Unbroken

[Diana Veneris]

For a moment, Diana could neither speak nor breathe. She feared that she had misheard the Lady and desperately worked to replay her words over and over again inside her swimming mind. I won’t, Siobhan had said, as plain and clear as starlight. You’re staying with me. I’m taking you to my home.

Home. The import of the word alone might have been enough to bring Diana to her knees had she not already been seated. Any sense of home or belonging that the girl ever had died with her parents. For years, the home that her mother and father had worked so hard to build was twisted and bent into a prison by her uncle.

House Veneris was not what it should have been, and now with Draygar Veneris dead, and Diana soaring half-way across the universe to Tygara, it scarcely existed at all. Perhaps one day she would return to Eshan to restore her home, and her House, to its former glory . . . but for the moment, as her vivid blue eyes gazed up to Siobhan as if the woman hung the moon, Diana knew that she had found the home she needed.

“Thank you.”

Diana’s voice was muffled against Siobhan’s shoulder, where her shining blonde head now rested. The girl, gently and yet out of nowhere, had wrapped the woman in the most innocent of embraces. It was a sweet and unguarded gesture, the sort that children make without thinking. Diana, despite her naiveté, was no longer a child, however; she just as soon drew away, abashed by her own girlishness, a pink blush coloring her cheeks as she collected herself.

“I will do everything you say. I swear it,” The girl murmured, her soft voice strengthened by conviction before she faltered, as if to think carefully over her next words. “ . . . if I may ask, my Lady—how do you use your powers?”

For good, or evil?

The real question went unspoken, though it shone in Diana's eyes.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Diana Veneris"]


Siobhan should have expected the innocent, adorable embrace. Nonetheless, she was taken aback by the sweet gesture. Perhaps because it hit too close to home. It reminded her strongly of her daughters...


So for a moment she was frozen, not pushing Diana away, but equally not sharing in the gesture, before she awkwardly returned the hug. Then Diana had pulled away, a pink hue across her pale skin showing her embarrassment.


Perhaps the universe decided it would be a good deed to give both a moment to compose themselves, and so Harmony stepped into the lounge, carrying a tray with two ceramic cups and some biscuits.


"There you go, dear. Lady Mistress, you have not been embarrassing the poor lass, have you?" she asked innocently. Pot, kettle. The Dahomian probably wanted some copper with that irony.


Regardless, she gave the Echani a steaming cup of coca, before passing a cup of Atrisian tea over to Siobhan. "Dinner will be ready in a moment," she added, planting a kiss on Siobhan's cheek.


Siobhan's eyes followed the delicate sway of her hips, enjoying the way Harmony's skirt clung to the sweet curves of her tight butt. It was a good distraction. Then she turned her attention back to Diana, frowning slightly in response to her question.


"Do you mean from a technical or moral perspective?" she asked rhetorically. "I like to think I use my powers for good. I protect the little people and use whatever means I have at my disposal to smite the wicked and protect what's mine. I've killed thousands, but I've saved many more. Sometimes there are no clear-cut good choices, only grey ones and you must pick one that's the least odious in the long run. Some hidebound mystics would divide the Force in Light and Dark. I do not. I treat it as a means to victory, strength, honour and glory. Your power is not good or evil. Your use of it is."

 

[Diana Veneris]

Any bashfulness that lingered after their momentary embrace evaporated with the pleasant steam of hot cocoa that Diana now cupped in her palms. She daintily lifted the mug up to her nose and closed her eyes, breathing in the roasty-sweet scent. The aroma alone was enough to quench her deprived senses—did she dare take an actual sip? Slowly, sparingly, the girl brought the mug closer . . . and drank deeply. An involuntary smile crept over the cushion of her lips. Diana had not enjoyed something so delicious, so decadent, in ages.

All at once, her memory was triggered.

