Shadows of the Past

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Hevana Martin"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Mirien Valdier"], [member="Anemone Nivalis"]


The slap was not that strong by Hevana's standards, but still bloody stung. Of course, Siobhan was a bit of a masochist and the two ladies had had an...interesting relationship before the scout trooper decided to turn monogamous. So the squeal that escaped Siobhan's throat might have equally been motivated by pain and pleasure.


"Hey, you could at least give me a kiss after that! And wear a leather outfit," Siobhan grumbled. It occurs to this writer that at some point or the other Siobhan had slept with almost every single woman in the room - including Naamah incidentally, though Siobhan would have been in the dark about who that woman was even without her mindwipe. The sole exception was Delila Castillon, who much to Siobhan's frustration was wholly immune to her 'charms'. The redhead was truly a special snowflake.


Eyes narrowed when Tegaea said that there had been an encounter with Shadow. For the moment all levity and lightheartedness vanished from her features, her tone turned focused and serious. "So he's back. You have to tell me all about what happened." The tone strongly suggesting sooner rather than later. With that she threw the sheets aside and arose from her bed, feeling a bit unsteady on her legs, but able to walk. She was not a bloody invalid after all.

 

[Anemone Nivalis]

Anemone blinked, almost confused as she watched Miri slide from the room, seemingly in search of something.Her head shook lightly, as if trying to force her brain to refocus her thoughts. It was then that she looked back toward Tegs, a small slipping from her lips. Knowing what she had to do, Anemone released the tight clutch on the chart in her arms, hand extending out with towards the wife of the woman who had 'initiated' her...Oh god... Was she the other woman? That was so never what she wanted,,

Hair tasseling about, she shook her head slightly to focus once more. "I know I wasn't supposed to have this.. I wasn't supposed to even see this. It's why there are rules, ethics. I mean, I didn't get it before but I get it now, but I still shouldn't have. But now I've seen it and I can't unsee it, so.." Her words stopped suddenly, taking a few seconds to compose herself. Now, she was rambling... Who knows what Tegs thought of her at this point, but she still needed to talk. Exhaling softly, the always awkward doctor started again. "Okay, I don't know if they told you everything.. About her, and what's going on. So, you didn't hear this from me.. She took some damage, as I'm sure you can tell. She was lucky it was only her memories that were lost. That said, we're not out of the woods yet. I can't see her scans, so I don't know how much damage was actually done, but there is a chance that she may never regain those memories. As a matter of fact, there's a chance things can get much worse.."

Anemone sighed, brushing the hair from her face as she made her best attempt at staying composed. "If I'm wrong, then all we have to do is give her time, and like the rest of the body, her brain will heal itself. She'll be able to retain new memories, and remember past ones. But, if there's the possibility that the damage might need to be repaired.. As in...surgery.. Brain surgery.." At this point, she bit her own lip, mentally prepared to be scolded. It was what usually happened in this soft of circumstance...to her at least.

[member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Tegaea Alcori"]



Delila had been standing semi-silently by the door for some time. Others were shuffling around and looking concerned. Did the redhead look concerned? No. Now she was being quite serious this time, no mention of exploding breasts or the like. However....the soldier had seen brain damage in war time and time over. Often times the person wasn't the same. Or missing a huge chunk of their life. There really wasn't much that could be done in the interim. Siobhan was alive and seemingly in good spirits. What else could one ask for?


Slipping between the assembled crowd, Delila took a seat on the chair next to Siobhan's bedside. She was getting old and standing was hard on the knees after all. Even though the situation was awkward! Who knows what Siobhan remembered last. Having lost her memory the woman wouldn't know that there was a spat between the two before this event. Or maybe she would sense it. Siobhan was never good at sensing anything though.


"So....Think Tegs is going to let you blow this joint soon?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

It was probably for the best that Siobhan was not able to hear the conversation between [member="Anemone Nivalis"] and [member="Tegaea Alcori"]. It would probably have significantly dampened her high spirits and sent her nerves into overdrive. As it was she was left with Dells. That was good, from Siobhan's perspective.

After all, she did not remember their recent series of spats. So as far as she was concerned Dells was a good friend. And now she had finally returned to her...come back to work for Firemane, that is. No, Siobhan did not have abandonment issues at all. "Don't think so. She worries a lot...well, guess I can't blame her. One of us has to. For a change I'm in a hospital for something other than maiming," she tried to joke, but her words fell a bit flat. She grimaced slightly as she felt the splitting headache rear its head again. The levity masked concerns that she was trying to hide. Had she only lost memories? Would she regain them?


