Do we get to spin tanks now? (Siobhan)

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"], [member="Anya Venari"]



"Her parents were dirt poor farmers. She was taken by slavers when Kaeshana was 'opened up'. Her 'master' treated her like a...toy, till her powers manifested and she roasted the pig. That was my Adril...always fiery. She ended up being taken in by the Jedi and trained by them," Siobhan spoke as she approached the memorial, tone solemn and respectful, with a strong note of affection. It probably did not take a genius level intellect to figure out that they had been more than just teacher and student!


"She saved my life from scum on Nar Shaddaa. I would've been dead or a slave if not for her," she added as she walked towards the monument before she was forced to stop, wincing as pain shot through her. "Just a moment," she spoke between ragged breaths, panting.


Like it or not, she was not the woman she used to be. More than a decade of battering ramming had taken a toll on her body, though she did her best to ignore this until the pain become too great to blot out. "We fought Sith, pirates and slavers together. Even faced a demon. Often things were...easy, but I know she loved me. She gave her life on Manaan to defeat an massive abomination from hell. To save my life." More to the point, Adril had fought an eldritch abomination that looked and acted like Cthulhu.

 

[Glade]

Tiniest step behind, she stayed by Siobhan, fascinated appreciation connected her to Adrils memorial, statue bright, catching Kaeshana’s sun. Today was clear, and couldn’t have been a nicer day for Adril’s statue blazing away, almost kinda knocked her off her feet.

Slave, to Jedi, people missing her, she’d “changed everythin’” about how life was goin’ to be, “she was free,” Nato said happily, feeling teary eyed, and touching her friend’s arm to show she was there. Scooting around a bit when Sio stopped, through windswept hair she peeked a look. Sio was tough, she’d be okay, please, a little voice inside said. “And she freed everybody else,” that same inner voice and hope encouraging. Concern for her friend, emotion for the moment so important, and feeling Adril’s huge statue close. A statue she wanted to be like! She’d decided, now she had two people to live up to!

The kiffar would lend any weight to Sio to ease her pain, and you just try to stop her! So small but so determined when she was going to help.

“Jedi Knight, Angelii and Defender of the Faith
Brave in life, valiant in death, eternal in memory”

Reading off her memorial, and helping Sio with her petite arms, more her heart and want for her to stand pain free, than actual strength doing anything.

Stories, she loved stories, and would give anything to hear another right now. Blinking attentively, “you two went through everythin’, nothin’ takes that away” memories, so many memories. Nato smiled “I think she loved you too,” she didn’t know why she said that, she just did.

Memories and More

Touching Adril’s memorial, palm pressing to, connecting with past and present memories. Others that had been here, other people watching or touching, smiling or admiring, and then she sensed, saw… an image looking back in her mind. Her world slowed down, heartbeats becoming slower… and she turned her head to her side.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
[member="Anya Venari"]

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

A breeze blew through the trees, the wind sighing slightly through the branches.

To Natol’ine it would seem like a misty outline had appeared beside her. Shimmering like dew in the morning sun a transparent woman stood there looking up at the statue. Her dark hair was still despite the breeze in the real world.

“A decent job,” the shade said. “Is my nose really that bad though?” it continued to ask.
It turned to Natol’ine, head tilted to the side. Something seemed to click. “You can see me, can you not?” she asked. It was indeed Adril Tythorin, spectral robes still about her thin shoulders.

“You are Siobhan’s new Apprentice? What is your name?” Then, in a note of urgency. “Keep touching the monument…or else the contact will break! I have waited so long for this….”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"], [member="Valiens Nantaris"],



"Yes...that she did. My Adril," Siobhan spoke her name with clear fondness in her tone. As much as it rankled her that she had shown weakness in front of her student and that the petite Kiffar needed to help her!


Siobhan had her pride after all, but it seemed there was no dislodging the girl. Besides, it was...sweet, though she would probably not admit to that. With a strong limp and a deep, profound sigh Siobhan stepped towards the memorial, one hand tracing across the memorial. "Hey, Adril," she said softly. The inscription she did not need to read, for she knew the words by heart, and they could not convey what the Eldorai had meant to her.


A gentle breeze blew through the trees and she heard the sigh of the wind, which kissed her skin. However, for the moment at least Siobhan seemed off in her own world, seemingly oblivious to everything else. Likewise it seemed that she could not see the spectral form of Adril.

