Bulls on Parade

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | Etti IV Firemane Base



Providing training of soldiers in the Corporate Space was serious business. Delila oversaw the base of operations that saw soldiers flowing in and out at a near constant rate. Either arriving for training, headed out to far-flung assignments, or returning from tours of duty in the surrounding space. Needless to say, it was an important fixture in the web that made up Firemane Industries. It was also important to note that such operations tended to draw the attention of superiors. Today that superior would be none other than one Lady Kerrigan. Delila had not seen the woman for some time. A contentious relationship between the women coupled with recent health issues for the Lady had brought a bit of distance between them. The pressure to shine was harder than ever now.


Troops lined up in formation. Uniforms were crisp, weapons and boots were polished and shining. The grounds had been well manicured, mowed, swept, re-mulched. Flowers in red and orange hues had been planted in intricate designs in flowerbeds all over the compound. Floors polished, mirrors cleaned, everything dusted. Even Brrtyrr had been spruced up, bathed and groomed, his wild smoke-gray fur lightly trimmed. At present he walked with a skip near her feet, observing the troops with his beady black eyes.


The redhead turned her gaze to the sky where the shuttle was starting to make its presence known. Soldiers tightened up ranks and Delila clasped her arms behind her back, slowly moving to where the shuttle would land. There was no other time for preparations. It was do or die. Dells felt as if her position depended on her work ethic more than ever, especially with the broken friendship. One misstep could mean it was back to cardboard condos.


"Stay in tight formation. Looking sharp."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Delila Castillon"]


Being Siobhan's minion was sometimes like serving a certain murderous Sith Lord as an admiral. Sure, there were perks. There was always plenty of stuff to blow up, she was rich and actually paid you well. On the flip side she was a tremendously moody space diva who might turn into a raging chaos goddess any time she as feeling a bit emo. And if you were pretty and female she seemed to be under the impression you'd automatically want to join her harem.



It did not take long for the Lady Kerrigan to arrive. Well, obviously an arisocrat could take all the time she wanted and claim that it was part of being fashionably late, soon the shuttle bearing the Countess broke through the atmosphere and descended down from the heavens while the Firemane soldiers moved into formation, evidently putting a great deal of effort into creating a good show for their boss. After all, you had to look good when those came. Gracefully the shuttle descended and touched down upon the landing platform that had been prepared for it. After the shuttle's landing ramp had been lowered, the first to emerge from the craft were four Firemane elite soldiers, two taking up flanking positions on each side like an honour guard of sorts. They were all Amazons from Dahomey, resplendent in their battle armour and fully kitted out with bolt pistols at their side. It was only after the honour guard had taken up position that the woman about whom the whole was about emerged and descended down the ramp.


To say that the brunette's life had been quite eventful in the past months was probably an understatement. What with almost dying after having a run-in with Darth Shadow, her archnemesis, and being put in a coma after being spaced. Then the battle of Alderaan, where she had almost lost a good portion of her mind. Leaving aside the assorted madness that seemed to afflict this Galaxy on a daily basis. Nonetheless to all outward appearances she would appear as indomitable and proud as ever, chin held high as she walked down and surveyed the local troops that had lined up in formation before her. They had made every effort to look their very best and so did she, dressed in a shiny dark women's business suit with a skirt while her feet were tucked into expensive looking, polished leather boots. Her long dark brown mane, usually allowed to fall freely over her shoulders in more casual circumstances, was elegantly done up. Likewise she wore small earrings and a necklace with ruby gems graced her neck.


Two of her attendants, both female and dazzlingly beautiful, one an Eldorai and the other a blue Twi'lek, followed in her wake at a respectful distance. Siobhan may not be a queen but she sure knew how to make an entrance like one. As for the parade she certainly appreciated it. Siobhan had developed a thing for pomp and circumstance during her brief time as Exarch, and that had probably only gotten worse after the Eldorai Star Queen had made her a noblewoman. Yet...deep down she could not help feeling awkward. Things with Dells had been...strained lately. Hopefully they could make it through without punching each other!

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]


Siobhan entered as an Empress would. Delila expected no less honestly. The arrangement of attendants signaled to herself that Siobhan may even be above the simplest task -- such as feeding herself, and required numerous servant girls to do so. Either way, the redhead was going to be biting her tongue the entire time Lady Kerrigan was at their humble base. Troops moved in one motion to face the created aisle inwards, so their full admiration could be on Lady Kerrigan at all times. This also provided easier inspection of the soldiers, should Siobhan feel so inclined.