Shadow was back, out there and scheming...and she was stuck here. She banished that thought from her mind for now. She would find him...and kill him. No one would get in her way. "I'm happy to have you here, Dells. I was, uh, a bit of a queen when you left to found your Rebel group. I'm sorry about that. Get a bit pushy sometimes. So...how have things been going for you? Plenty of explosions, I presume. Thessa doing ok?"

For some absurd reason she found herself looking down on her chest. Err, right...she was certain her bosom had not always been this big!

She turned her her attention towards Tegaea and Anemone, who seemed to be off in their own world talking. Probably about her. Likewise she noticed that Mirien had run off for some reason. Siobhan did not like being kept in the dark. She was not an invalid or a child after all. "What are you two talking about?" she asked suspiciously.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] | [member="Tegaea Alcori"] | [member="Anemone Nivalis"]


"We all get a little grumpy from time to time." If you only knew the half of it. Delila shifted in the chair and shrugged a little. There was no need to explain anything right now or go into deep, dark details. There would be a time for that or...perhaps not. Siobhan had more to worry about right now than petty fights between the pair -- ones she couldn't even remember!


"Things...are....okay. I fit the explosions in where I can." Paperwork often wasn't the most exciting task running the operations on Etti IV and left little in the way for explosives. Still, if there was a will there was a way. "Thessa is fine. I know you don't remember but she is married now and had a baby, a boy. He is getting quite big now. Maybe once Tegs clears you we can meet up with her. I'm sure she would be happy to see you."


Siobhan's gaze had caught Tegaea and Anemone talking. Delila looked to see the two hushed in the doorway. No doubt they were speaking of something serious. However, Delila was going to take this opportunity to troll Nivalis. There were only so many hours in a day and had to squeeze it in where available. So, Dells raised her voice so the women could hear.


"Probably talking about examining you. I'd watch out for Nivalis, she gets handsy."

 

[Kaida Taldir]

BANG BANG BANG


Far away from the hospital room where Siobhan was being Queen Bee and enjoying almost everyone's attention, life was continuing. You see, although this might be a tad difficult for the Countess to realise, the life of every attractive female on Kaeshana did not revolve around her. People did have independent lives after all!



And so it came to pass that Kaida was spending her time productively on the shooting range of the Citadel. Targets were arrayed in front of her in the large chamber and looked down upon them from the barrel of an MK1 boltgun, took aim, then pulled the trigger. The sharp crack of the bolter was heard again and again as she moved from target to target, the death dealer barking out Armour Piercing Explosive Rounds, or APE for short. Bullets designed to pack a big punch and completely tear through almost any armour except the heaviest. Kaida was not an uncritical fan of Firemane, but they did make nice toys to shoot people with.



BANG BANG BANG


The bullets hit home, not just hitting the targets but punching through and utterly shredding them. Judging by the sweat that had accumulated on her brow, Kaida had been going at this for quite a while. Training drills with her unit were done for today, so she had spare time. While a proficient mage, she did not want to solely rely upon the Force, both out of pride and simple practicality. Having spent her rounds, she removed the empty magazine and tossed it aside, then wiped some beads of sweat from her forehead.


She was about to reload the gun when suddenly her comm link beeped. Looking just a bit annoyed she walked over to the device and answered the call. "Captain Taldir," she said in her best professional voice. She had not seen who was calling.


"There's been news from Firemane, ma'am. Countess Kerrigan has returned from Alderaan and is in hospital," the caller on the line was an Eldorai officer it seemed.


Kaida's expression betrayed a mixture of exasperation and indifference. Figures that the bloody woman was incapable of resisting the allure of charging into the next skirmish she could find. The Captain was inclined to think Kerrigan mostly did it because she was an attention whore. For her part she wondered why she was even being informed about this. After all, she was far from friends with the woman. She was a strong defender of Kaeshana but as a person tremendously off-putting.


"I see. Our esteemed allies want help with security? If they have a request, they can follow protocol and call the Grand Seraph. Have squad three from the new model Angelii be ready and on call to help out on the Firemane premise. In the tremendously likely event that Sith, vampires or the Lost Kar'zun suddenly telelport in," Kaida said very, very dryly.


