Aftermath

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

It was late in the night when Siobhan's speeder turned up at her suite. Of course, day and night were relative when you resided on the Ashira's Light Space Station. As the Countess disembarked, she spared Tygara a look, glancing through the massive transparisteel window that showed the green and blue orb, along with the myriad other celestial bodies that dotted the void.


Walking with a slight limp, she approached the suite and used the keycard to open the door. Without further ado, she stepped inside, leaning on her elaborately engraved cane. In her other hand, she carried a folder with neat aurebesh sigils. Among other things, it contained reports of the GA-FO War, along with the latest findings from the Loyalty Review Commission.


"Welcome back, Lady Mistress," Harmony greeted her sweetly. The Dahomian always seemed to know when Siobhan was there, no matter the time. Quickly she was at her side, removing Siobhan's coat from her shoulders.


"Hey there," Siobhan spoke tiredly. There were dark rings under her eyes. She bent down to take her high heels off. They were Force imbued, courtesy of [member="Joza Perl"], which meant her feet did not hurt like heel. "Where are the twins?"


"In bed, ma'am. Adril was a bit of a bother. Only went to sleep after protesting a lot. I had to put her back to bed after she tried to sneak out. She's very...stubborn. I wonder where she gets it from," Harmony winked.


Alas, the Fire-Maned Lady was not in good humour. Or in the mood for trolling. "Girl needs more discipline. Sooner rather than later." Her tone was stern. "Where's Tegs?"


"Uh, Mistress Tegaea is in her study, m'lady."


[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea Alcori had still been at work when she received a buzz from the front room.
“Yes, Harmony?”
“Mistress Siobhan has arrived, she’s heading to see you.”
“Thank you, Harmony.” She looked at her secretary. “That’ll be all for now, Destiny. We’ll pick up in the morning. See that those requisitions are sent.”
The Dahomian nodded and left.

When Siobhan entered Tegaea was waiting. “Sio…I heard what happened with Tarissa and the Council. They left you no choice. They made their bed, now they have to sleep in it.”

She crossed to her wife, but she could sense and see she was not in good humour so she just laid a gentle hand on her arm.
“I’m glad you’re here though, I think we both know we need to talk…discuss a few things.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


They're like grains of sand beneath my boots, Siobhan thought to herself. "I believe it was Machiavelia who said that if you must choose, it is better to be feared than loved. Apparently I made history by slaying a peer in front of the council. Seems that hasn't happened since a few Angelii decided to rid the Queen of a 'turbulent priestess' called Thomina Beckat," Siobhan replied. Her tone was flat.


"I laid down the law. They can grow up and start acting like adults, or sink into the abyss," she shrugged. "We need to talk - about Firemane...and us." The two could obviously not be separated. Both were deeply intertwined.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea nodded slowly at her wife’s first words. “I think it’s a session they’ll never forget,” she said dryly.

That was all secondary though. They had more important things to discuss.

She removed her hand and turned for a moment to look down on Tygara. “Well, let’s start discussing then,” she asked, turning back.

“Work and our other interests have kept us apart. I don’t see you much anymore. You’re still that action girl I fell in love with so many years, though a lot’s changed since then. It seems to me that you are and have been for a while frustrated with me, the company, everything.”

“I guess I should state that Firemane was only ever a means to an end for me. Being swept up from Omega to Kaeshana to Firemane to now has afforded me time to think. I do not feel I have any more to prove to anyone. I help design the products for the company, I work on the back end and liaise with the government, but I don’t go out like you do and fight. I’ve been doing less of the big negotiations too, and I think there’s where your frustration from you probably comes from. I do less of the big business decisions and actions, you feel I’m less a partner and more a burden.”

“Am I right in that belief?”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


"I'm a lot more than just an action girl," Siobhan said sharply. It would probably become apparent that she had a bit of a complex about being unfairly stereotyped as being just a 'primitive sledgehammer'. Perhaps she was overly sensitive about it.


"I'm in the field, yes. Less than I used to be. I also make all the big business decisions, conduct negotiations and run the Fire Order. Firemane's not just a retirement project for me. Or a means to an end. It's a passion. Something I've been building up for years. It's something I identify with in a way I never could with Omega. I don't the things I do because I feel I have something to prove. I'm the Queen and I don't intend to abdicate any time soon," she looked down on Tygara, then glanced back to Tegs.


"And right now I don't have anyone sitting on the throne next to me. I looked up to you. You were far better to me than Adril ever was. But over the years, I've been...left alone. That's not a partnership," her tone was not stern like in the council chambers, but deeply hurt and disappointed. In a way, that was worse then anger. "We don't have one anymore. Do you even still want to be with me? Or are you just comfortable?"

