Heavy Risks...but the Prize (Cira) (Training Thread)

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Anaxes, Dahomey, Kashyyyk, Hapes, recently Vandelhelm. At the risk of making a really bad pun, Siobhan had been getting around a lot lately.

Now that Vandelhelm had been wrested from the unworthy hands of pirates, she was in her office, catching up with an old friend.

"So...red, green or blue?" Heli, who was present in holographic form, asked. "It has artistic integrity."

Siobhan made a face. "What the bloody hell does that even mean?"

"If you'd went to art school you'd understand. Loss makes it profound," Heli said with a grin, clearly trolling her.

Siobhan raised an eyebrow at that. "You never went to art school. Unless you count 'requisitioning' valuable pieces of art."

"One of my fake identities did," Heli responded smugly, taking a swig at a glass of whiskey. "Besides, that's the best way to learn about it."

The Galaxy of Fantasy ending had caused a storm of controversy among the gaming community. Some said it was profound and emotionally engaging, others seemed in a mood to grab pikes.

"Press all buttons and blow it up," Siobhan said bluntly. "Like on Ossus."

"Right, you discovered an ancient machine and an ethereal ghost offered you the chance to change all life at the push of a button," the Cathar scoffed.

"Yeah, and then I blew the damn thing to hell and got the Force back," Siobhan responded. Seriously, was it that implausible? Well...

Heli just gave an amused shrug. "Save that tale for the girls in the Blooming Rose. Or that Hapan lady. Has she been sending you love mail? Do you sometimes wear that adorable dress for Tegaea and play..."

Siobhan held up her hand. "Not a word. Unless you want to hear me go on about Ord Mantell..."

Heli seemed in retreat. "We don't talk about Ord Mantell...You missed the latest Game of Stars episode while fighting evil brigands. It was violent and raunchy. The Padme vixen was really..."

At this moment Siobhan's comm beeped, she was getting a call from the office of @[member="Cira"]. A bit unusual, until now Siobhan could not recall interacting with the big boss much. But then it was nice to be recognised!

"Tell me later. All the saucy details. Work calls." With that she cut the connection and headed out to Cira's office, taking a turbolift up.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea was waiting in the Prex's office. Redhead double trouble. Never a good sign.
When Siobhan entered Tegaea turned to her and smiled. "Thanks for coming up so quickly, Siobhan. Cira wants to have a word with you."

There was something going on between the two, like they were in the know about some secret.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan looked and felt a bit like a naughty schoolgirl who had been called before her principals when she entered the office. If that analogy had a somewhat raunchy component in her mind, well, this was Siobhan!

Am I in trouble...and will I like it?

Moreover, Tegs was there, though it didn't look like she wanted to play, alas.

Siobhan returned the smile, not sure why she'd been called. "You know me, always disciplined," she quipped. "So...is this business? Want me to go blow up something?"

 

[Cira]

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

Cira rose from her chair as soon as Major Kerrigan entered. A hand extended towards her, a hint of a smile upon her lips.

"At east Major," she said warmly, then gave a faint chuckle. "No, nothing to blow up as of yet." she replied. Today the Prex wore her hair in a tight high ponytail at the crown of her head, leaving her high cheekbones in proud display along with those golden eyes of her. No wings this time, but it was likely best to not mention them.

"I must say, your conduct during the Vandelhelm Operation was more than satisfactory," she began, detailing the events as she re-arranged a small filmsie folder in her hands; one with the aurabesh sigils labeling it as Siobhan's.

"You displayed a level of leadership and focused attention to your mission that exceeded expectations," she lightly tapped the files upon the desk to straighten them. "You are fearless, courageous, and can think on her feet at a moment's notice." there came the reminiscing of Siobhan's battle cry before she attacked the wurm.

"This is the kind of leadership and strength that sets us apart. You've come a long way Siobhan, and for that I want to praise you."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

While understanding Cira's desire for privacy, this one laments the lack of wings and believes they deserve to be worshipped.

Siobhan flushed just a bit. Admittedly she had a very high opinion of her combat prowess - Adril had taught her well and causing mayhem was what she excelled that - but it was nice to hear it!

Especially since performing some sort of leadership function was rather new to her and the Prex wasn't someone she knew well.

"Thanks...boss," she said a bit lamely, then got her cocky grin back.

"I was well-trained and fighting's what I'm good at. And Omega's been motivating me very well. It's cool to be a part of it and put my skills to good use," she said genuinely.

 

[Cira]

"That is good to hear," came Cira's warm reply, and once could even wonder, a bit of amusement? "Your prowess with the Force has also grown. You showed an increased ability to handle yourself and it's use."

She didn't look down at her notes as she continued, "You excel at telekinetics." First hand experience taught her that. "Although I am curious if you are interested in learning just what else you can do." there came the slight raising of an auburn brow, a hint of a challenge perhaps?

"Certainly have mastered the areas of control..." she blinked a bit curiously, "I am curious to know if there are other areas you would like to delve into to master your potential?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

"Been watching me closely, boss?" Siobhan queried 'innocently'. Or rather as innocent as she could sound.