"Yes, ma'am. Right away."


With that Kaida disconnected the call and hung up. For a very short moment she debated whether she should go over to the hospital, but then decided against it. Doubtless Kerrigan would just take as encouragement for her belief that the elf really did want her and was only playing hard to get. Since apparently the woman thought she was some sort of irresistible sex goddess. She wondered whether [member="Delila Castillon"] had been dragged back from Kaeshana to Kerrigan's bedside. That must suck for her.


With this question resolved she put the boltgun back into the appropriate weapons rack and departed the shooting range, heading to a larger and seemingly empty training chamber. Clearly the best way for an ice queen to spend the day was to...literally encase herself in ice since Kaida happened to be very averse to attempts to defrost her. Well, it actually served a practical purpose since a sufficiently strong coating of ice, a barrier, could defend against attacks. With sufficient time and concentration walls of ice should be possible. So she blotted the rest of the world, especially a certain pompous aristo, out and focused upon the Force alone, or Sciia as her people called it. Truth be told, the Eldorai dismissed the Force and believed it was nothing but a manifestation of the Goddess' will, who had predestined her children for greatness. Kaida had been privy to too many revelations of her people's true history to believe in clap trap like that.


She closed her eyes briefly as she concentrated and utilised her powers to harness her own cold. Focus was written across her features and cold steam escaped her lips, the beads of sweat upon her face turned very cold and into small droplets of ice as she manipulated her own body temperature...and dropped it. Very strongly and rapidly. To an outsider it would look like she was suffering from a very severe case of frostbite and should be sent to the hospital fast as frost pearls spread across her skin and her lips turned a sickly blue.


Her eyes glowed a bright blue, which strangely enough looked a bit like she had consumed too much opium. Frost spread across her body, hardening quickly as it transformed into a solid coating of ice that engulfed her. Not done yet she intensified her focus, developing a connection on the atomic level as she strengthened the ice created around her own hand to the point that it was almost like wearing a metal gauntlet, with sharp, icy claws. Having shielded herself she concentraed further and sought to direct her cold outward, whilst maintaining the barrier. The intense focus caused annoying headaches and the strain would have shown upon her features if they had not been obscured, but she persisted.


So she focused upon the moisture in the air and harnessed it. It would become cold...very cold around her as she exerted her cryokinetic will. To a point where it felt like the air around her was becoming as if one were inside a big freezer. It would become very cold and wet inside the room as suddenly snow began dropping from the air. By now Kaida had lost track of time, though suffice to say this did not all transpire within the blink of an eye. The loose drops of snow spread across the ground around her and unified, then began rising into the air. Gradually a solid wall of snow up to the height of Kaida had formed around her, surrounding her up to five feet away. The wall shook slightly and here and there pieces of it fell as she had some difficulty keeping it together, but by giving it more energy she was able to thicken it.


Two doors opened and two battle droids suddenly burst in. After all, things were a good deal less fun without any active opposition. Eldorai were as a rule not fond of droids, as they were artificial creations and not of the Goddess. Moreover, they did not trust them due to their history, a state of mind only enhanced by having heard of the droid insurrection called Clockwork. Still, training droids were fine. Their eyes flashed a bright crimson and they brought forth guns, pumping out laser bolts towards the barrier, the scalding heat warring against the bitter cold. Testing the barrier against fire also seemed like a good idea. Hence why they carried small flamers in their wrists. Also sonic weapons to try and disrupt her concentration.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Anemone Nivalis"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Delila Castillon"]

Tegaea digested the news in silence. It was grim, very grim. In a certain way it was somehow even worse and more upsetting to see Siobhan physically whole but mentally damaged. Losing memories, losing a whole part of her life, their happiest time together, that was hard.
“Anemone, tell me honestly, what can I do? What can I do to make her remember quicker, how can I stop a further degradation?”
She would not cry, she was determined not to.

But then Siobhan called out. She always wanted to be a part of everything, hated secrets as much as Tegaea did.
“It’s…Anemone was talking about your condition. It’s something we should discuss in private,” she said stoically. She wiped her eyes angrily. She would not cry…but her stupid body was not obeying her!

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien rushed from the room and down the hallways. Her eyes scanning through every visible being along the way, quickly searching to find that nurse. Something about her, had seemed so familiar though she couldn't place it then. And now the note, Miri knew the code. This was an Inquisitor who was reaching out to her.