“I . . . remember this,” Diana murmured, studying the cocoa before flickering her crystal eyes back up to Siobhan. “My mother made something like this for me when I was a little girl.” She paused, lowering her lashes, the tug between sweet hesitation and unchecked tenderness playing out across her porcelain face. “I don’t remember much of my mother.”

There was silence as Diana settled into the plush cushions with her cocoa. She savored the precious drink and watched the stars rush by the Revenant’s viewport, utterly rapt, until Siobhan spoke again. It was remarkable, the effect of the older woman’s voice upon the younger—as if there was an invisible string tying her words and Diana together. The girl’s widened blue eyes immediately moved to Siobhan, her full attention vested as the woman spoke.

I’ve killed thousands, but I’ve saved many more.

Thousands. The number sent a cold chill through Diana’s spine, raising bumps along the milky smoothness of her skin. She was one of the thousands that Siobhan had saved, but what about the alternative? Who had she killed, and why? Siobhan’s titanic power radiated off her body in thundering waves. Diana did not doubt her ability to kill . . . but as the girl rested on the couch, curled up at the commanding woman’s side like a small kitten, she knew that Siobhan would never harm a hair on her golden head. Diana allowed herself to sink deeper into the cushions, comforted by this unyielding fact.

“You’re very wise, my Lady.” Her voice was soft, reverent. “I’m . . . afraid of my powers. If they aren’t evil, then I’m afraid that I am.” Diana’s gentle gaze became imploring. “My powers have brought nothing but destruction and pain. Now they’ve brought death.” She knitted her full brows and set her hot cocoa aside, her voice quieter now than ever as she looked deep into Siobhan’s eyes. “I want to do good. I want be good—to help others like me. I don’t want to hurt anymore.”

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Diana Veneris"]


The effect her words had on Diana was not lost on Siobhan. "I'm a killer," she shrugged. Her tone was blunt and matter-of-fact. "There's no point mincing words. I don't enjoy killing, but it doesn't bother me either. The galaxy's a dark, bleak place. If I hadn't killed your attackers, you'd be dead and we wouldn't be having this conversation. I won't hurt you, dear." She pulled the cup to her lips and took a sip from her Atrisian tea, savouring the sweet taste.


"You're not evil. Your powers aren't evil - no more than a loaded gun is. You're simply a young woman who didn't receive the benefit of training. You don't have control because no one taught you how to have control over your powers. Or over your life, for that matter." Her chocolate brown eyes met Diana's crystalline blue.


"You can dwell on the past and wallow in it, or make something out of the future. You're afraid, so use that as fuel to do better. I can teach you how to gain that control so that you use your abilities for good. But that requires discipline, obedience and honesty." Not once did she raise her voice, but she emphasised the three key words. You could not respect someone who had to shout all the time to sound authoritative. "Why did those men want to kill you? To whom did you bring death?"

 

[Diana Veneris]

Diana felt a sensation wash over her that she had never felt before. It was warm, comfortable, like a blanket to the soul. It was the sensation of finally being understood, a wholly novel experience for the young pariah whose head had, until this moment, been filled with ugly whispers and cruel lies. Draygar Veneris had made gaslighting an art, so much that Diana might have continued believing herself to be a wicked monster had Siobhan not matter-of-factly stated otherwise. Diana suddenly wanted to wrap herself in Siobhan’s words and hide there forever. It was a childish notion, but the vindication Diana felt as the Fire-Maned Lady spoke was overwhelming. Siobhan’s voice emboldened her and set her free. Diana could not have known it then, but it was in that moment that her heart resolved, of its own sweet accord, that it would follow Siobhan to the ends of the earth. At the woman’s last question, however, Diana paused.

“I murdered my uncle.”

Her voice, usually so contoured and demure, fell to a cold, terrifying whisper.

“I didn’t mean to kill him. My powers . . . I lost control,” She continued softly, crystalline eyes filling with conviction. “But I don’t regret it.”

It was the first time Diana had said the words out loud. It was exhilarating.