After all, causing mayhem and destruction was just one half of her skills and Cira had so many burdens on her shoulders!

If Siobhan had been a bit less oblivious, she might have wondered why exactly her boss could make such detailed observations, but then she wasn't the sharpest lightsabre in the Omega Tower.

"Sounds like a fun challenge. Gotta advance or you end up being out-dated. Want to help me expand my potential?" she said with a smile, not the sort back down from one when Cira continued, looking curious.

"I'm mainly good at telekinesis, using the Force to get faster, stronger and stuff. I could learn more in alter. Wouldn't mind blasting machines with ion energy."

There were quite a few force-users who could apparently use telepathy to conduct full fledged conversations, but Siobhan didn't have the ability at all! Then again, it sounded like it would take lots of concentration and focus to telepathically talk to someone at length, especially if said person was in another system. Far easier to use a comm. The phone bill couldn't be that high!

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Tegaea knew exactly zero about the Force, truth be told. However, she could see that the two women before her had their own skills.
It also seemed that Siobhan had not cottoned on to the mystery agent on Vandelhelm's identity. That was amusing, but she said nothing.

"With your permission, boss, I'll leave you two to it," she said and left, giving each a smile. Besides, she knew Cira was resolutely straight, so she had no reason to be jealous!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan gave Tegaea a curious look when she smiled. While not the sharpest blade in Omega, she had the distinct impression that her superior and lover knew something she did not.

Ain't fair. Alas, the Force had not gifted her with the ability to look into the mind of someone, which only worked on the weak-minded anyway!

"And deprive the magical show of an audience? See you later then. You'll get a thorough debriefing," she said with a smile to Tegaea as she turned to leave. "Sent that Malastare report you wanted to your office."

 

[Cira]

There came the faint hint of a smile; a hidden look within the gold of her eyes. "I can do that." Cira said, giving a nod towards Tegaea as she left. "I'll take good care of her." she assured, the smile widening to a grin.

Her eyes then drifted over to Siobhan.

"As to watching you closely," she stood and came round the desk. "You could say that... " Cira gave a warm smile, coming to stand in front of Siobhan.

"In order to get a good clear and unbiased look at my officers, I like to go out in the field from time to time to see for myself how they act, react, and lead their teams."

Here came the doozy, " I was part of your squad Major Kerrigan in the Vandelhelm mission. So it is with that firsthand knowledge that has brought you here."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan's grin widened in response to Cira's, she affixed her eyes on the Prex when she moved towards her untl they were up close. If Siobhan was not being particularly subtle about her appreciation of her boss, well, it was always good when someone was appreciating you.

Then at the revelation Siobhan's jaw dropped, metaphorically speaking. With the benefit of hindsight maybe she should picked up on the clues, but she could be strangely unobservant when it came to certain matters. Then a flash of the mystery woman clad from head to toe in spidersilk armour, her features obscured by a helmet, more specifically of her jumping on the giant sandworm and riding it.

At first she felt a stab of annoyance at being kept out of the loop, but then recalled how awesome her riding the worm had been. "I got to order the boss around and didn't notice. But Tegs knew?" she murmured, the last line more a statement of fact than question. "You were that woman with the shivs who jumped on that giant sandworm," she recalled, a grin crossing her face. "That was...really cool!"

Yes, she might be acting just a bit like an excited schoolgirl in front of her boss, but then she just was stating facts! "You masked your Force signature. I didn't sense anything from you."

The ability was not unknown to her, though it wasn't part of her arsenal. Her old Sith foe Kaelin was known to utilise it, especially when she was on the prowl for new slaves in her dark dungeon that was worthy of any daemonette of Slaanesh.

 

[Cira]

There came the wide grin, "You weren't too bad yourself. As I said, you handled yourself and your squad well." she didn't miss the appreciative looks, it was what it was. The focus was getting Siobhan trained. Besides, much to Tegaea's, Siobhan's, and all the other would be girls who batted for the other team, Cira was straight as can be.

"I did," she gave a nod at that, leaning back against the desk until the round curve of her bottom rested against it, bracing herself as she crossed her arms over her ample chest.

"Would you care to learn that as well?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

It would be a cause of sorrow to Siobhan that Cira was unreceptive to her charms. After all, Siobhan was a giver and it was ultimately thanks to Cira founding this company that the ex-Jedi had found a place where she could put her skills to good use and thrive, so it was only fair that she should give something back.

"Glad to hear I made an impression," she responded. Being appreciated for her combat prowess, another talent of which she had a rather high opinion, was swell as well. No matter Siobhan straightened a bit in an attempt to look somewhat professional when Cira crossed her arms.

Right, focus. Training. Work. Become more awesome. Her "focus and work" mind got in gear at long last.

She thought about the offer for a short moment, then nodded. "Yeah, actually I would. More of a storm forward and go beating on hostiles kind of person, but it looks real handy, like on worlds crawling with hostile force-users."