After asking a few questions on the floor, a young man pointed her to the stairwell, which the brunette raced to, rushing down the stairs two at a time. This person she had to find. After the purge on Atrisia, Mirien had no idea how many got out. But knew well enough that a few had to. Had to. They were out there, and they were still her family. She had a duty to them, to protect them, watch over them. And on Atrisia, she had failed this mission. Now out in the galaxy, she still had a job to do for those who had survived.

As she came to the bottom of the stairwell, she eyed a nurse uniform tossed upon the edge of a garbage can. Skidding to a hault, she gathered it up in her hands, rapidly seaching it for any clues as to who had left it. Finally she came upon the note.

"The blizzard has passed, the snowflakes have melted. The nest is small, but the terrible swift sword is still sharp. Durga calls Kali. At the blooming rose, when the cock crows three times."

Exhaling sharply, she read the text. Her eyes widened as she took in exactly what the little note meant. It asking her to meet the being at a local hotel. Reaching down to her comlink, she typed a quick message to [member="Tegaea Alcori"]. It seemed she'd be running just a little late getting back to the Firemane CEO.

Apologies Tegaea, but a matter of intelligence and security has come up that I must deal with. I'll have to speak with you once I get back from this errand. But, I want you to know, I may be able to do something to aid Siobhan in getting some of her memories back. I'll explain everything once I return. - M.V.

She after all had learned a wonderful skill to help restore memories, just as she could pass memories off, or erase them. Much like harddrive recovery, she could help piece together bits of data, or in this case memories to help restore them to their former state. Now, it wasn't a guaranteed process, but it was at least worth a shot.

Leaving the hospital behind, gave Mirien some sense of relief and with that her prosethetic stopped itching the moment she stepped into the sunlight. Soon enough she hailed a cab down, and gave the driver the address. It was a more run down part of town, but places of that nature tended to be favored placed for Intelligence agents to meet, along with all sorts of other dirty businessmen and corrupt politicians.

A sigh came as they stopped in from of a rather dilapidated hotel. Boarded up and broken windows a plenty, it seemed the perfect place for a meeting of this nature.
After paying the cabbie, she stepped out and instantly reaching out into the Force, she touched upon a familiar presence.... Naamah? Surely not... But the Force seemed to scream that to her, that it was her old shape-shifter friend. Well that explains a few things. At the same time, it also concerned Mirien. Naamah had not been the most stable of Inquisitors.

Walking through the shattered front glass doors of the place, Mirien followed her senses in the Force, up two flights of stairs before she came to the room. Lightly she tapped upon the door, and waited. It seemed it was time that the former Grand Inquisitor would have to face her past. Her hand rested right upon the hidden seam in her pants that held her saber, just in case. For she feared that this encounter would not go so well.

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]

There was a moment of overdramatic silence, then the old door gave way and opened for the former Grand Inquisitor with a creak. Clearly the materiel was not the best. Upon reflection it could also use a paint job. Someone should also take care of the stench in the corridor. Yes, this motel had seen better days.


Regardless the door would open for Mirien - a Force Master like her would undoubtedly feel the ripples in the Force that indicated telekinesis had been used to open it - and close behind her once she had entered. Of course, if Mirien wanted to get out such a simple measure would not stop her. Likewise it was quite likely that she would be able to kill the room's other occupant if she so desired. The room itself was in rather poor condition. The paint on the wall had long worn off and the lighting was rather dim. Perhaps because Naamah was feeling dramatic, more likely because the light bulb was simply crap and kept flickering.


There were soft footsteps on the floor that heralded Naamah's arrival. "Hello, Rebecca Novar. Or Mirien Valdier. Or is it something entirely now? It's so hard to keep track these days, but what's in a name," the tone was whimsical and slightly on the mentally unbalanced side. As she stepped into sight and the light bulb decided to finally work somewhat properly for a change, Mirien would be able to get a look of her. The woman before her was the spitting image of the gorgeous, buxom redhead with whom she and Siobhan had played...crochet on Alderaan. Dressed in leather pants, a shirt and a worn-in black leather jacket that had seen better days. Disruptor pistol holstered on her hip, lightsabre hidden in the seam of her pants.


