Who Liberates You? (Mia)

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mia Monroe"]


"I know, dear. It's ok," Siobhan would say to Galina in a soft tone before stepping out to address Mia. Siobhan could see that Mia was not ok...but among the things she had in common with the Liberator were pride and stubbornness. Neither of them would want to show what they thought of as weakness, even in front of each other, as close as they were. So she restrained the strong urge to pull the woman into a hug. She did not want to make her even more uncomfortable.


It did not stop her from experiencing a feeling of sadness. "Yeah, Galina's fine. Just a bit confused. Don't sweat it, nothing to apologise for," she said gently. "You're not alone, Mia. If I have anything to say about it you won't be alone anymore. You're family."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia smiled, though there was a touch of sadness in her eyes. She was not what she once was, perhaps after some time in space with her, Siobhan might come to recognise this and adjust her assessment of her requirements of being alone. Still, this wasn't about her, this was about Siobhan, about Galina. This was about helping them and getting them to safety, her own issues would have to be put to one side.

"Thanks, Siobhan. That means a lot." She let out a sigh and moved towards her, squeezing her hand as she passed and entering the bedroom. While Siobhan might think she had nothing to apologize for, Mia felt very differently. She sat herself down on the edge of Galina's bed, a gap between them that was large enough that another might squeeze in.

"I'm sorry Galina. I didn't mean to confuse you...i just..." how did she put this into words "I'm not great with surprise hugs. Maybe one day I'll explain why..."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina sighed and shook her head. "Don't have to apologize to me. Just ... Well, I ..." The girl paused a moment, trying to sort through her thoughts and word it exactly as she wanted. "I didn't know. I'm sorry." She spoke softly, "Did not mean to cause you discomfort. I just like you, and am excited to have you with us. Plus you like all the awesome dangerous animals. Which makes you cool in my book." Dropping her eyes to the floor she gave a small shrug, "Just got a little too excited, I guess. Won't happen again."

[member="Mia Monroe"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"], [member="Mia Monroe"]


Siobhan was well-intentioned and earnest in her desire to help Mia and make her feel welcome, but it was quite likely that she would have to adjust to how the Liberator had changed. You did not return from the dead and just bounce back. It may be that Siobhan was overcompensating because of the guilt she still felt. After all, she had not been there on Coruscant when Mia died and then when she had faced her sister's killer on Alderaan, she had failed at killing her.


Still, she reckoned that Mia would need space and would try to give her that. Having heard her daughter speak she reached out and gently raised Galina's chin so that she would be looking them in the eye rather than on the floor. Her daughter was very sweet, but still quite shy, though the reasons for this were understandable. "There, there, it's ok, sweetie. We understand that you're a bit of a Mia fangirl. I can't blame you for that. She's a great Chaos Champion," Siobhan said in what counted as an attempt to lighten the mood with her usual lame jokes.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia grinned. "Well, I'm not much in comparison to your mum, the Great Annihilator." she winked at Galina before getting to her feet. "At least that's what I let her think. Would you like to see the ship we'll be travelling on?"

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] [member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina let Siobhan raise her chin slowly but she still felt a bit bad about what had happened. She'd certainly not meant it that way. "You sure, mummy?" She asked quietly.

For a moment she a bit anxiously pondered the offer. "I think I'd like to. It might make me feel better about flying if I can see it first rather than just being thrown upon it."

She smiled again a hair brighter, "And I am truly sorry for upsetting you. I'll make sure not to do it again in the future, unless you ask, or offer." That part made her feel a little better, truth be told, to give both herself and Mia some insurance that it wasn't going to happen out of the blue again.

[member="Mia Monroe"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"], [member="Mia Monroe"]


Mia was such a naughty troll. And had not even told Siobhan about her boyfriend. So naughty. Anyhow, it seemed things were going well again. "It's alright, sweetie. Really. Go with your Auntie Mia and have a look at her ship," she said warmly, patting her daughter on the shoulder.


"I'll go talk to Auntie Mirien and tell her I'll be away for a few days." This one thinks Mia and Mirien Valdier really need to meet. Perhaps they could do dark alchemy together.

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina glanced between Mia and Siobhan, looking for permission from her mother before she headed off. "I'd like that." She said as she slowly climbed to her feet. It truthfully would make the young girl feel better about traveling upon it if she could see it herself. Something was quite comforting in that.

[member="Mia Monroe"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

"Honestly, Galina, I'm fine. You've nothing to apologise for." She followed the girl to her feet and offered her her hand. "Come on."

When Galina had taken her hand she led her out of the house and to the landing pad. She paused at its edge and blew a melancholy sigh out of her nose. The YTA-1300 was not her ship per say. Yes she owned it, yes she'd bought it, but it didn't feel like hers. It was simply a way to get from A to B. She missed the Veil and she missed the mandalorians prison ships. "Well," she said looking at Galina "She'd nothing special, but she does the job. Just about. What do you think?"