At her feet, Brrtyrr looked angry. Well, angry as possible for a Jester. He pranced around on little paws around Delila, sniffing the air before his beady eyes came to rest on Siobhan and her attendants.


<Orcface here?!Orcface smell bad. Make Orcface run!>


Well, they were certainly off to an excellent start. Delila made a very,very slight bowing movement. In normal circumstances she would balk at such a move. However, jobs were on the line after all. It was best her toes were firmly away from that line in the sand.


"Lady Kerrigan, a pleasure to have you at our humble Etti IV operations. You will find everything to your specifications and more."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Fortunately for [member="Delila Castillon"] Countess Kerrigan, no matter how much she loved being adored and treated as a queen, would not expect the redhead to bow even deeper kiss her hand. Naturally her fingernails were delicately manicured and looked absolutely perfect! Still, Siobhan loved parades and being the centre of attention in general. As Siobhan walked down an aisle, carrying herself as if she were royalty, with her minions falling in line behind her, her eyes ran over the assembled troops, inspecting them since their positioning made this quite easy.


As for Dells bowing...that was nice as well. Get over it, Kerri. She's never going to sleep with you. And if she did, it would probably make your issues worse, the inner voice of reason spoke into Siobhan's mind. I was not thinking that! It appeared that Siobhan was talking to herself. Given all the insane things she did, that probably did not rank very highly on the crazyness scale. I do sort of want to clear the air and mend fences you know. Yeah, it never seems to go well. You have abandonment issues. There was probably some truth to that. She noted how angry Brrtyrr looked and obviously heard his telepathic shouts. Why the little Jester hated her so much was something Siobhan did not understand. Ah well, he had not bitten her yet...well, he better not. As for the attendants, officially they were secretaries though it was quite likely that they did little in the way of sorting paperwork out and filing it. They probably spent most of their time showering Siobhan with attention and adoration.


"Thank you for the warm welcoming, Captain. I have full confidence that everything is in order and that the operations will do you credit," Siobhan said formally, though there was an element of warmth but also a great deal of haughtiness in her tone. She would have liked to speak more informally, but it did not seem the right scene for it. Besides, she was really enjoying the pomp and circumstance that accompanied her arrival. "We strongly appreciate your efforts. Please lead the way I believe we have much to discuss."

 

[Delila Castillon]

As [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] spoke, Delila noticed how it all seemed rehearsed. There was a time when the redhead remembered the other woman as a bit more off the cuff, lively and well....someone with a personality. Today it was all business suits and manicured nails. Part of her believed that the real Siobhan was locked in a cage deep in some black site facility and this was some HRD Siobhan. All the breasts, none of the personality.


"Of course, I apologize for the delay." Delila made a motion, as if to have Siobhan lead first. The redhead would fall in a half-step behind, a trick she had learned the Republic.It still allowed her to speak but gave the impression the visitor was above all others, allowing a leading position. Hands came to clasp around her back and Delila walked along, Brrtyrr hot on her heels.


<Brrtyrr dying. Brrtyrr need foods.>


"As you can see, operations have been running smoothly. Officials have reported that the soldiers we train for them are some of the best they've seen. It may be wise to think of setting up a special forces training center for this sector as well."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Delila Castillon"]


((Would you like to do a location sub for Dells' base? If yes this thread works as a dev thread.))


"You know...I wonder what would happen if your boy and Grrbyrr met. Aside from both pillaging the kitchen of course! And then...getting into a fight over the last biscuit left. And bite whoever tried to take it from them!" Siobhan suddenly said off the cuff. Perhaps she wanted to prove that she had a bit of a personality.


Then she returned to business, giving Dells a nod as she spoke, with Siobhan walking just a bit ahead of her. "Yes, I've read the reports. You've done very well out here. I agree on the special forces training. There'll surely be demand from the local forces for that. Not like there's an overarching military here. I can dispatch training staff from Dahomey if you need more people for it. In all likelihood our operations will be expanding in Sanctum space. We've been awarded a sub-contract to play security guard on their shipyard. No clue how they want to organise a navy when they're space hippies, but that's not our problem. Likewise there's the deal on Tabaqui. Our Etti IV base is the best place from which to coordinate our PMC activities in Sanctum land. Chances are you'll end up with more resources and men. I'd offer you a promotion...but you'd say no," at that she flashed the redhead a smile. Perhaps she thought that she was being terribly witty. Or making lame attempts to break the annoying awkwardness that seemed to have set in.