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea looked a little hurt in turn. “Of course I want to be with you still, Sio, I’m your wife and I want to remain so!”

She seemed to realise the second meaning of what Sio said though and paused.
“It’s clear that I don’t have the same passion as you do for running the company forever. I wanted to make Firemane one of the top tier of companies in the galaxy. I wanted it to be a powerful shield for the helpless and to defeat our enemies. And we…you mainly…have done all that. For the business as a whole, I like the challenge of designing and creating technology and helping people.”

She seemed to come to a decision.
“It’s clear that as joint CEO I’m not doing the job I need to. I think it’s unfair for you that I hold that position.” She held up a hand though to still any comment from Siobhan.
“But I have recently found a new passion which could expand Firemane and which I think would be a better use of my time, help you and the company.”

“Ever since I was a girl on Coruscant I was fascinated by the stars. Even now that passion hasn’t left me, no matter how many systems I travel to. I want to work with you to help Firemane expand and settle new regions not yet discovered. I would love to keep on designing and testing the equipment Firemane makes. I'm happy to head up a smaller subsidiary or division of Firemane dedicated to that.”

“More than anything Siobhan I don’t want you to feel like I’m weighing you down anymore. So if you feel like my plan there isn’t reasonable then I will continue to work with you until the right time for me to retire is reached. I want what’s best for us both and the company. I want what is best for you and me.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Maybe I don't want to be with you anymore. The traitorous words wormed their way into Siobhan's thoughts. Did Tegaea excite her in the same way she'd done in the past? No, not really. Of course, it would be naive to expect that things would stay as passionate as they'd been ten years ago. But it still felt as if something was...lacking. The fire was gone. Increasingly, Tegaea bored her.


"I see. We haven't defeated our enemies. They are more numerous than ever. I would not bet on Tygara staying her home. We're in the middle of a crisis and it's bound not to get better," she said seriously. A rather mean part of her believed a couple years of Sith oppression could teach the Eldorai a lesson, but it was more likely that their aristos would adapt far too well! But the Tygaran natives did not deserve that.


"So you want to step down. After promising you'd help me. Alright. I suppose I can't force you to stay. You'll need a replacement. Someone who shares my vision and is willing to stay the course. Especially when things get difficult and hard choices need to be made." Her tone was resigned, but frustrated. "How will your...new passion help the company? Or us, for that matter. We'll be even more apart."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea shook her head. “This is not something which needs to happen immediately. I promised to help you, and I will keep to that. I’m not going to leave you in the lurch – we’re discussing the future. This is all what will maybe happen in one year, two years.”

“How will my idea help? The galaxy has billions of star systems, only a fraction of which are mapped, and even fewer are actually used. Firemane’s done good work in the galaxy that we know, but there’s a whole level of the galaxy we don’t know. Raw materials from mining asteroids or planets. Habitats for settling people on worlds. Tourism from people exploring the galaxy. Exploring for new life.”
For the first time she was getting more passionate, showing more energy.

“Siobhan, we’re very different people in many ways, but together we share some common beliefs. That brought us together, but times have changed. You’ve become an intelligent, savvy, skilled woman, and I’m proud of you. If I have failed to live up to your expectations it’s not due to spite, it is perhaps because I lack your ambition. When I see the galaxy I see a revolving cycle of rise and fall by Empires. Once, at Omega, I tried to harness history and break the cycle…but I became part of it. I rose and fell. Firemane we founded as a replacement, it’s risen, and it’s not fallen. You are just the sort of person, if anyone can, who will hold that note of strength the longest. That’s what separates us, Siobhan, I lack the ambition to push towards a future of uncertain goals, of powerful need to be a power in the galaxy by myself.”

When it came down to it Tegaea would be happy to take her billions of credits and devote herself to a role of philanthropist and Siobhan probably wouldn’t.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


The situation was a bit ironic. Siobhan wanted Tegaea to be involved, but it was unlikely that she'd be happy if this meant she'd have to share power. As things stood, she had the casting vote on everything. She'd grown used to being obeyed without question.


Siobhan sighed. "Firemane is very important to me. It is not just another project. I wear the crown, my employees are my subjects. I am responsible for them. Wealth is a byproduct of my power, not an end in itself. I am invested with tremendous power and possess the duty to use it responsibly. I will not allow it to succumb to weakness and collapse in ignominy." Of course, a cynic might argue that this was just a fancy way of rationalising her hunger for power. Maybe it was a bit of both.