“I have no proof, but I believe that he orchestrated my parents’ death when I was a child. He took House Veneris for himself, and my liberty with it. He was afraid of me. He convinced our people that I was a witch and kept me as his slave.”

Diana held Siobhan’s gaze with a firmness that belied her delicate exterior.

“I didn’t want to be a slave anymore.”

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Diana Veneris"]


"Don't regret it. You did what you had to do. Certain sacrifices are as unavoidable as they are necessary. No one has any right to take your family away - or to cage you and treat you like a slave. He got what he deserved." The Fire-Maned Lady's tone was firm, and unyielding.


"Once upon a time I was weak and afraid - a victim at the mercy of others. Then I decided to take control of my life and become the master of my fate. You can do the same. I will help. It will not be an easy path to walk. I will not coddle you," she saw the firmness and conviction inside Diana's deep, crystalline blue eyes. This girl was no mere lamb, she could become a lion.


"I will challenge you, test you, pull you out of your comfort zone. There may be times when you're angry with me. Perhaps resent me and think I'm being too stern and stiffling. But know this: Everything I do will be to make you strong and in command of your destiny."


There was noise outside of the lounge, then a somewhat timid knock on the door. Only Hestia could make that sound apologetic and, predictably, the servant girl soon walked in with a demure expression on her face, curtseying. "Pardon me for interrupting, Lady Mistress, but dinner is ready."

 

[Diana Veneris]

The dinner spread was more than anything Diana had ever tasted. Her uncle had enjoyed such decadent feasts, but he had taken care to restrict Diana’s portions to scraps or cold remainders. As she sat down to dine with Siobhan, it took all of her strength not to devour every last morsel on the table. Hardship had ingrained restraint in Diana, however. She picked daintily as she always had, savoring each small bite.

Heaviness soon began to settle in the pit of her belly and spread throughout her limbs like molten lead. Outside the Revenant, the infinite starry darkness of space remained steadfast. Diana did not know whether night had truly fallen, or whether the adrenaline of her great escape had taken its toll and come to demand that she rest.

When her pliant limbs at last melted into the lush embrace of bed, Diana—in the face of her exhaustion—could not help but lie awake and think. She rolled onto her side and propped her pale cheek on the back of one small hand, crystal eyes venturing toward the ceiling but seeing right through it.

In her mind’s eye flashed the hazy memory of her parents, and then the gruesome, contorted face of her uncle as he lay dying on the stone floor of what should have been her home—but what he had made her prison. Had she really awoken this morning still his slave? Was she really here now, a white dove freed from her cage after years of torment, or was this some cruel, elaborate dream?

Diana would not have time to answer those questions. Her thick lashes blinked once, twice, before her consciousness slipped away into merciful oblivion. She slept long and dreamlessly.

Waking only brought more questions. When her eyes fluttered open, Diana might have sat bolt upright in bed, had it not been for the tenderness that ached throughout her slight muscles and bones. For a moment, she could not remember where she was or how she had gotten there, but as the veil of sleep fell away from her mind, it all rushed back to her like a mighty tide. Everything that had happened . . . it was real.

Long wheaten curls, mussed and wild from the pillow, tumbled long down her back as she pushed herself to seated and surveyed the guest room. Nairobi lay curled at her feet, still purring dreamily in her sleep. It was evident that Harmony or Hestia had also been there—Diana saw fresh clothes laid out for her over the back of a plush velvet chair. With some effort, Diana rose from bed and wasted no time in dressing.

“ . . . Lady Kerrigan?” Her voice was soft and unsure as she drew herself up to the Fire-Maned Lady’s personal quarters. Diana was not sure what the etiquette was between them now, and while she did not want to overstep her bounds, she also feared appearing unpunctual. They would be arriving at Tygara soon, and Diana did not want to be late to her own new beginning.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Diana Veneris"]


Siobhan had retired to her personal quarters for the night. Some time afterwards, both Hestia and Harmony had joined her. The Fire-Maned Lady did not like sleeping alone since she got, well, lonely. Moreover, the queen sized bed was very big. Thus it would be unfair to hoard the silk covers and large space. Especially since her companions were two beautiful, comely ladies. Seriously...how many euphemisms does this one have to use to say that coitus ensued?


