he gave the prearranged codeword for success, “One injured request medical team to meet us on RTB.” Keying the button he replaced the comm on his belt.

“Don’t go using the med team to get out of buying a frelling drink, you dongwah!”

Quo’s eyes rolled skywards. Under cover of twilight they set off towards their ship, her giggles ringing in the Sith’s ears.