"It...means a lot to me that you're...proud of me. Really. I've worked very hard to become more than I used to be. To make up for making a mess of things as Exarch. Lately it feels like things are coming apart by the seams," she said feelingly, sounding just a bit insecure.


The queenly mask was back on almost as soon as it had slipped. Her stance became more rigid, her tone more posh and aloof. "Regardless, your proposal has merit. So much of the Galaxy is still unexplored. There's plenty of untapped potential out there. Resources for us to exploit, cultures and nations no one has ever heard of. And we won't have to deal with myopic Jedi or meddling Eldorai blue bloods."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
And there it was, Tegaea saw confirmed what she had known possibly since the very beginning. Siobhan was an immensely powerful woman, both politically and with her personal abilities. However, she had something of an insecurity stretching back to her time at Omega before. Even now, though a vastly more talented and refined person, she still cloaked herself in pomp and ceremony and majesty.

Tegaea unexpectedly leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“I’ve always been proud of you, Siobhan, and never more so than recently. Though I have been distracted by other pursuits, I must fairly say that I wanted you to have a chance to shine. Though I’m sorry I let you down, neither the company or you have faltered.”

“I think perhaps we come at the same thing from two very different angles, which is no surprise. For me, power has never been my object, and obviously I lack the persona l power you have. I don’t have that focus inwards. For me, as silly as it sounds, the goal has been to make Firemane strong so that we could be happy and that we could leave our daughters with an inheritance.”
A pause. “The non-crazy ones anyway.” Tegs, stop lamp shading the plot and our bad luck with writers.

She put an arm around Sio. Things had gotten a little less tense. So that meant it was time to troll her wife a little!
“So, my Queen, I am glad I can please your highness!" she said with a joking smile. I'll start up with some plans when I have time away from my other duties.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Siobhan leaned into the kiss, relaxing a little bit. Perhaps it said a bit about the state of things that she still felt the need to wear the queenly mask. However, at least her posture became less rigid. "Perhaps we can find a middle ground somewhere. We've worked well together...despite our differences. In the past, we found a way to compliment one another. I've soured on the idea of passing Firemane on to any of my children. I've had...bad luck with them. Any princess of mine who wants to sit on the throne one day must earn it," she admitted, sounding more than a little bitter. "I will accet nothing less from them." The two twins could look forward to Siobhan being a good deal sterner with them. Who knew how that would turn out.


Tegs' attempt at trolling made her chuckle a bit. A thin sort of smile graced her lips. "Pleasing your Queen is a duty of the utmost importance. We expect complete dedication to this sacred endeavour. We look forward to what plans you concoct to further our glory and spread our wisdom to the farthest reaches of the galaxy," she said in what passed for a crude imitation of the way the average aristo talked. It was probably for the best not to tell Siobhan that any time she tried to use a posh accent, she sounded mentally deficient.


"Have you thought about a successor? I'll let you nominate a replacement. As Vice President. Joint CEO was your title, they're not you." The gesture was sweet, but Siobhan had chosen her words carefully. Nominate was not the same as choose. It meant she could reject a candidate. Any candidate for the VP title would have to fulfil a variety of criteria: Pretty, female, sapphic or bisexual, loyal, hard-working, competent, not a challenge to Siobhan. The 'Queen' really had some serious control issues.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
“I’ll be sure to keep an eye out,” Tegaea said to the last. “I’ll put a list of three together and you can see if any of them meet your fancy,” she replied.
She knew her wife was giving her a glorified first draft selection, but since it was the woman Siobhan would be working with she didn’t begrudge her that. Indeed, Siobhan could have chosen the successor on her own, so it was a nice gesture to Tegs. Besides, she already instinctively knew who Siobhan would like.

“Agreed. The kids need to learn value and worth. When they get older I can help them get started in the lower grades of the business. Merit, no favours. That’s how we did it, it’s how they’ll do it,” she said firmly.

She put an arm around Sio. “So, your majesty, have you got any other business for the night planned? I could cook you something if you wanted and then see about…dessert.”
The way to a woman’s heart was through her…stomach.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Part of Siobhan had been tempted to just offer the position to [member="Mirien Valdier"], but she'd decided against it. The dark woman was very talented, but she was facing her own demons, so putting that sort of pressure on her would be unfair. Moreover, it would probably be hurtful to Tegs.


Kinda, sorta love triangles were awkward to manage!


She leaned closer to Tegs, pressing her body against hers while she stole a kiss from her lips. Her wife was quite a bit taller than her, so she had to aim high! Siobhan happened to have a complex about her height. There was a reason she always insisted on wearing a throne-like chair that was bigger than anyone else's during board meetings.