 

[Glade]

Nato didn’t know whose memory she had wandered in to, but things were really vivid. Wind was brushing her skin, living Adril’s memory seconds after she had it, she sensed wind from Adril’s spirit too, ummm what’s going on.

Feeling Adrils satisfaction but concern about her nose she touched her own, could she see her, yes but “echoes,” Nato whispered to the shimmering outline. She sunk deeper toward their shared living memory, having experienced nothing like it before.

Hearing her own voice from Adril’s memory was really drawing her in, everything else fading but that echo. She maybe looked a bit clearer, but Nato lost some sight of her own world as a result. Like always Sio’s voice was what she concentrated on, swaying a bit against the statue and Siobhan. Woah, head rush.

“Yep, ummm hey,” suddenly she felt Adril’s concern that her hand would leave, she almost did just that pulling her hand back in reaction! Then she pushed hard to the monument, like she had to be there, like she’d been waiting forever to be there and say these words! Nato’s voice took on that urgency, experiencing her connection's worry. “Natol’ine! You're her, please please please don’t go.” Nato’s words and thoughts, but Adril’s emotion.

“Sio... Sio! Do you see her too!” Nato sighed relieved, not knowing Siobhan was talking about the statue. Looking right past it, to where that special someone stood.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Adril Tythorin"]

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Natol'ine"]
The shade turned to Siobhan. “Siobhan, my love,” she said, smiling. The smile faded slightly when she saw that only Natol’ine could see her.

“I am her. I am Adril Tythorin…or I was anyway. For now call me the ghost of Eldorai past perhaps. I have not been able to interact with the mortal realm since we were all in the Netherworld. I do not know how long that has been.”

The spirit approached closer. “Can you tell Siobhan that I love her still. Tell her…tell her she’s made me proud. Tell her…” Adril trailed off. “Tell her it’s time soon for me to go forever, and that she should do what she’s done, move on, live her life and we will see each other again when the time comes. Tell her she will always be my first and only true love….”

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Adril Tythorin"], [member="Natol'ine"]


"What...Adril, is she here?" Siobhan suddenly exclaimed, shaking out of her musings by Nato's words. She looked around, but to her at least there was no sign of her dead lover and teacher.


She had not seen her spectral shape ever since Adril had led her and her family out of the netherworld. "You can see her...why can't I? Did she say anything to you?" Abruptly a change seemed to have taken place in Siobhan. Far from being calm like before her voice was choked with emotion. "Adril?"

 

[Glade]

“Yes! She’s here Siobhan, right there!” Excited she let go of Sio to give her friend room to reach.

Full of empathy and expressionist in the extreme, when Adril smiled, Nato beamed experiencing her memory, “I see her memory Sio, she’s speaking right now,” Nato laughed with joy, then she felt that tinge, tugging at her heart when they couldn’t see each other, even without empathy. Heartbreaking, so close, and not able to hug, Nato's eyes were already hazy with emotion.

Short time behind Adril’s words Sio’s student spoke, not wanting to miss anything.

“Siobhan she doesn’t know how long she has been away, she’s been in nethers.”

Adril came closer, and Nato squidgy closer too toward Adril’s memory and her monument, the most important thing in the world that she got every word. “She loves you, she…. You made her proud.” Voice trailing off too with adril’s, poised, hanging on that silence.

Her student turned to Sio, her own emotion mixed in too, “You should do what you’ve done, move on, live. She will be going soon forever”, Nato’s voice matched Adril’s memories more closely, still Nato's pitch but different, becoming their link, and a medium to speak.

“but you will see each other again when the time comes, and” Nato had clear tears in her eyes because they couldn’t see each other. Her smile didn’t fade, voice strengthening confidently, “You will always be her first and only true love...”

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Adril Tythorin"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"], [member="Adril Tythorin"]


"She has to go forever...what do you mean? Does she mean Eldorai heaven? I...I still need her. She can't just," Siobhan's head was spinning as she tried to wrap her mind around these words.


Along with that the pain in her leg was flaring up again and she gripped the monument for support as she tried to stabilise herself. Move on with her life and do what she was doing...did Adril even know what awful fate would soon befall her homeworld and her people? The terrible disaster that Siobhan would be utterly incapable of stopping, no matter how hard she tried.


"I suppose it's time to...move on," she said softly with an air of finality and a sigh. The truth was, she had moved on. With Tegaea, and now also with Mirien. And she was no longer a student looking for guidance. "Goodbye...Adril. You'll always have a place in my heart. I'll never stop loving you."