"You know, mother, if you'd given a hint that you had a thing for redheads...things would've been a lot easier. Then again," at she spoke these words a change suddenly seemed to overcome her. Her face grimaced slightly in pain at the exertion, her expression twisted as the transformation took place. Soft, beautiful features became hardened and scaly, her long red hair receded and then vanished completely as 'Leliana' disappeared and the reptilian form of a Clawdite replaced her. Her glowing yellow eyes seemed like those of a demon of myth, but more disturbing was the fact that her features were viciously scarred and burnt, like she had been savagely beaten and electrocuted, even cut in places. "Masks hide the scars. Do you like this look? You know I've been imagining this reunion for quite a while. I have so many fun stories to tell! Sure you have good ones as well. About being shiny and happy. I'd offer tea...but Atrisian tea no longer agrees with me!"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Hevana Martin"]


Siobhan wanted to make an innuendo filled, flirtatious comment about [member="Anemone Nivalis"] getting handsy. But the words died upon her lips when she saw what effect the doctor's revelations were having on her wife. There were many things she could take and shrug off...but not her wife evidently suffering and being on the brink of tears.



Tears she had caused, though she did not remember the events. For now Tegaea was the only thing that mattered - and so her own anxieties about what else she might lose beyond her recent memories were swept out of the metaphorical airlock. She still remembered to walk and so Siobhan did just that, leaving the bed and quickly heading over to her wife. There were thing she wanted to say, but she had never been a woman of words. "I'm sorry," she said remorsefully and she pulled Tegaea into a bear hug, reaching out to wipe the tears from her face.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] , [member="Tegaea Alcori"] , [member="Anemone Nivalis"]


Delila wasn't one to sit around and watch private displays of affection. Siobhan would say it was because she had a heart of ice. Personally, she didn't want to intrude on anyone's moment. It was creepy and socially unacceptable in her book. Silently, Delila got up and slipped past the women, choosing to wait in the hall. No doubt she was waiting on Anemone. She wasn't sure why either, but Delila hadn't seen her 'little sister' in quite some time.

 

[Mirien Valdier]

As the door creaked open, Mirien cautiously stepped inside, wide eyed and alert for any bit of danger at all. The ripples within the force, only gave more clue to what exactly she was dealing with and right now, it gave plenty of cause for concern.

"Miss Aesham," She said with a nod as the woman came into view. Shock spread across her features as she recognized the redhead standing before her. "It's just Mirien these days." Softly spoken. "I can honestly say you are the last person I expected to see here."

A part of Mirien wished her past could just stay as exactly that, but such was the universe who had the most strange sense of humor in granting the brunette only the things that would cause her the most trouble. Miri remained silent as Naamah spoke, just waiting for the moment. Her eyes widened as she watched the woman transform in front of her, revealing the depth of the scars and wounds that she'd received. Grimacing, she felt guilt wash through her, knowing that most likely the injuries Naamah had received, were because of her actions. The blame resting at her feet for such.

A heavy pained sigh followed as Mirien slowly shook her head. "I don't have many good stories anymore. Not these days Naamah. Not when I'm living forever in exile. Atrisia no longer agrees with any of us." Her lips twisted into a most serious frown, "I'm sorry for what you went through, truly." Apologizing, that was new for the Grand Inquisitor to do such. She honestly couldn't recall the last time she'd spoken those words to a fellow Inquisitor. In fact, she was certain she never had.

"Why are you here?" She asked, getting to the point of the conversation, wanting answers to that question most expediently.

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


"Sorry? That's sweet. You're being nice. I must be doing something wrong. Not that it matters anymore," Naamah said. Those sulfuric yellow eyes remained affixed upon Mirien. It was probably difficult to discern the facial expressions of a reptilian humanoid, though she likely looked rather confused for a moment. After all, Mirien had never apologised for anything. Her acting human was...weird as hell. However, Naamah was not here for heart-to-hearts.


"Does that mean we'll hug now? I'm afraid that boat has sailed," she said coldly. "Back to serious questions now, right? You've done well for yourself in your exile. Well, Kerrigan is a good kisser. Ego the size of the Imperial Tower. Let me guess, your friends know some of what you used to do...but not the really juicy bits, yes?The whole Inquisition deal. Would you take that lightsabre you have not so subtly hidden in the seam of your pants and run me through to keep it secret?" If there was the possibility of imminent violence she seemed remarkably unconcerned. Not that Naamah had any delusions about how a fight between the two of them would go. Perhaps she did not care. Or perhaps she thought Miren would not kill her...no, she most certainly did not think that. After all, the Grand Inquisitor had made her. Not flesh of her flesh, not blood of her blood, but nonetheless.


