Space Hippies Need Security Too

[Judah Dashiell]

Ceto | Mid-Morning | Dashiell Home | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] & [member="Tegaea Alcori"]



Judah thought a conference call would be a bit easier. It was a bit idiotic to fly across the galaxy to ask a question. Granted it would be more formal and professional. The Kerrigan-Alcori household was a friend of the Dashiell-Kai household so there was a bit more leeway iin communication. Sitting at his desk, Judah put in the holo-call to Siobhan. Or the household. Whatever answered. No doubt a beautiful woman under the guise of assistant would answer.


Makai played next to him on the floor, poking at shapes inside some water pad.


"Lets hope Aunt Siobhan says yes. Don't need to get stuck subcontracting this out to Corek or anyone else in the Protectorate."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Time zones were a terribly fuzzy thing in a Galaxy of about a million worlds, but suffice to say [member="Judah Dashiell"] and Makai caught Auntie Siobhan at just the right moment. As a matter of fact night had already fallen on Kaeshana and Siobhan was asleep in her very comfortable mistress bed in her rather luxurious bedroom. Well, as a matter of fact she was not alone, for her wife [member="Tegaea Alcori"] was sleeping along side her, as married couples tend to do unless they're in the not very shiny and happy phase of their marriage.


Actually, sleeping alongside her was probably an inaccurate description because, without wanting to go into too many saucy details that could upset the minds of the kiddies, her wife had rested her head upon Siobhan's chest, as there was plenty of space there and it was quite comfortable as a...pillow. Never get between a redhead and her pillow. As a matter of fact, never deny a redhead anything. The other lady who had joined the couple in the overly large bed was a dazzlingly beautiful Eldorai called Chesna, who was probably a planar demigoddess. Siobhan was...not really wearing anything, but she was covered by a bed sheet and stuff, so no kiddies would be harmed.


Siobhan was enjoying a peaceful sleep, though here and there sounds escaped her mouth, when suddenly a most annoying alarming sound started beeping and shook her out of her slumber. Who the hell was calling her at this time of the night? She felt like just ignoring it, but the annoying beeping sound kept playing. For a moment she had the urge to telekinetically crush it, but then finally tried to gently disentangle herself from her wife got up, rather groggily walking over to the holocomm device.


"Yes?" she demanded with an imperious air of annoyance. She did not like to have her beauty sleep disturbed!


"I'm sorry for disturbing you, my Lady, but a Mr Dashiell is calling you. It's a business matter," her Twi'lek assistant Shari spoke.


"Who?" Siobhan rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Doesn't he know what time it is on Kaeshana? Fine. Reroute the call to the conference room...I'll be there in ten...fifteen." Should be enough time for her hair to look less messy. On second thought she should probably also put something on to wear.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Judah Dashiell"]

At first Tegaea tried to ignore the sound, but then Siobhan moved and she was uprooted from her comfortable position on her wife's ample bosom.
"Wha...?" she asked, reaching for a light, almost falling on top of Chesna.
Chesna meanwhile woke up with a breast in her face and peered up. "Not now, Mistress...sleep..." she mumbled.

Tegaea peered owlishly at Siobhan as her wife finished the call and stood. "Judah?" she guessed. He was the only man who would be calling them at this time. It wasn't like the Kerrigan-Alcori clan was overflowing with male suitors!

She got to her feet, tucked Chesna in, and pulled on a dressing gown whilst trying to keep her hair in order. "Did they say what he wanted?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

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


"Mistress Kerrigan and Mistress Alcori will be with you shortly. Please wait a moment Mr. Dashiell."


"Not a problem Miss." Judah said as the screen went black, save for a Firemane Industries logo. Calming hold music played in the background as he waited. Makai looked up at the music playing and began to gnaw on his purple octopus toy, drooling all over it. There wasn't much for him to do so Judah sifted through his personal comm. Various messages and approvals were waiting for his reply or confirmation. Even with assistants and second in commands there was still much to handle. Anything shady or big came straight to his desk, despite the managers secured at each Salacia site.


"I think Aunt Siobhan and Aunty Tegs are mad at us. Sleeping or some nonsense. I should have checked the timezone conversion but...eh...you only live once, right son?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Judah Dashiell"]


Under other circumstances Siobhan would have made a comment about how cute her wife looked right now. Tegaea really liked her...voluptuous pillows. However, as it was Siobhan was feeling sort of annoyed about being so rudely woken up. She had been having such nice, sweet dreams!


"Shari says it's about a business matter. A deal I'm guessing. Hopefully he didn't wake us up because he wants to go on a trip to Raevana again! Or ask me to babysit," Siobhan grumbled. In any case, following her wife's good example, she quickly put on a blue dressing gown because not everyone had to see the goods whilst trying to get her hair in order. No time to make sure her nails looked great, but it would have to do. Clearly she had her priorities figured out.