"By the way, I got something for you," she added as they walked further down the aisle past the ranks of assembles soldiers. One could make out the barracks, warehouses, garage and command headquarters that formed the base, likewise the defensive emplacements and turrets. The Eldorai servant girl quickly approached the pair and handed Siobhan a suitcase, which she opened to show a shiny Cylix bolt pistol. Named after the fearsome, big cats that were the apex predators of Dahomey. One of the big kitties was the mascot of Firemane's base on Dahomey.


"Cylix Bolt Pistol. Firemane's newest bolter design. Fires APEB rounds. Bloody heavy, but packs a mean punch. Your unit should receive a full delivery momentarily, but I guess being in charge has to be good for something, so you get first dibs." Aww, wasn't that a nice gift! "Oh, and you may dissolve the parade. I love lots of soldiers standing at perfect attention just for me, especially if there's plenty of hot, muscular girls who fill out the uniform in all the right places, but I think they have other things to do now."

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] (( OOC Note : Dev thread sounds good, lets sub this sucker.))



Brrtyrr didn't like to be chatted about. Nor did it seem he appreciated other Jesters. Such an independent, lone wolf trapped in a fuzzy little body. Beady black eyes narrows as Orcface mentioned the last biscuit. Impatiently he pranced around the redhead that fed him, still hungry. Nose sniffed the air, searching for the biscuit Orcface mentioned. Nothing.


Brrtyrr did the only thing he knew how to do. Immediately the little Jester got closer and clamped down on Orcface's ankle. it tasted like rotten, poisoned flesh but Brrtyrr was too angry to care. In Brrtyrr time, he clamped down for an eternity. In reality, the Jester really only held his grip for about fifteen seconds. Releasing her ankle, there was a great deal of hacking and slobber from Brrtyrr.


<Orcface taste like poison. Orcface kill Brrtyrr>


Meanwhile, Delila had dismissed the assembled troops and was taking over the bolt gun. "Oh, thank you. Quite a heavy thing." Just as she was turning the bolt gun over in her hand to inspect it is when Brrtyrr started his attack. There was no way Dells was sticking her hand down in there to break up the two. So she just sort of...stood there stupidly. Standing and not acting certainly meant she was going back to living in cardboard boxes. She did receive that offer at a far-flung royal palace to be a higher-up guard. Perhaps it was still on the table.


"Bad Brrtyrr. Go up to your bed, now."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Delila Castillon"]


Well, things were off to a good start. One might note that Siobhan and Tegaea were already aristos, albeit ones who had come from the gutter, and Dells already did not even get one with them! So there were some grounds for scepticism concerning her lasting long as a palace guard.


In any case Siobhan found herself interrupted when suddenly the Jester clamped down upon her ankle. It was only for fifteen seconds and thus over almost as soon as it began. Those fifteen seconds still hurt since Jesters had very sharp teeth. Moreover, since Siobhan was caught by surprise and yelped as the furball sunk its teeth into her.


Brrtyrr would suddenly find himself gripped by an invisible force and pulled into the air. Then he would find himself thrown into the nearest tree. Or to be more specific into the upper branches and leafs since this writer likes the little guy. Ignoring her servant girls, who were being fretful as could be expected, Siobhan turned to look at Delila, eyes rather cold. "I see you have marvellous control over your pet," she said scathingly. "Keep it away from me."

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]


"You're the one who got him." Delila needed to remind Siobhan she did not pick out the murderous Jester. "If you don't like the conditions here you are more than welcome to turn around and leave. I don't know what your problem is. It must be incredibly hard to be some type of kept woman. Sorry if this little jaunt is keeping you from your tea time and nail appointments."


A large part of Delila wanted to quit. Rip off the rank bar, hurl it on the ground and leave. For some reason the prospect of being a hermit, living in a handmade hovel with no others around was becoming an increasingly popular option her mind. A large part of her was frustrated and over everything. Delila was getting older, her patience wearing thinner and thinner as the years went on.