Anyhow, a fade to black scene later, Siobhan was asleep. While the servant girls' jokes about her being comatose till noon were obviously inaccurate, she tended to be a heavy sleeper. So she was slumbering like a baby. Her two lovers had snuggled up against her and their limbs were entangled.


So as a consequence, she did not hear Diana at first. Harmony, however, was significantly more alert than her Lady. "Sio...Lady Mistress," she corrected herself, "Diana is outside." Siobhan did not seem to hear her.


"Mistress," she said again, planting a kiss on Siobhan's cheek. That woke the Lady up, but she seemed to misunderstand because she simply pulled the Dahomian into a deep, passionate kiss, while threading her fingers through her dark curls. "Hestia, come overe here," she said in between kisses.


"Uh, Mistress, our guest is outside. The little girl you saved," Hestia reminded the Lady, whose hand had already moved towards her ample chest.


"What?" Siobhan exclaimed, just as her lips met Hestia's. It took a moment more before the metaphorical light bulb was switched on, leaving her like the proverbial deer caught in the headlight. Finally she stopped being distracted. "Oh, right. Diana, come in," she blurted out, sounding a little groggy.


"Shouldn't we get dressed first, Lady Mistress?" Hestia asked a bit shyly.


"Don't sweat it, Hesti. All the sensitive bits are covered. It's nothing the little girl won't be seeing a lot of anyway. She needs to see her mama bear," Harmony opined knowingly.

 

[Diana Veneris]

Diana, come in.

The voice sounded distant and groggy, as if struggling to push through a fog of the deepest slumber. Diana faltered. The voice belonged to Lady Kerrigan, but she had never heard the formidable woman sound so placid . . . vulnerable, even. It was almost alarming. Not twenty-four hours prior, Diana had watched Siobhan tear hapless Echani warriors limb from limb using only her mind. Now, Siobhan sounded no stronger than a kitten.

Was something wrong?

Diana did not have the requisite experiences that might have enabled her to piece together the puzzle. A lifetime in exile had sheltered the girl from all things dark, worldly, and carnal. She was a pure thing, untainted and untouched, in her mind as much as her body. Where others would have grinned knowingly and left the bedroom (and its occupants) in peace, Diana—poor, naïve child!—pressed a timid hand against the keypad and watched the door rush open in a great metallic whoosh.

“Lady Kerrigan, I—“

Diana froze in the threshold. What she saw nearly knocked her over. Siobhan . . . Harmony . . . Hestia. Their tiny blonde charge was sheltered, but she was no fool.

Crystal blue eyes turned wide as saucers. Milky white skin flushed a remarkable shade of pink. Full mouth parted and gaped, but neither breath nor sound fluttered past. Diana was utterly dumbstruck. For a moment, she could only stare like a darling idiot.

“I—I’m so sorry!”

The girl turned to make a hasty exit, but she could not get her legs beneath her in time. All of the grace that usually accompanied her posture had fled from her body. Diana moved like a startled, ungainly baby deer and missed the open door entirely—she ran smack into the wall, but not before tripping over a few unusual items left strewn about the floor. Diana let out a small, inelegant yelp—somewhere between a whimper and a squeak.

“My—my Lady,” Diana stammered as the dust settled, turning her back to the bedroom. She shielded her burning face with her hands and appeared to be hiding behind the wheaten curtain of her long, white hair. “I—I think we’ve arrived on Tygara.”

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Diana Veneris"]


Sweet, adorable Diana was still so pure and innocent. Unfortunately for her, her benefactor just happened to be an...incredibly oversexed, very sexually active woman who surrounded herself with a harem composed of adoring girls and malelings.