"Well, guess we can go see what he wants," as she slipped on a pair of slippers and then departed from the bedroom, still looking slightly flustered. The conference room to which the call had been routed was located on the ground floor of the Kerrigan-Alcori Villa.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Judah Dashiell"]
Tegaea took a moment to try and bring the Firemane into greater control. It wasn't easy as it was quite adverse to being controlled, just like it's owner! Still, muttering she headed to the conference room, picking some water up on the way and using it to revive herself a bit.

When she arrived she let Siobhan take the lead. She'd watch and put in her 2 Dati if needed.

On a side note, the prospect of Siobhan babysitting was very slightly terrifying...yet probably entertaining. This one thinks of Arnie in Kindergarten Cop.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

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


Should the two women ever babysit young Makai the boy would probably be the safest in the galaxy. Granted he may pick up a penchant for explosions, topless women, and a good side-arm at the end of the night. There was certainly trade-offs in every situation though. Music continued through Judah's upstairs office as his hold time continued. The kid was growing bored being ignored by his father so Judah picked him up and took the drool-covered Mr.Octopus, having it "swim" through the boys curly hair, causing him to laugh.


Fun time was interrupted by an assistant.


"Please hold for a few more short minutes Mr. Dashiell" was all the Twi'lek said before disappearing once again.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Judah Dashiell"]



So after a while Siobhan, with her firemaned wife in tow, finally arrived in the grand conference room. When one considered how formal and opulent the room looked, the fact that she and Tegaea were dressed in a less than formal manner was rather hilarious.


Siobhan's dark brown mane was probably just as unruly and rebellious as Tegaea's firemane, though she had managed to push it into a semblance of order. Still she could not shake off the feeling that responding to a business call while she was wearing a dressing gown and comfortable slippers was a bit comical. She had not even had time to put on lipstick! Ah welll, she was a unkempt beauty.


In any case she pressed the button on then holoprojector thingie, or whatever sort of device was used right in intergalactic video conferences. "Mr. Dashiell, good evening. Bit of an awkward time for us. You said this is a business call?" she said in what was probably the closest thing to a polite tone given the fact that she had just been woken up. It's not like it that difficult to check what time it was on Kaeshana!

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Judah Dashiell"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Tegaea looked at her chrono. As Chesna would say, it was far too early in the morning to be early in the morning! She didn't mind staying up late, but getting up before the first light of dawn...well...she'd stopped doing that as soon as she'd gotten officer stripes!

She appeared in the camera range too but didn't say anything.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

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



"Good morning Lady Kerrigan. I do apologize for the hour but business does not wait." Perhaps having a small child had made Judah forget what uninterrupted sleep was like. Early morning, late night often held little to no meaning anymore. Either way, the deed was done and both women were semi-awake and the more violent of the two was speaking in a semi-friendly tone.

A curt nod went to Miss Alcori.


"Best not waste any of your time. I've received some excellent news out of Levantine Sanctum space. I've been approved for a fleet maintenance contract. In this contract some planetary leaders were worried about the safety of their facilities. Its my job to sub-contract the job out. Firemane would basically be glorified security guards....handling on-site securement of restricted areas, petty squabbles between the traders, on patrol for suspicious activity. You're looking at easy credits."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Judah Dashiell"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Well, the prospect of fake money certainly mollified Siobhan a bit, though she could not help wondering why Judah could not have called them a couple hours later! Anyhow she rubbed the sleep from her eyes as he outlined his proposal. An Eldorai servant girl walked over and passed her a cup of tea before quickly vanishing again.


Tea was not Siobhan's usual beverage, but it would probably wake her up more than wine, so she took a sip from the cup. "I see. For the shipyard the Sanctum held this big meeting to attract corporate sponsors?" Siobhan had heard about that, though privately she wondered how the Levantine Sanctum would organise an actual fleet when it was a disparate coalition of free worlds who jealously guarded their independence, spacers and idealistic ex-Jedi. One of the reasons for Firemane's presence on Etti IV in the first place was, as Dells had pointed out, there was no unified military in free space.


"Congratulations on getting the maintenance contract! So the Levantines are actually creating a united navy now?" she could not resist asking but then turned to business.


"Anyhow, thanks for your offer. The contract sounds very promising and well within our portfolio. I'm confident we can dispatch a security unit fit for the task, probably on a rotational basis. Some things Firemane would need clarified from the Levantines: Where is this shipyard located and what security arrangements are in place if it faces a larger threat than common disturbances? I'd also need our jurisdiction clarified, how far it extends since I'm assuming we have basic powers of detention over troublemakers. Lastly, does patrolling extend purely to the station itself or should we deploy some fast patrol ships to help out in space? We have recently acquired a certain naval capability due to the work we did on the Mara Corridor. Nothing for major engagements." Nothing for major engagements, but enough for patrol work and rapid response. If needed they could perhaps spare an Illyria-class frigate here and there.


Either way she would probably be sending an officer to inspect the shipyard, make note of the security protocols and perhaps issue recommendations. She would be sending a message to Dells after this holoconference was over.