"We strongly desire that you prepare a delightful meal for us...and make us...dessert," she said cornily. Her hand moved down to cup her wife's tight butt and give it a fond, possessive squeeze. Siobhan was fond of grabbing it. Especially during inappropriate moments. She broke away. "So...you think Anya will do the smart thing and let House Cadalthor stay dead or will she find one inbred parasite who's less likely to launch a coup right after getting a fancy title?"

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea grinned and gave her wife a slight smack on the rump.
“Then so shall it be, oh great one!”

At the question though she frowned.
“The Eldorai really need to get past their feudal customs. Ideally she’d just keep it, but she’ll be under pressure to hand it out to someone. Else she looks hypocritical for being enlightened but then confiscating and keeping land. My suspicion is that if she can’t find someone reliable in that family then she’ll give it to someone else.”

She thought a moment. “That…Askari girl…she’s the cousin of Tarissa isn’t she? Would she take it you think?”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


"Taking land and title away from unworthy cretins seems very enlightened to me. It's for the common good," Siobhan said without a hint of irony in her tone. If there was a contradiction, she honestly did not seem to realise that.


She frowned. "Askari? Who's that again? Oh, right, choir girl. Taldir's preachey sidekick, who follows Ice queen around like a lost puppy and can't finish a single sentence without blathering about Ashira. I can't imagine her being a good choice. She'd be a puppet for the zealots who backed Tarissa."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
“I agree with you…except the last part. If I understand Vaena correctly she is illegitimate, because apparently that still matters to the Eldorai,” Tegaea said grimly.
“Anyway, she’s spent her whole life being scorned and kicked like a stray Jester by her family. Now she’s the air they all want to fawn over her. She’s a soldier though. Yes, I think Anya could have a good ally in her. She’s pious, excessively so to my mind, but she certainly is no ally to radicals or reactionary. I suspect Anya will want to judge her herself.”

All this talk of politics was getting deep, and Tegaea wanted to ride her wife’s good mood.
“So, what would my Queen like for dinner? I got plenty of stuff in my larder.”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Siobhan preened herself. Ironically she looked a bit like Aurelia when she did that...though she was a lot hotter. "Well, if choir girl gets the title, I'm not going easy on her. She's not weaselling her way out of reparations. I want House Cadalthor to never again be in a position to threaten us. They must be crippled."


Sio, have you heard about the Treaty of Versailles?


Before she could rant more, Tegaea switched the topic. Siobhan was feeling kind of hungry. "A nerf steak and some potatoes would be nice...and then you for dessert. Preferrably in that outfit I bought from The Lady's Haven." Was it a slave girl outfit?

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
“If I know Askari from what you and Kaida have mentioned, she’ll gladly give away most of the money. To you, to the church, to charity. If you want, I’ll handle that meeting with her.”
Perhaps she knew in meta ways that Sio’s characters never got on.

“Well set the table for me, sweetie, and I’ll get started!” Tegaea said happily as she sauntered out to the kitchen. She enjoyed cooking, though usually she got the staff to tidy and clean up afterwards. What use was having a galactic megacompany if you couldn’t have someone do the washing up for you?

Either way she set to work chopping, boiling, grilling and roasting, probably whilst Siobhan watched.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]


"You can meet, if she gets the title, sure. I trust you to handle things well. Don't give her an inch though. You know how these inscrutable elves are." It seemed to escape Siobhan that she was acting like a scorned lover regarding the Eldorai.


Anyhow, the politics discussion was over, so they could move on to dinner. Siobhan's roving eye was on her wife's butt while the latter sauntered over to the kitchen. It would probably get a lot of attention during the...nocturnal activities a couple tended to indulge in.


Then she got around to setting the table, once she was finished oggling her wife's arse. Time passed, and eventually Siobhan got bored watching and walked over. Pressing her body against Tegs' back, she wrapped her arms around her. "Smells delicious, hun. Almost as good as you," she planted a kiss on wife's firemane before nuzzling her neck.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
For a moment Tegaea leaned into the embrace, but then snapped back to reality when there was a warning beep from the smoke detector.
“You are far too distracting, wifey! To the table with you!” she ordered, shooing her away with a laugh.

She turned the steaks a final time and whisked them onto a plate with the sides and brought them to the table. Presumably Siobhan had fetched some wine, so they were all ready.
Putting one down in front of her wife she took the other plate.

“Enjoy! Nerf steak with tubers, greens and a red wine marinade.”