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"] [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mia Monroe"], [member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]


While Galina got to see her Auntie Mia's cool freighter, Siobhan slipped out of her daughter's room and limped down the stairs to the section that would hold the guest rooms, where among other things she would presumably find a certain [member="Mirien Valdier"]. The former Inquisitor had her own, from which she could also perform her duties as intel head.


For obvious reasons, she often spent the night in Sio's...but having your own space was always important. Having reached the door, she gave it a knock before opening. Mirien had probably sensed her anyway, but sometimes Siobhan tried to be polite. Sometimes.

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina gave a soft nod, and a slight smile in return, starting to feel a little better about things. "As long as you're sure. Just don't want to upset you, again is all." Taking Mia's hand the redhead followed right alongside her.

Coming down to the landing pad, a bit of nerves started to rise within her as she saw the ship. Her hands trembled ever so slightly, despite the girl trying to hide it. The last thing she wanted was to be afraid or seem weak, but here she was. And there stood one of her greatest fears. Well not the ship, but what it represented.

"She's pretty." The girl finally said, managing a compliment instead of voicing any uncertainty or fear she was feeling.

[member="Mia Monroe"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien was of course in her room. A pile of datapads spread out across her desk and bed. These days she was busier than usual. There was so much intel to sort through when it came to Kaeshana. There were traitors. There were leaks of those who knew what was coming, and then there were plots for assassination. It was your everyday game of stars, just on steroids. Sorting through it all to find what mattered to keep Kaeshana, the Queen and the future safe took a hell of a lot of work.

Mirien had felt her bond-sister approach, but made no move to go to the door. In truth, she was far too wrapped up, untangling the web of one of the nobles. One who knew far too much, and little the Queen far too little. Given recent transactions it was bound to be a problem soon. Said noble clearly was plotting something. It was just a matter of time before Mirien knew what exactly.

"Come in." She finally said, shaking herself out of her thoughts. For the moment she was putting away all of those things in her mind to focus on Siobhan.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


Having heard Mirien speak Siobhan entered the room. Unsurprisingly her dark angel was hard at work, with datapads strewn across her desk and bed. Siobhan had by now become acclimated to the duplicitious nature of court politics, but she lacked Mirien's patience or her inherent ability to perceive the webs of treachery and unmask them.


It was one of the many reasons they worked so well together and their bond meant that Siobhan knew she could trust her. "Hey, love. I see you're hard at work again. How many people have been plotting to assassinate me or purge all humans today?" she asked sardonically, trying to lighten the a mood a bit, though she meant no disrespect. After all, she really appreciated what Mirien did for her. "Please tell me you've taken a break in between and had something to eat and drink," she said in her motherly voice. She loved Mirien dearly but sometimes the brunette got so caught up in her work that she forgot to take care of herself!

 

[Lina Ovmar]

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]

Mia gave a derisive snort. "No she's not, she's an ugly hunk of junk, but its sweet of you to say." She looked at the young girl and placed her hands on her shoulders, blocking the ship from her view for a moment. "Its ok to be afraid, ad'ika. Fear keeps you alive, it's what gives you the ability to run faster, to strike harder. What you must not do, is let it control you. If you can face your fears, you can face anything."

She stepped aside, a hand flicking to lower the landing ramp with the force. She would let Galina do this at her own pace. "What do you see when you look at a ship, ad'ika?"

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

Galina furrowed her brow for a moment and looked between the ship and Mia briefly. "Well ... I've not exactly seen many ships, so I guess I not the best judge."

As the woman stepped in front of her, Galina's expression softened and the girl sighed. "I don't ... I .. I don't want to be afraid anymore. It's just ..." For a moment she bit at her lip nervously, "The last time I ever left planet on a ship, I was with my parents escaping from a world that had been locked in a brutal civil war for over a thousand years. We weren't even in hyperspace that long before things started to go wrong. Next thing I know ..."

This time, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, trying not to cry. "We're falling through atmo, and the next thing I really remember is waking up, and my parents wouldn't wake. So much blood..." At that, the tears finally came. The memory still hurt, more than she liked to admit. That sting had never really gone away, as much as she had tried to force it to.

"I look at ships, and ... I see death. I see losing my family. That's all I've ever really known from them." Galina said with a sniffle as she was quick to wipe away the fear tears that had fallen. "And I don't want to see that anymore. I want it to go away. So badly, to just go away. But it doesn't. It never has."

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien glanced to the mess of datapads and nodded. "Of course, work never seems to end really when it comes to the Kaeshana courts. There's enough here to write a million spy novels, and still have some stories and plots left untouched." She said with a sigh. "The number for today plotting assassination against, humans, the Queen, and her daughter today is seventeen. Already sent orders out for several arrests. A couple others, I don't quite have enough, or they just aren't far enough along to reveal all their conspirators. So, we wait." A shrug followed as she ran a hand through her hair to brush it back from her face.