((I'm cool with these questions being answered via handwavium along the lines of 'the appropriate data got transmitted and everything was cool'. They're mainly for fluff to fill the business discussion. Unless I'm mistaken the location of the shipyard was not mentioned in the corporate sponsorship thread. If it was then Sio's just being sleepy!))

 

[Judah Dashiell]

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


"Yes, for the shipyard. As for many of your questions, I have no answers to."


Makai shifted on his lap and it gave Judah time to pause. While he had the contract a number of issues were still in the air. Details had yet to be hammered out. The Levantines had seemed a little jumpy so Judah wanted to secure Firemane's position as a subcontractor and report back. As Siobhan stared at him over his cup of tea, he wondered how much of his own personal thoughts to share with the women.


"Firemane would be restricted to the space station and various other locations, no route running or things of the like. Just your basic powers on your basic space station. Like I said, easy credits." There was a slight pause. "If you want my two cents, the Levantines are acting jumpy. Experiencing a great amount of growth in a small period of time. We're going to have to enter this tactfully and slowly. There's no reason for you to go all G.I. Jane on the situation just yet. We're dealing with a collection of independent planets, some of which I question if they are ready to join the galaxy at large."


"I will make sure Chalu sends over all the important details to Firemane. An entire informational packet, for you two to browse at your leisure once your rest is completed."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Judah Dashiell"], [member="Tegaea Alcori"]


Siobhan went over what Judah had said and gave him a nod. To be frank she did not really understand how the Levantine Sanctum worked, but then this was no surprise since it was as far removed from her world view as possible. Not to mention the strong culture clash when you considered that the collection of independent states, some of them isolated farmer colonies, others centres of capitalism like Etti IV, had been started by a band of idealistic ex-Jedi she characterised as space hippies.


However, she was not saying no to easy credits and so she shrugged at that. "I understand that. Hence why I'd like to avoid misunderstandings. Well, rest assured I have no intention of G.I. Jane strongarming myself into anything or converting them to the cause of warmongering. You can pass that on to the Levantines' leaders. I'm happy to earn easy credit with a standard security job on the station. We'll look through the details, and likewise check in with the Sanctum authorities to see what security arrangements are already in place and how many guards are needed so that we can adjust the deployment of a security unit accordingly. But I think we can make this a fruitful contract. Pleasure working with you again," Once she had gotten some rest because even the tea was not making her less sleepy. Much to her annoyance she was unable to suppress a yawn. What time was in it anyway? Too early in the morning to be early in the morning was probably an accurate description.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Judah Dashiell"], [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Tegaea nodded. It all sounded really simple. There had to be a catch, she was cynical enough to know that. And it seemed like the Levantines, far from being the pacifist exiles most seemed to think, were developing a fleet and a centralised state. Very interesting indeed. Or perhaps it was not mutually exclusive to have space hippies and a space fleet.

"We are very interested. When you said that tact and patience is needed I immediately thought of Eyrecae…and then dismissed the idea! We’ll make sure we put someone suited for the job in charge, we promise.”
Having a hammer wielding loon calling the Levantines a bunch of simpering cowards would not go down well. Probably.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

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



"Once the minor details are hammered out and refined I do agree this is a great partnership. I couldn't think of anyone better to be working with. In the coming weeks I am sure everything will be a bit clearer. However, I will go ahead and notify the planets of our subcontract. Perhaps it will spur them into greater action so we both can emerge from the darkness."


As Tegaea spoke, Judah couldn't help but grin. The white-haired woman as effective at her combat duties. Much else beyond smashing things and seducing them between her sheets would be a problem for all involved.


"Eyrecae is a lovely lady. Her position may be best kept to the battlefield though. I am sure Firemane will find a tactful person for the job at hand. Enough business, it is probably best you both return to your sleep. I apologize. Remind me to pay you more for this inconvenience when you babysit Makai."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="Judah Dashiell"]


Siobhan made a face. What was it with Judah and Thessa wanting her to babysit? She did not even like kids! Babies, whatever, she was not the maternal sort and thus quite happy with the fact that her fade to black scenes did not require dice rolling. "Err....yeah. Looking forward to working with you again. You and Thessa have a good day...or whatever time it is on Ceto." Siobhan said before cutting the connection, then turned to face her wife.


"Well, that went well. Yay for more easy money! And you say nothing about babysitting!" she warned because she knew her wife was an evil troll. "I'm tired and I want my redheaded blanket back. Let's go back to bed."

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], [member="Judah Dashiell"]

Tegaea looked innocent. “But you’d be a great role model for Makai! He’d swiftly learn his place as an upstart maleling! I bet his mother would be pleased, and Judah will just be resigned to having his son be firmly under the heel of a woman like him.”

“But yes, let’s go back to bed. I think we’ve earned ourselves a bit of a sleep in.”

When they returned they found Chesna snoring slightly. She didn’t even wake up as they both climbed into bed. By degrees they eventually fell asleep…their night’s work done.