"Do you want to finish your grand inspection or not?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Delila Castillon"]


It appeared Dells' desire to become a hermit again would be accommodated since Siobhan had had enough. Frankly she saw no reason to bother anymore. They were no longer friends and probably had not been it for a long time. This revelation hurt her greatly, but right now she was too angry to care. She could do just fine without Delila. As a matter of fact she had done so. Truth be told she did not care that much about the incident with the Jester, but Dells' response made her angry.


"You know what, Dells. I don't know what your fething problem is, but I'm sick of it. I'm tired of your damn moping. You have a problem with the way I live my life now? Frankly, I don't care. So I'm rich now, how terrible...I have no need to justify that anymore. I fought to get where I was every step of the way. Hell, I still am. I saved your arse at Roche. I gave you another chance at Omega Pyre, then with Firemane after you ran off to play Rebel and were bloody homeless. Well, got news for you: Not everything is about you and your 'problems', but I guess it's far easier to just mope and be a queen. Well, if serving under me is such a chore, you can go. I won't waste my time running after you again. I came here wanting to mend fences, but I guess there's no point to that," she snapped icily.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]


"Am I supposed to kiss your ass for saving me? Is it something to be brought up again and again? Did you do it to shove it in my face? In that case you should have left me to die, it would have been a better fate than to have a pompous queen remind me of my mistakes at every turn."


Delila was angry beyond measure. It seemed Siobhan was only out to remind her of the good deeds when it suited her. The other woman was conveniently forgetting that she offered her a job with Firemane, Delila certainly didn't beg for it. Yes, Siobhan had saved her ass, helped her in the Protectorate. But it was certainly low of Siobhan to continuously shove it in her face. What was Dells supposed to be doing, making shrines and sacrifices to the great humanitarian that was Lady Kerrigan? Fat chance.


"I apologize for everything. For my existence, for sucking up valuable oxygen, for wasting your time when we were friends. I actually used to have a stellar time together but clearly I was simply being kept under your thumb. Clearly you were reveling in watching poor, pitiful Delila fail."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Delila Castillon"]


The only time Siobhan had shoved Roche into Dells' face was now. And while Siobhan had offered, no one had forced Dells to accetpt the job with Firemane. In retrospect it seemed to Siobhan like she had been looking at the redhead with rose-tinted glasses. That became more of a certainty with every word Dells spoke. She felt like throwing the woman into the nearest wall but restrained herself. But she could do fine without Dells. Frankly she had done so for a long time.


"If you knew me even remotely...you'd know that's not true. But I'm wasting my time trying to reason with a brat like you. You had it hard? Poor you, welcome to the world. Fortunately 'poor Dells' won't be 'kept under my thumb' anymore because I do just fine without you. You can consider yourself relieved of command and your contract with Firemane terminated."

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]


This writer finds all this amusing. Remember children : business and friendship do not mix. Had poor Delila and Siobhan not been entangled in the world of business together they would most likely be happy, shiny friends. Going to the spa, clubbing, the entire nine yards. Let this serve as a lesson for others! Perhaps in the next twenty years the air would clear and Siobhan would finally be back on the Life Day card list as well. Anyways, back to the thread in progress.....


To say Dells was surprised would be lying. In all honesty the last few months felt as if it had been leading up to this very moment. It hurt. It stung. At the same time a part of her realized that this was for the best. The environment was unhealthy for both of them. Obviously something went wrong along the way. It was the past. There was nothing Delila could do now to repair it. She wasn't even sure she wanted to.


"As you wish. Everything Firemane property will be left on the desk."


The redhead turned and disappeared inside the base. She'd have to find a box to pack her things up then scuttle around and climb up the tree for that idiot Jester. She couldn't leave little Brrtyrr behind. Even if he was a pain in her side, Brrtyrr had somehow grown on her. After a few days Delila would have to figure out what to do. At least her apartment wasn't Firemane funded. No cardboard boxes just quite yet!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

Later on perhaps Siobhan would feel sad and have doubts, perhaps even regret the vehemence of her reaction. She would not make another attempt to reach out though. If Dells could not deal with her issues, it was not her job to give her chance after chance. Everything seemed to have been leading up to this point. If this incident had not happened and resulted in Delila being sacked, then something else would have come up.


"Good. Goodbye, Dells," Siobhan said and then without a further word turned away, her attendants in tow, after making a gesture to Dells' XO, who would presumably be amongst the troops that had until a few moments ago been on parade. Presumably a number had stuck around to watch the yelling match. After all, she did still have an inspection to complete.