"Yeah, a little while ago." A soft smile crossed her lips, as she lifted a hand and pointed over to a tray sitting on the floor beside her desk. It contained an empty glass, a completely empty plate and bowl. Clearly she had eaten a good meal at some point. "You know maybe I should just ask the Queen if I can run her intel service. Because seriously, I've caught more threats than anyone else around here. Well before they were ever a problem." Though admittedly, that would mean far too much work for Mirien to do. As she was unlikely to give up her position at Firemane. No, she'd be the one to stack both jobs together.

"So, my dear Sio, what can I do for you today? Because I know this isn't a social call. Otherwise, we'd both be naked by now." Mirien knew Sio, perhaps a little too well.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Mirien Valdier"]


"You want to run both? You'd definitely be more than qualified...but that would be way too much work. We can't put everything on your shoulders," Siobhan said. After all, she knew her Mirien well. She loved her dearly, but Goddess the woman was a workaholic. "Maybe we can talk with her about establishing a joint intelligence framework to coordinate things better."


She sat down on the chair, crossing her legs. "As for my reasons for visiting you, you know not all my social calls end up with us getting naked! Sometimes we curl up on the couch, cuddle and watch corny romance movies...and then get naked. Or we go shopping!" she joked. Deep down she felt a bit guilty about Mirien being burdened with so much work and concluded the woman needed to get out more. Maybe once things had settled down she could take her to a fair or on a vacation.


She ran a hand through her hair, thinking before she spoke up again. "I feel a bit guilty about this...but I'm gonna be going away for a few days. Not long. Mia's come to visit and she's gonna be taking Galina with her to her place on Laekia. Keeps Galina out of reach of Kaeshana conspiracies and it's time she saw more of the Galaxy. I'll be going with them for a bit. Not long. I'll be reachable every day by holocom but...I need someone to hold the fort in my absence. There are business people I could task with supervising things...but I don't trust them the way I do you."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia felt her heart break. She could offer no comforting hugs to console the child, she bowed her head, waiting for Galine to finish, waiting for her to wipe away her tears and stared at her hands for a long moment as she contemplated her own fears. "It never will, ad'ika." she said softly, her fingers curling into loose fists before she dropped them and looked up. "I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not going to tell you that your fear will go away, because it won't. I can, however, help you face it, help you deal with it."

She walked forward and moved halfway up the boarding ramp and sat down, crossing her legs underneath her. She would wait for Galina to come to her, in her own time, watching her with a patient and steady gaze.

[member="Galina Kerrigan-Alcori"]

 

[Galina Kerrigan-Alcori]

The redhead nodded. "Does it get easier?" She asked softly as she wiped away the very last traces of tears from her cheeks. "I would like the help. Because I can't ... be like this for the rest of my life. Can't be so terrified of ships, that I can't even really step foot on one without feeling like I'll die."

She sighed as she watched Mia walk towards the ship and take a seat on the boarding ramp. Already within her chest, she could feel her heart pounding against her ribs. The shaking in her hands was getting worse, just at the thought of taking a few more steps towards the ship. Closing her eyes, Galina sucked in a couple deep breaths. Opening her eyes after a moment or two, she slowly stepped forward towards the ship, but stopped short of the boarding ramp.

The last time, the very last time she had been on a ship had been when Tempest and Siobhan rescued her from the island. Even then, she'd be terrified, jumpy and shook horribly. The slightest bit of turbulence then brought on her panic, and fears that the same thing was happening again. At the time, Galina understood little to no Basic, so there was a language barrier in the way as well, which certainly hadn't helped. Even speeders had been problematic for her.

Standing there, she closed her eyes once more. Just breathe. She reminded herself. Focus on Mia, less on the ship. Keep talking, you'll be fine. Opening her eyes once more, she sighed heavily, doing her best to stay calm and not turn the other way and run. "Ad'ika? That's not a Basic word, is it? I've been meaning to ask you what the word means, since I've heard you use it in reference to me a few times now." There was even a slight tremble in the girl's voice, clearly more than a little on edge now, so close to the ship. She did her best to focus on Mia, to try and not look at the ship, to not think about that for the moment.

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Siobhan had a good point, even if Mirien didn't want to admit that. "You know how I love to work though.... But I guess leading two Inteligence Agencies, might be a wee bit much for one person, even me." She said with a shrug.

She smiled, "My point, we still end up naked, 99.999999% of the time." Teasing just a little bit, not that she'd ever complain about how much carnal pleasure the two of them shared. Mirien certainly needed a vacation. Though most likely Siobhan would have to get creative, and sneak Mirien onto a vacation where she could not work, without letting the old spook know such. Otherwise Siobhan would never get her to go!

The former Inquisitor nodded slowly, "You shouldn't feel guilty, Sio love. You are getting your daughter out of harm's way and that's far more important than anything else. I can handle things here. That's not a problem. Galina needs to be somewhere safe, and I know how she feels about flying, so you being there with her on that journey should make the trip a little easier for her. Take care of your family, Sio. I'm certain I'll manage Firemane just fine on my own. If any problems come up while you're gone, I'll see you a holocall. So, don't worry. Not at all."

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]