Pay-Day [HK+CarryGun+Moross]

[Ereza]

Inari blinked at the strange adieu bid by [member="HK-36"] but offered him a respectful nod farewell all the same, hopeful that it would not the last time they meet on good terms. After he departed, Inari turned her attention back to [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] and made to lead her further into the ship where they could continue their discussion at their leisure. Curiously enough, Soliael had already taken his leave. Inari mentally checked her rising concern and instead focused on the woman walking beside her.

She wondered at the briefings of the Crusade that had apparently passed Sio's desk while she was Exarch.

"Nothing too terrible, I would hope," she offered with a light smile before becoming distracted by something, "Colonel ... your associate, what he said about ... Ropos,"

And 'the Ropos ropo when Ropo ropos Ropo.' echoed briefly in her thoughts. Inari looked on, perplexed.

"what does it mean?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Amorella Mae"], [member="HK-36"]

"No, Aesir. Suffice to say I was not concerned about Moross stabbing us in the back as soon as we turned around. I could not say the same about several of our other neighbours," Siobhan responded with a thin smile. A blunt reply, but meant to be positive. Admittedly the whole 'Axis of Evil' thing never went anywhere beyond a single thread and some OOC angst and as far as this writer recalls Siobhan would not even know about it IC, but she had a rather suspicious mindset and it did not take a genius to figure out that several of the Protectorate's neighbours had entertained ideas of aggrandising themselves on its territory.

Of course, that was the way of great powers and there was no purpose in flailing about it. The moment you claimed a spot on the map you had to be prepared to expand, face invasions and fight for what was yours, otherwise you had no place in playing in the big league in the first place.

As for the ropos, well..."I am not sure. He's a great comrade to have in battle, but a bit...eccentric...but then he's been around for four millennia. And is really fond of Ropos."

 

[Ereza]

"Ah," replied the Aesir, blinking and no less confounded than before. She smiled still, attempting to maintain this light-hearted state after such an atrocious battle was either in poor form, or something to be appreciated. One couldn't dwell on things that one couldn't change, after all, merely be better prepared for next time.

"I have never seen one in the flesh. They seem such pleasant things." Yes, no wonder they were loved by the droid, excuse me, Colonel.

Their footsteps were no longer echoing hollowly, but being overtaken by the din of the rather over-burdened ship.

"It is not in our nature to be deceitful," Inari spoke as she lead Siobhan towards the bridge of the frigate, "at least, not by those who would have any power to see it through. The followers of Aatrox generally do not enjoy such luxuries," but then, the woman's thoughts lingered on a certain dark-skinned man of whom she had not the pleasure of his company for almost a month, "forgive me, I've gotten ahead of myself. May I offer you the Book of Moross? If for nothing more than better understanding, of course."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Amorella Mae"]

Siobhan thought for a moment then nodded. Not like they were asking her to convert so there was no need to go on a hypocritical rant! She had never been what one would call a spiritual person - one of the reasons she had never fit in amongst the Jedi since she most of the time did not even pay lip service to their views on the Force. That said publicly at least she showed a great interest in Eldorai religion, their rites and festivals. Of course, there were good reasons to assume that her participation in those had strong ulterior motives!

Of course, there were many things about the Eldorai Matriarchy and their Gods that the common space elves did not know, even the high-born nobles. Much like the Morossian crusader would be in the dark about their Gods being mortals, though the secrets of the Eldorai had been buried deeply in a primeval past so that even their rulers had come to believe the myth. Perhaps knowing the dark secrets of her adopted homeworld made Siobhan more inclined to be diplomatic than she would have been a few years ago. Or it was her simply trying to adjust to a business environment, though she was still the sort more inclined to use a book like a club!

She noted that the Aesir seemed distracted for a moment, but thought nothing of it. Not like it was her business. "No apology needed. And thank you. I would appreciate that, Aesir," she said politely as she was guided towards the bridge of the vessel. "Knowing and understanding those you work with is important after all. Likewise I'd be glad to answer questions you might have about the Eldorai and Firemane Industries. In the same interest. And because we look forward to doing business in the future."