Goddess, this is almost as awkward as that one time Galina walked in on me, Siobhan thought, shuddering when she recalled that moment. Fortunately, in this case she had not been caught within the act. Thus Diana would probably remain ignorant of the purpose of the items strewn across the floor. Siobhan looked more than a little mortified.


"Diana, are you alright? I hope you slept well," The Lady winced when Diana smacked into the wall after tripping over some devices. One of them was a riding crop. It was Harmony who took the initiative. Quickly, the dark skinned beauty got up, slipping a robe about herself.


Quickly crossing the distance, she put a comforting arm around Diana's shoulders. "Thank you for telling us, dear. Why don't we go and get something to eat whilst Lady Kerrigan and Hestia...prepare themselves?" she asked in a sweet, gentle tone, as if this situation was nothing out of the ordinary.


"Uh, yes. You two go and have a cup of cocoa. I'll...get dressed," Siobhan agreed, flushing a bit.


"I'll...clean up, and help the Lady get dressed," Hestia said in a slightly mousy voice.

 

[Diana Veneris]

As Harmony swept her out of the bedroom, Diana couldn’t bear to meet the half-dressed woman’s eyes. Crystal gaze remained glued to floor, while habitually elegant gait grew stiff and awkward. More than once, Harmony had to steer Diana away from obstacles like walls and doors, so shaken was the blessed child from her scandalous gaffe. It wasn’t that Lady Kerrigan and her mistresses were all so terrible to look upon—on the contrary, Diana thought they were the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen. Rather, it was her total lack of exposure to matters of bodily pleasure. For Diana, the incident was akin to being thrown into the sea without ever having swam. She needed a moment to catch her breath.
Diana might have taken more than just a moment, had it not been for a dazzling glow that steadily spread throughout the Revenant and called her attention back up from the floor. The colossal silhouette of Tygara, in all of its lush glory, was rushing up toward them in a radiant burst of color and light—startling to Diana’s senses after so many hours in the bleak expanse of space. The girl darted to the viewport and pressed the button of her nose against the thick glass, wide-eyed, watching the planet grow larger and larger until they broke through the atmosphere and were overtaken by its glimmering blue-and-green surface. Diana had never seen entire oceans before. Tygara, an island planet, was teeming with them.
For a moment, Diana grew afraid—where would they make landfall? What if the ship crashed down into the deep azure waters, and their journey had been all for naught? Diana’s lack of swimming wasn’t just a figurative issue. She found herself wishing for the stalwart comfort of Siobhan at her side, and hoped that the Firemaned Lady would emerge from her quarters soon. Besides that, Diana had so many questions.
The speckled lights of a glittering city expanded into focus as they swept through New Santaissa. Just as Diana thought they had reached their destination, the Revenant made one streamlined arc through the sky and powered toward the mountains that loomed high above. Diana heard Harmony say something behind her—perhaps about a villa—but the child was far too enraptured by the magnificent landscape to listen. “Tygara,” She murmured to herself, each syllable rolling lovingly and carefully off her tongue. “Tygara.” The planet was as beautiful as its name. Diana wanted to savor the moment, to remember it forever. After a lifetime chained to Eshan, she felt as though she had finally come home.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Diana Veneris"]


"Yes, Tygara," Siobhan spoke, suddenly appearing at Diana's side. In the light of the fact that the Fire-maned Lady was not particularly subtle, especially with her cane, Young Veneris would have probably heard her coming. Unless she was too distracted by the magnificient landscape ahead of them.


Siobhan was once again fully dressed - elegantly, as usual. All timidity had vanished from her tone. It was the commanding voice Diana had become so accustomed one in the short span of time they'd been together. "It's a beautiful world, but also a very dangerous one. Don't let its splendour blind you," she cautioned the girl. She was jaded, deeply so. Tygara was a home, but she would no longer call it 'my home'. She doubted that she'd ever refer to any world as such. Nor were the Space Elves her people.