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Natol'ine"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Adril’s spirit seemed a little crestfallen, even hurt. Perhaps, even now, she expected Siobhan to tell her the same thing. Her inherent self-centred nature meant that she probably never considered, even after seeing Siobhan’s wife and daughter, that she was anything but her one true love.

“You don’t need me anymore, Siobhan. You’ve become far greater than I could ever have been. You have gone beyond what I ever could have expected. You are brilliant…you are my greatest legacy.”

She reached out a ghostly hand and touched Siobhan’s cheek, a slight chill would pass to Siobhan.

“Goodbye Siobhan. It’s time for me to go.”

 

[Glade]

Experiencing Adril’s hurt, holding her free hand to her chest, feeling her memory deeply, she felt expectancy too, even empathised with her different but similar need to hear words of validation from her family, words that never would come.

But words came here for them both, she could help, her voice stronger, assuring like Adril's. “You don’t need me anymore, Siobhan. You’ve become far greater than I could ever have been. You have gone beyond what I ever could have expected. You are brilliant…you are my greatest legacy.”

Seeing Adril reaching for Sio’s cheek and Sio struggling to stand was too much for the Kiffar girl. Pangs rose up tears streaming, her heart spilling out, and she went deeper into Adril’s memory connecting on a personal level, so deep she might seem to fade a little from view.

“Goodbye Siobhan. It’s time for me to go.”

Pushing to that monument, that moment to make it last. Adril’s hand…. her form… Sio! They had to see each other! Putting herself into her memory completely, Adril's hand started to appear, then her face, her form, a blink of time. Giving Adril her energies completely. Not thinking, doing. Fading a little more Nato propped herself against their pillar, and tried to support Sio to stand. Teary eyes looking to her friend and Adril, teary smiling that they had this.

One last touch

[member="Adril Tythorin"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"], [member="Adril Tythorin"]


One last touch. One last look.


Such a simple thing, yet it meant the world to Siobhan. She felt the ripples resonate through the Force and then suddenly she felt Adril's spectral hand upon her cheek, a slight chill passing to her at the contact. However, it did not stop at that, for she could not only feel Adril, but see her as the spectre manifested before her eyes in a blink of time.


She looked as beautiful as Siobhan had always remembered her. Looking upon the spectre, Siobhan smiled thinly. There would have been tears in her eyes, but the bionics had not been designed with such a function in mind. There sadness in her look, but something else as well...acceptance.


It was time to let go. Her teacher had passed the torch to her. "Thank you, Adril...goodbye. I'm alive because of the choices you made. I owe it all to you. We'll meet again in Eldorai heaven." And so she accepted and let go. Maybe the wound inside Siobhan, the one inflicted by Adril's loss on that awful day on Manaan, could now finally heal.

 

[Glade]

“Bye Adril.” Nato whispered gently.

Their moment, she held that moment and memory as long as she could for them. Nato cried for her Master and Adril, in droves, enough for both. Eventually flumping down, head dipped, and hair hanging messy down her face. The Kiffar was back from Adril’s memory, exhausted and weak. She scooted over, throwing her little arms around Sio.

She didn’t say anything, just held there, head on her Master’s arm, memorial above them, and moment in her mind behind but forever.

Fin for Nato

[member="Adril Tythorin"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Natol'ine"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

As Nato fell exhausted the image wavered. The last glimpse Siobhan would get would be of her former teacher and lover raising a silent hand to her in farewell.

Then, only silence.

Adril Tythorin, at last, had gone to rest.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Adril Tythorin"], [member="Natol'ine"]


It was over. Adril had vanished and gone to rest. She was alone. No, she was not alone. Far from it. There had probably been no time in her life when she was surrounded by more people she cared for, loved or was in some manner responsible for. Family, loved ones, students, minions.


And though Adril had left her, she still carried the memory of their time together. More to the point, she was her legacy and would carry on her teachings, without blindly following them. Nor did she need to seek out idols to follow and hero-worship. Be they Adril or Tegaea.


With a heavy sigh she leaned against the wall of the monument, one hand gripping her cane while the other wrapped around Nato's waist. "Thank...thank you so much for this," she spoke.

 

[Glade]

Rosey red cheeks, running with tears, she sniffed, bobbing her head a bit, and sighing, peeking up from her Master’s arm. She let go, propping herself back against Adril’s monument too beside her master, and fixing her wet face.