 

[Ereza]

"I agree completely," replied the Aesir good-naturedly, the pair now escorted through the tumult of the halls by her arriving White Guard. Each Guard bore a pristine white cloak with gold trim over a full set of otherwise battered, scarred, blood-marked ghastly armor in the colors of their own chosen Gods: Blood red for Ithari, Bronze for Salee, and the Silver of Kalee. The effect was often disorienting for most, and that was wholly the point. Not only did it mark them as the prestigious elite of Morossian soldiers and warriors, but as the personal guard to the Aesir Inari.

After all, one couldn't expect the Reviver to defend herself with kind smiles and warm gestures.

They entered the bridge finally - one of the few places of the frigate that wasn't overrun by countless injured and refugees of the downed ships. Inari spent several minutes receiving reports by the Captain on all the efforts made to clean up and evacuate remaining ships. Satisfied with reports, she gave the order to bring her people home. Wounds needed mended, ships needed repaired, and morale needed a well-deserved reward.

"What's your preferred poison, Colonel Kerrigan?" Inari asked, "I'll be sure there's plenty awaiting you at the feast hall."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Amorella Mae"]

The relentless offensive of crimson, bronze and silver coloured armour along with impeccable, gold trimmed white cloaks was indeed a bit disorientating at the start for Siobhan, though once her eyes adjusted she did not mind. Her days as Exarch had usually been defined by the seemingly unending bureaucratic tedium of petitions, meetings, meetings and more meetings, but she had liked the pomp and circumstance that came with it, at least on those occasions when she actually got the time to bask in it. Perhaps the sight made her feel a bit nostalgic. Of course there were planets where she was still treated like a queen, as ironic as that was given that she had come from the gutter.

Finally they were on the bridge and Siobhan was quiet for a moment before Inari addressed her, while the Moross deity went over the reports she had received. It appeared the Morossians were making satisfactory progress when it came to clean-up duties in the system. Still, the detritus of war remained, along with the human and material cost. Conquest was not as straightforward an affair as holovids might have one believe. The Silken Asteroids had fallen to the Crusade, only time would tell what the future would hold for it and how it would proceed further. Siobhan had her own thoughts about the political and strategic landscape in this corner of space, but then she was out of the game since she and Tegaea had retired.

She frowned slightly at Inari's question and looked a bit perplexed, perhaps proving that she was not sharpest lightsabre in Firemane! Well, the only other lightsabre-wielder was not a genius either, but still. It took her a few seconds before she understood what the Aesir meant! Doubtless her good friend the Eldorai Star Queen would troll her about this.

"Oh, right, drink. My apologies. Did not immediately catch the reference," Lady Kerrigan responded, flushing slightly. "I like Naboo wine, thank you. I'll need to change before. Beskar'gam offers excellent protection, but I guess it's...not the most fitting or comfortable thing to wear to a festival," she gave a thin smile at that. More to the point it was bloody heavy since it was like the armour of a tank and by now her shoulders were sore from wearing it the whole time!

 

[Ereza]

Inari chuckled and gave a cursory nod to the woman, blue eyes ever-curiously searching her figure within all that metal.

"Of course, of course. There will be plenty of time for you to wash up if you like, find something more comfortable. Please, my personal chambers are yours to use when we arrive at Exocron. I cannot hardly imagine what it must be like in that suit, the closest I have to armor is this mask and it doesn't offer much. Is your armor very heavy? I understand certain metals are deceivingly lightweight."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Amorella Mae"]
Siobhan had taken her helmet off before meeting the Aesir along with HK, so her attractive but viciously scarred face, covered in sweat from her exertions, was exposed to examination. One of her eyes was bionic, though given its sophistication it would not be easy to discern unless one knew what one was looking for. Her dark brown mane, usually allowed to fall over her shoulders, had been tied back during the battle.