Like when said hostiles were explicitly hunting for people with a clear Force signature.

After all, she could always sneak up on people and wack them. "So how does it work?"

 

[Cira]

"The ability is manifested in different forms. Some can utilize it to shrink your presence in the Force to a microsopic size, to where one can be almost undetectable and able to avoid mental attacks." she began explaining, " Others can harness it to mask their true nature from others... enough to make any darksider stand in the presence of Jedi appear to be benevolent."

Her hands dropped from their crossed position and she brought them down to rest upon the desk next to her. "We call this Quey'tek meditation."

"What you have to remember about this ability, is that it has to constantly be sustained. It is not a power one can merely cast and walk away from... " she said explaining, "It has to be sustained. It takes a great deal of concentration to maintain it.... and as such, in the early stages, it is easy to be come distracted and lose it's potency. Not to mention, the amount of drain it can do to your energy... "

"With practice, one can sustain cloaking one's force signature and presence in the Force... and with more practice one can potentially cast other Force powers along with it." there came the small smile, "But that of course.. will come in time. "

"To begin, meditate. Feel yourself within the currents of the Force. Once you are properly situated, we'll continue from there. "

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

"I understand. Let's get started then, shall we?" Siobhan nodded at Cira's words, focused. Kaelin had been able to mask her nature as a Forceful being, the better to get close to her prey and strike.

As short as Siobhan's attention span often was and as impatient as she was she could apply her mind to things and be dedicated when she something caught her interest and seemed relevant.

And when the person giving the instructions was someone she respected. Which was the case with Cira. After all, apparently the Prex was not the sort to shirk from her hands dirty and jumped on giant worms.

With this in mind Siobhan knelt down on the ground cross-legged and sought to clear her mind and let the Force flow through her, traversing the metaphorical stream.

She was not the calmest person by any stretch of the imagination, but the fact that she had apparently managed to move past most of her angst issues probably helped!

Her droid hand clenched a bit, but then relaxed as her eyes shut, feeling a strong surge of Force energy as she managed to centre herself a number of minutes later, her vision turning from the physical world before her to perceive the currents of the mystical energy field.

 

[Cira]

Cira gave a silent nod in approval. "Well done." her voice would seem a bit distant, like the shifting of leaves. There to be used for instruction, but not much of a distraction to break Siobhan's meditation.

"Like the Fallanassi... and the Disciple's of Twilight... the objective of the meditation is the same. The Force moves through all... and we are like a rock in a river, the water sweeping over us." she explained. "The objective is to first, hide your presence within these very currents."

"Sense the flow of the Force around you." she instructed, " How it reacts to your body. Your very presence. "

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Siobhan was not familiar with either the Fallanassi or the Disciples of Twilight - the latter by the way had a cool name! - though she obviously knew that Jedi and Sith weren't the sole ways to harness the Force.

After all, her master had been, well, let us just say unconventional and leave it at that!

She dimly heard Cira's voice, like leaves shifting in the breeze of a strong wind. The water metaphor was apt, as she stretched out in the Force it was like she was a rock in a river, with a wave rushing over her and her natural instinct obviously being to stay afloat as it washed over her.

More time passed, given that she was in a sort of meditative trance she obviously could not pinpoint how much.

A tiny bead of sweat dripped down her forehead as she intensified her meditations, feeling lighter and empowered as she felt the strength of the Force not only inside her, but its energy all around her. When she reached out the power seemed to beckon her, it was easy to get drunk on it, she felt invigorated.

 

[Cira]

"Now, here is where you manipulate the very currents of the Force," she said, again her voice an almost distant memory, "Right now, you are a a blip within that river... the majority of the energy flowing around you."

"What you will need to do, is alter that very same path and instead, smooth it's trajectory, have it flow through you and with it. You want to be able to blend into your surroundings, match the same energy and the same flow."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Cira's came through to Siobhan, though still distant. The Force flowed around the small blip that was Siobhan's presence. Generally the energy just flowed past her, she was after all just a small dot on the radar.

Stretching herself out she sought to grasp the energy and manipulate its path, to gradually get to flow towards her as she had been instructed.

The trouble was that while Siobhan was quite strong in the Force she...was not that adept at a finesse job. She had quite a battering ram mentality. So when she tried to grasp the energy it came across as more of a violent jolt.

Some of it flowed towards her, but by and large it scattered. For a brief momet her signature seemed to shift, getting just a bit closer to the one she was trying to grasp, but then the metaphorical river just went out of control.

Tiny beads of sweat dripped down her temples as she tried to keep control and alter the path.

 

[Cira]

"Take your time," she gently encouraged, "Breath in. And out."

"You are getting the knack of it. There, I sense a subtle shift in your signature.. Good good.. Try again." Cira instructed. She could see how deeply Siobhan was concentrating, beads of sweat already rolling down her temples.

"Flow with it, immerse yourself in it,... then gently coax it as you alter it. Yes, just like that. "