“No biggy” Nato said smiling, still crying in parts, pffftttttt she blew her hair out of her eyes, shaking some strands free. Was a biggy for them, but, yeah, and lot for her little heart to take on. She'd do it all again if she could. Fffffff, she smiled, a bit brighter than before.

“I’m a mess,” she dabbed her eyes with her sleeve, and looked up into Kaeshana’s sky, concerned about her appearance. Nice view, watching clouds starting to form, maybe rains were comin'. “Sio,” she hesitated and hrmmed, “like, do we just meet people when, y'know, we need to” her being here, when Adril and Sio needed her. Sio and Cory being there when Nato needed them. Everything kind of fell into place.

Then a gentle patter of rain started to hit her face.
[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


"That's a tad too deep for me. Not one to put much stock in fate or the 'will of the Force'. But...maybe sometimes," Siobhan said softly, sounding a bit tired but satisfied..content. Like a weight had been lifted from her shoulder.


Clouds had formed up ahead, rain dropped down, first only gentle patters, then soon the rain intensified and it was pouring with rain. Siobhan looked a bit annoyed as drops of rain dripped down her cheek then, taking a breath, exerted her power to manifest a telekinetic sphere around both of them, keeping them clean from the rain. "And just at the right moment Kaeshana sends us its loveliest weather," she joked. "You hungry? We can go to my villa...and train later there."

 

[Glade]

Covering up her question Nato blurted out a laugh, will of the force, that was Nato being all Sera-like, not wanting Sio to think bad of her even now, especially now, deflecting her fears. “Maybe,” Nato repeated softly too, she liked to think that life wasn’t all bad, things or people kinda helped when you needed them, like Sio for her, and hung onto her maybe.

Bubble up! No more wet face! Usually full of energy, that, whatever that was she'd just done, had really taken her zing from her step, she had to pull herself up Adril’s monument. Same perky smile as always greeting Sio about their rain. “I didn’t bring my coat!” She teasted, happy to have her Master’s bubble, completely unused to Kaeshana’s weather, “um does it rain a lot?”

Was Nato hungry? She didn’t want to get any fatter, not really eating much since her Sith poison was taken away, she was really, really hungry but also turned off food. “Villa!” That was that, she was up and excited again. Sudden rush of energy, “we get to see your home?” A small squee of excitement almost came out, Sio could probably guess by now that was a “yep!”

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Natol'ine"]


It was a bit ironic that there was perhaps no planet with more 24-hour takeaways than Kaeshana. See, Eldorai had a very fast metabolism! The Galaxy's equivalent of French fries had become quite popular!


"Yeah, but don't think I'm up for flying right now, unfortunately," Siobhan said, feeling a bit embarrassed at the admission. It had once been an activity that brought her so much joy and was something she had used often in combat, but now it was...rather tiring. The truth was, her doctors had said that she might never be up to her old shape again. As a matter of fact, Doctor Osway had said she would never be really comba-capable anymore.


She dismissed that claim. "I'll call us a speeder." And so they had to wait a few moments before a Firemane speeder swooped down through the air, whilst the raining was still pouring down upon the city. A minion would open the door of the vehicle for Nato and Siobhan would limp towards it and embark.


Within a short span of time, they would be in the air again, only this time in a less cool and badass way! The speeder would fly over the city of Santaissa and past the military-style complex that was Firemane headquarters, before reaching a very beautiful villa.

 

[Glade]

“Too wet to fly,” Nato chirped up happily, seemingly oblivious that Sio’s physical condition might ever stop her being the hero she always thought of her as, being there when she needed her had tinted Sibby very rose colored. Rose tinted glasses inherited? You betcha! That was a rolemodel image that wasn’t going anywhere. “Will I fly one day?” Nato looking up into rain bouncing off their shared bubble, poking it with her finger. She wondered could she maybe? Yep! she would totally fly or spin fast when she was stronger, moving her mouth side to side. Maybe.

Hopping up their speeder spritely, she pushed anything out of their way for her Master to clear their seat. “Comfy,” Nato said happily, maybe sensing a little bit of Sio’s embarrassment that she was feeling tired, ”can relax and pop our feet up.”

Soon as they reached Sio's home, you couldn’t stop her, she even did a spin on her foot pirouetting, taking a loooong look, and throwing her arms out expressively. “You live here!” Huuuugge, her jaw dropped, great big gate, landing pads, at least three floors! “Wow, do you have servants and stuff? A pool?”

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]