The rest of her was covered in heavy, blood red beskar armour, custom made upon request by Field Marshal Ordo. She gave the Aesir a grateful smile. "Thank you for being so gracious. It's 20 kg, 25-35 with field pack or jet pack. So, yes, rather heavy. Feels confining at times. On the other hand it's like wearing the armour of a tank and strongly lightsabre resistant. Means I have far less of a risk of losing limbs. That's always painful when it happens and wifey gets upset," she said wryly. It had become a bit of a running joke first in the ranks of Omega Pyre and later in Firemane that Siobhan kept getting crippled or losing limbs in battle. Contrary to what [member="HK-36"] said, this was much exaggerated!

 

[Ereza]

Inari did note that Sio was quite pretty for someone who saw so much battle. There were visible scars, of course, and the Aesir's eidetic memory implanted each one for permanent recollection. A bright expression lit her face, ever eager to hear such stories from the more experienced citizens of the galaxy. Much like the nights Vascious Relens spent regaling his young niece with stories of war and faraway planets and a time long since passed, she would happily hunker down to listen.

Only, this wasn't exactly the best place for story time. The setting was all wrong.

She opted to take an interest in the helmet Sio held under her arm, "Fascinating. May I...?" the Aesir gestured to the helmet, indicating she wished to look at it more closely, "have you lost many limbs, Colonel?"

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Amorella Mae"]

"Of course. Feel free," Siobhan responded, passing over the helmer to Inari for her inspection. She paused for a moment before responding to her question. Not that she did not like telling tales about her 'heroism', combat prowess and such or felt diminished, less than human or something like that due to having artificial limbs. Talking about getting maimed was still not pleasant. Moreover, while bionics gave her enhancements in some ways they also represented a weakness due to her strong vulnerability to lightning and EMP based attacks.


"An eye, hand and a leg," her mechanical eye flared up for a moment, as if on cue. There was a flash behind her eyes from the buried robotic photoreceptors before it faded back to the more normal human brown. "Lost the replacements for the first two...a couple times. Got my body broken a few more - killing the Bando Gora Prophet, fighting the Lotek'k. Not a pleasant experience. The nurses at the Firemane hospital claims there's a wing there named after me. Not sure whether they're joking or for real!" She was not entirely sure whether the Aesir wanted an actual description of how she had lost significant limbs, so she left that out at this point. They had just come out of a battle, just walked past ranks of Moross soldiers being sped to the medbay for their wounds to be tended, so the setting seemed a bit...wrong to her for her war story time right now, though she looked like she appreciated the interest. After all, she loved sharing war stories of the 'glory days'!

 

[Ereza]

She took the helmet with gentle hands, and likely it looked all wrong. Inari did not wear nor even have armor - this what what her White Guard was for, at least that is what her followers would say. Those who had been present on Manpha or on the ship during Silken would claim she had no need for such trivial things. She was a God, after all, one who was quite capable of protecting herself just as well as she protected her people.

The truth of the matter was much simpler. The face behind Inari had never taken to combative training, and though through her family she had all the resources to commission the finest custom armor in the galaxy, it simply wasn't something she desired. Much like the use of a lightsaber or a dagger. You might as well try to arm-up butterfly. You might have more luck, too.

"That is remarkable," she was looking now at Siobhan, her words directed at the woman. Seemed the helmet wasn't too heavy for her own strength, but it was certainly interesting all the same. Not quite as interesting as a cybernetic eye, however. "Do you find that they ... feel ... the same? As your natural flesh, I mean. Metaphysically speaking."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Amorella Mae"]

Siobhan noted with interest how curious Inari seemed to be as she examined the proffered helmet, then her eye. It was interesting to see a person, a human being, behind the appearance of being a God. Truth be told when she came to the Silken Asteroids Siobhan had expected something more along the lines of bombastic 'deities' who had fully swallowed their own press and constantly tried to project an aura of omnipotence. Of course, so far she had only talked with Inari, beyond having briefly seen the one they called Neth during the payment negotiations, but nonetheless it was a surprise, albeit not an unpleasant one.