"That's my place. You can stay here for the time being, till we organise accommodations for you," she pointed towards a splendid villa that came closer and closer as the Revenant streamed across the mountains, descending downward as it came in to land. "Come on," she urged the girl and turned away.


The luxury transport would touch down upon the private landing pad. Once the ladies disembarked the craft and walked down the landing ramp, they would find that an honour guard of sorts had been assembled: Firemane soldiers kitted out in black boots, green trousers and tunics and armed with rifles and blades, assembled to greet their Mistress. At the sight of her, they snapped to attention. Most of them were Qadiri, bronze coloured elves native to Tygara whose culture might remind some of the mythical land called Persia on a planet far, far away, or Dahomians, the race of dark skinned humans Harmony belonged to.

 

[Diana Veneris]

“How could something so beautiful, be dangerous?”

The question did not come as a challenge. Sincerity filled Diana’s blue gaze as she looked up to Siobhan. Lady Kerrigan had pieced herself together from the bedroom incident and stood as tall and stoic as ever. There was something different about the woman this morning, however—something much harder and more distant than the woman who had caressed her hair and procured hot cocoa the night before. Diana suddenly felt a strange twinge in her heart that felt remarkably like an eagerness to please. When Siobhan turned and made to descend from the Revenant, Diana fell in line obediently.

The magnificent panorama of soldiers lining their march toward Siobhan’s grand villa almost stopped Diana clear in her footsteps. They wore regalia as impressive as the weapons elegantly poised on their strong shoulders and responded to the sight of their Lady with an almost inhuman uniformity. Never had it been more apparent that Siobhan liked to surround herself with pretty things—even her army was exotic. Something told Diana that they would not be as forgiving of her ungainliness as Hestia and Harmony.

Anxious not to stray, Diana drew closer to Siobhan but eyed each guardsman with intermingled shyness and curiosity as she passed them by. Somewhere inside her rucksack, Nairobi let out a low, throaty growl. “Hush,” Diana whispered gently down to the bag. The feline’s protests quieted, and not a moment too soon. Diana lifted her shining blonde head and was immediately struck by what she saw. They were nearing the villa, but to her, it seemed more like a palace. The girl swept her wondering eyes over its expansive glory before returning her attention to the woman at her side.

“Is this your home, the place that you were born?” Diana asked, not knowing how wrong she was. It was a naïve question, but she had already worked out the reasoning in her mind. Only a place like this could have produced Siobhan Kerrigan. She could not imagine her benefactress as anything less than what she was now—as striking and impressive as the villa they now entered.

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Diana Veneris"]


"Appearances can be deceiving, dear. Evil exists on every world. All too often, beauty and honeyed words conceal a dagger in someone's hands," Siobhan said pseudo-philosophically. Cynicism was evident. Tygara and its people meant a lot to her, but they had also brought her a lot of pain. Even her family had. Those closest to you could hurt you the most.


The honour guard snapped to attention, and Siobhan walked past the lines of soldiers, carrying herself like a queen. Her gaze was resolute, her stance regal and her eyes showed a cold fire. Indeed, she seemed to soak up the attention, revel in the pomp and circumstance. Even her limp seemed less evident. Many of the exotic soldiers were women, though there were some men among them. All of them looked muscular and deadly, for despite their shiny uniforms they were not just parade warriors. Diana might be able to sense that some possessed the same ethereal power she wielded.


"My Sepoys," the Fire-Maned Lady explained to Diana. Her tone radiated both maternal pride and a certain degree of possessiveness. This was not a conventional executive, this was a woman who regarded herself as an absolute monarch and those beneath her as her subjects. "Many of them are freed slaves."


As they left the landing pad and approached the magnificient villa, they'd pass through a perfectly manicured garden. "I was not born here. Or with a golden spoon in my mouth. My homeworld's...nothing to write home about. I came from the gutter and worked my way up."