"I'm not here for apologies. I don't care about your new life," at that she took a step closer, then another, until they could touch. Back in the old days she would never have dared that. "Or your friends and their company. Do what you want with that. I want...," at that her lips twisted into a dark, feral smile, "Madeline Kahoshi dead. You in?" Her cold, reptilian eyes, so much like those of a snake, seemed to glow in the dark.

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien lofted a brow, as a certain iciness began to form within her eyes. "Yes, nice ... I was trying something, new." She said bitterly. Nice, wasn't in her bones, far from natural, but these days she was at least trying not to be the evil icy queen she used to be. "You might want to try it sometime. It has certain advantages after all."

As Naamah went on, the Grand Inquisitor found herself more and more annoyed. "Are you quite done yet? Or should I just come back when you actually get to a point." Growling a little as she spoke. "I really don't care what you do Naamah. But you should know better than to mess in my life. So, go ahead and try, and I'll make sure you don't live to see the day to cross me again." Yup, the icy queen was still in there. "Are we clear?" Quite protective over her new life, and friends it seemed.

Exhaling heavily, she glared at the reptilian creature before her. As the woman mentioned Madeline, the Empress, Mirien suddenly seemed to become a lot more interested in what was being spoken, her annoyance taking a backseat. "The Empress? You're damn right I want in. I'd love nothing more than to see that queen dead. I want her dead as of yesterday." She growled, fiercely angry. That was one woman she hated more than anything that currently existed in the galaxy. "That monster deserves it and then some for what she did to our family." She snarled. "I want her to suffer. Witch took everything from me, my name, my family, my home, my life, my people. She deserves the worst kind of death imaginable!"

[member="Naamah Aesham"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]

Mirien turning grumpy and annoyed did not seem to faze Naamah. Likewise the clearly spoken threat left her cold. If she was feeling hurt...deep down, then it would not be apparent in her facial expression. But then she was not here for heart to hearts. Or even sympathy from her former superior. So if they were about to get wiped out you would not run away and leave them to their fate? she thought to herself, though she made no comment.


The only reason she was here was because she needed Mirien since she could not pull this off without her. Pure means to an end. Yes, that was the only reason. At least that what was she told herself. If Mirien did not make it she would care. Yes, that the truth and nothing but the truth.

It was only close to the end when Mirien had her outburst that she became interested. "Now you're talking. She deserves to burn in the nine hells for all eternity. So you're up for it? Security has tightened considerably. Auntie Maddy's not out in public a lot, but propaganda keeps her omnipresent in the public eye and whips the plebs into a religious fervour to root out 'wreckers and sloths'. Near-constant surveillance in most of Jar'kai, limited entry for most spaceships. Specialised battle droids and the 501st patrolling the city. Queenie has HRDs provided by your good friend Skaldi, with shiny OP equipment and plenty of ysalamiri. Of course...officially all rogue forcers were wiped out. Except those kept in camps for experimentation. She has a private laboratory just for that. Oh, and there's a price on your head."

It seemed that all of a sudden Naamah had turned focused and serious, all playfulness vanishing from her. "I imagine your new bosses would appreciate some goodies from her lab as well. What resources can you provide? I have what IIB toys I could sneak out with."

 

[Anemone Nivalis]

What could she doe but sigh? Heavily, at that. Anemone loved her job, with all her heart, she truly did. But this....this was the worst part of the job. Telling someone that their loved one, their most beloved person, had the possibility of never being one hundred percent whole again. It was right on par with having to tell someone that their loved one had died. In truth, it almost brought her to tears. Hearing Siobhan's voice...seeing her come towards the door and apologize to Tegs. And the hug.. The way she hugged her. These weren't emotions that Anemone had ever seen from Siobhan. It only reinforced the fact that the death charging woman may never be the same..

Her gaze shot up to Dells, who was the closest thing she had to family around here. A quiet sigh escaped as she glanced back to the embraced lovers. "Uh...Tegaea. We'll...talk more later. Siobhan.. Please, get some rest.." She turned off, taking a few steps toward her 'older sister', her eyes almost in tears lazily resting upon her as the doctor whispered. "I hate this job..."