Wait, metaphysical? She was not quite certain what that meant. Moira had used that name term, in connection with a very long-winded memo about Bando Gora mythology that somehow tied in with entechment, the question of whether there was a soul and biowarfare...but then every Moira memo demanded biowarfare.


"I have not really asked myself that question. They seem and feel real to me," she responded finally, experimentally flexing the fingers of her bionic hand. "Most of the time I don't notice the difference unless, well, they get damaged and I see the metal beneath. Certainly feel better than the artificial hand and eye I had when I was with the Jedi. Those looked and felt like they'd been cut off from an old battle droid found in the storage. I have my wife to thank for the ones I have now. So I do not feel...diminished in my humanity, if that is what you were asking."

The 'robot girl' look from the past had admittedly upset her, tying in with her vanity. She was a proud woman after all.

 

[Ereza]

Inari offered a warm smile, "Technology is such a miraculous thing," and indeed her mortal self would agree. But where Amorella Darke was the heiress to a planet and a company that invested billions into technology, spewing out product after product to fuel the war machine of the galaxy, Inari was quite the opposite.

"You say your wife was responsible for your ... emplacements. Who made them, if you do not mind me asking?" The craftmanship and quality was certainly top notch, to which Inari openly admired them as much as she could. Her smile faltered for a split second, thoughts drifting shortly to Soliael. He would have enjoyed speaking with the Colonel about these sorts of things.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Amorella Mae"]

"I'm afraid I don't recall the exact company that designed them, but a Doctor Liana Osway was responsible for the transplant and the procedure involved. She's a specialist in cybernetics." Said doctor was a green Twi'lek, as surprising as this might seem given how the mass media stereotyped them as strippers and servants. Her sister happened to be a Doctorate Professor at the University of Corellia. Both were NPCs, though obviously since Siobhan did not possess 4th wall breaking knowledge she would be unaware of that term.

Just as she would not know what the terms 'dominoing' and 'major faction' meant, though she had helped Moross add Ceto to their influence cloud by having a cameo appearance. Osway ran a tight ship of virtue and ensured that while Siobhan was in her care she was deprived of access to 'inappropriate' magazines and movies.

"I owe my life to a Jedi Master though, [member="Coryth Elaris"]. Well, she's not a member of their Order but she's more than earned the title. A phenomenal healer, probably the kindest, gentlest soul I've ever encountered. She saved my life after the battle of Gehenna."

 

[Ereza]

"It is good to know that there are others in this galaxy willing and able to do so," Inari responded softly. The skill and art of Healing was a rare gift indeed and seldom more than a handful of truly gifted Healers ever existed at once throughout the stars. Inari believed this to be part of the galaxy's natural way of balancing things, to equate the population of truly, dastardly, skillfully destructive beings. It was why there existed both malignant and benign Gods within the Pantheon of Moross.

"Aesir, ETA to Exocron is ten minutes. Shall I ready your transport?"

"Yes. Ensure the wounded are moved first and the Healing Centers are equipped to receive them."

"Of course, Bright One."

Inari looked to [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] once more, "Have you been to Exocron before, Colonel?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Amorella Mae"]

Perhaps ironically, given that Inari the Reviver was also Amorellae Mae, heiress to the Queen of Kuat, in another thread Siobhan had been enobbled as a Countess by the Eldorai Star Queen. However, that thread took place a good deal after the Silken Asteroids invasion, so presently she was just Firemane's Vice President and had to cope without a fancy title!

As for the healing arts, Siobhan had no talent for them at all. Her affinity for the Force revolved around its destructive aspects, so she took its energies and harnessed them into a bludgeon. She could appreciate those who devoted themselves to the art of healing rather than destroying though, not the least because otherwise she would probably be dead!

In response to Inari's query Siobhan shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I haven't. This is the first time I have been in Moross space actually, Aesir. Looking forward to seeing the planet. What is it like?"