[member="Delila Castillon"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Tegaea Alcori"]

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Anemone Nivalis"], [member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Tegaea felt a sudden, piercing surge of anger towards Delila. How could this selfish, rude, arrogant girl do that?! Memories of the time Siobhan was recovering after Shadow's attack where the girl had come in late, been rude and left. It made the redhead want to smack the other redhead....

But, she controlled her temper; not always easy for a redhead. Delila had her own way of dealing with things probably.

And then Siobhan was there and hugging her, and all thoughts of anyone else left her mind. Pulling her wife close, she kissed her.
"You've nothing to be sorry for, love. You did what you thought was right," she said fervently. She barely noticed Anemone slip away. She barely noticed anything but Siobhan.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Delila Castillon"], [member="Anemone Nivalis"]


It was Siobhan's own fault that she ended up getting mauled like this. If she had used her brain and not randomly charged into every skirmish, believing her 'superpowers' would make her invincibile, she would not be in such a state. She only had herself to blame for it. Ergo Delila not being inclined to offer lots of sympathy and hugs was perfectly understandable.


Presumably a large number of Omegan soldiers who had perished at Roche and Gehenna would not be inclined to feel any sympathy for 'Butcher Kerrigan'. Who ironically enough was the spitting image of the stereotypical, decadent aristo she used to hate.


In any case, Siobhan held her wife tightly, resting her head upon her shoulder, now focused purely upon Tegaea. "And I keep causing you pain. I've never wanted to," Siobhan spoke, her voice almost cracking. "We'll get through this...like we always do." She was trying to project confidence into her voice and blot out the fear she was feeling. Hopefully she sounded more certain than she actually felt.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Anemone Nivalis"] | [member="Tegaea Alcori"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]



Delila was surprised to see Anemone out so soon. She moved over and put an arm around Nivalis' shoulder. Squeezing the woman tightly, there wasn't much comfort she could offer. It was quite possible Siobhan could be brain damaged for the long haul, as in the rest of her life. The redhead wasn't the medical type so she wasn't entirely sure of all the entire possibilities. If Nivalis was in tears though it meant things weren't good.



"Hey now. Don't beat yourself up....every job has bad parts. Do you think I like telling families their kid is dead?Going off to their funerals?No." Delila gave her shoulders another big squeeze. "My point is don't get caught up in the terrible parts of the things you love. Can't be light without the shadows, hm?"

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien nodded to her former employee slash slave as it were. The old Empire was a strange thing after all. The Inquisitors might have gotten paid for their duties, but truly they had little option in serving their government. It was a do this, or die kind of situation for all of them. "You are right, there are a few toys that Firemane would like to get it's paws on. Not to mention some of Doctor Kahoshi's research projects." As a scientist, Mirien knew too well Maddy was brilliant, but as an Empress the woman was a cold blooded witch.

Idly she pushed back a few strands of hair from her face before continuing on. "Of course I'm in. You've no idea what that queen has put me through. I only want to see her dead, and soon at that." She grumbled, the fire and rage at the Empress clearly showing in her eyes. The matter was more than personal to her. Madeline had attacked and killed many of her family members of the Inquisition and in no way was she going to let the woman simply walk with having done that. "The price on my head, I'm well aware of. It was one of the terms of my exile." She stated coldly, still not happy that Madeline sought to disrupt her life that much over something she had little to no control over. It wasn't her fault after all that the Empress's cloned son, perished.

"As for resources, I'm certain I could come up with plenty of weaponry, armor, transport, and funding for us both to help grease the wheels, to get us on the planet and get to work." Crossing her arms over her chest, she walked slowly over to the bed in the room and took a seat. "Getting in, is the hard part. Though there may be a way." She said with a smirk. "The Atrisian Cherry Blossom festival is coming up, and security is generally more lax than usual as the entire planet and it's culture is on display for the galaxy to view. Many dignitaries, diplomats, politicians, and various VIPs from across the galaxy are invited to come and join in the festivities."

Leaning forward, she rested her elbows upon her knees and glanced back to Naamah. "If there was ever a ticket onto Atrisia, without drawing notice, it will be in two weeks." A smile danced across her lips, "I'm certain we could find positions in some diplomatic party or another, to get us to the surface. Hell, pick the right tickets, and that could even place us in the same room with Madeline with little trouble."

Exhaling slowly, her eyes flicked back and forth, not really looking at anything in particular but mentally calculating all the things she'd need to acquire for this mission. "What do you think, Naamah? Anything to add?"

[member="Naamah Aesham"]