Carshoulis Prime[r] - 9.022

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

Kiattaarra Feessarro was bored.

Mind-numbingly, bone crushingly, appetite depressingly bored. She rolled over on her bed, tail flicking idly as she picked a hole in her silk sheets with a claw. Sighing, she slunk off of the soft mattress, retrieving a robe as she walked across the bedroom towards one of the other rooms of her private suite.

"Keerrourri!" She sounded petulant, but she didn't care. Kia pulled the calanic silk robe on over her slim cocoa shoulders, not bothering to belt it as she slapped a servant away from her. The male bowed low and scraped his way out of the room, his cheek red with her handprint.

She wasn't even hungry, but she retrieved a sajoi from a bowl on the sideboard in the sitting room, crunching it quickly. She needed a distraction.

Her mother had died a week ago from a cancer of the pancreas, and now she was the Pride Mother. The Ruler of the Carshoulis Cluster. She had inherited her mother's manservant (well, all of them, technically, except for the breeders, every Mother got her own breeders), and she'd found him as skilled as her mother had told her.

In all sorts of ways. Kia threw a plate at the wall. "Keerrourri!"

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

If the wails for his attention grated at his nerve, Keerrourri Sarrtarroa was extremely practiced at never betraying it. He finished finalizing drafts with a panel of regional governors in one of the palace's many meeting rooms.

"Thank you all."

He bowed deeply in deference to the half dozen matriarchs of impressive capital and power. They were petitioning him, and by definition his young mistress, for the export rights to Mon Calamari, which was a lucrative bid that had just come up for consideration. He had already made up his mind to turn them down in exchange for a favor to another political ally, but it was important to receive their request in person.

As they left, Kiattaarra's high-blooded imperatives sounded louder in his ears. He passed off the documents to the palace notary, and left the meeting area to find his young mistress.

"Mjisstrressss."

He prostrated himself deeply in her presence. No matter how petulant and immature she was, she had absolute power, and it was a fool who would not respect this.

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

"Therrre jyou arrre," she purred, her robe parted and revealing her smooth and naked skin underneath. "jYourrr meetjing took too long."

Kiattaarra flounced to a sofa and lounged expertly, a finger tracing her navel. "jI ssstjill don't know whjy jI can't attend." Truth be told, she could have attended the meeting, had she wanted, but Keer had suggested that for the time being her time might be better served studying her duties.

She looked at him through hooded eyes, "Oh, get up, jI need sssomeone to talk to. Everrrjyone elssse jisss ssstupjid, or annojyjing."

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

Good. He wasn't particularly fond of prostration.

Rising, he smiled.

"The Keeva parrtjy goverrnorrss werre met. They want to open food trrade to the Alljiance."

The delicate act of informing her of what transpired and more importantly why it did without boring the young Pride Mother was an assuredly difficult burden to bear.

"Mjy ssuggesstjion jiss to decljine. Aataai'hee parrtjy alrreadjy wjisshess to take the contrract, and we sshould grrant them a kjindnesss."

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

"The Alljiance?" She sat up, her ears perking a little. "jIt would be fooljissh to take ssjidess jin the warrr. At leassst," she amended, pulling her robe closed, "That'ss what mjy motherrr alwajysss sssajid."

Kia waved a hand, "jIf jyou thjink the Aataai'hee parrrtjy desserrrvesss the contrrract, jI won't djisssagrrree wjith jyou."

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

"Food sshjipmentss can larrgeljy be excussed forr humanjitarrjian purrpossess."

At least she was aware of the larger political ramifications of dealing with large states that may be at odds with each other.

"We alrreadjy have ssjimjilarr arrrangementss wjith ssome jImperrjial worrldss. Sshould we decjide laterr to jimprrove futurre trrade, food sshjipmentss arre a corrdjial wajy to begjin on good terrmss."

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

Kiattaarra frowned a little, but nodded. "Perrrhapss ssomedajy." She brightened at the thought of hosting some of the so-called 'heroes' of the Rebel Alliance as a trade agreement was hashed out.

The spy Dasquian Belargic had been splashed all over holovid channels coming out of the Core after his capture by the Empire. He was extremely handsome, for a forrrda. It would be fun to ... Kia realized that Keerrourri was still there, waiting for her to say something else.

"And the Empjirrre," she said, "jIt has rrrecentljy put a female hyuu-mann jin powerrr." She hesitated. "What do we thjink about that?"

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

"We sshould commend them forr a prrogrresssjive chojice."

The Emissary's mouth turned upwards at the corners.

"That wjill appearr to appeasse the Empjirre, whjile alsso ssjignalljing to the Alljiance that we arre jin favorr of regjime change awajy frrom the deceassed Palpatjine. Not to mentjion jyou wjill gajin favorr wjith ourr own basse."

He didn't have to remind her about the importance of that. Solidarity against their own egalitarianist rebellion was an important theme in her mother's reign, and would likely continue to be important for a very long time.

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

"Rrrjight..." Kiattaarra yawned, and then she looked at her manservant. She had only been officially mated to him for a few days, and was having trouble with his obvious mastery of everything her position demanded of her.

He knew what he was doing. She was still figuring it out. It put her in a unique and delicate position of having to ask a male for advice. Her mother had never really talked much about the affairs of state (unless they were actual affajirrrss). So Kiattaarra was learning as she went, and it was hard to take it all in.

She patted the couch beside her, knowing that she would have to assert her control over Keerrourri quickly, and often, if she had any hope of actually wielding the power that came with the title she held. If she couldn't keep her own manservant in line... the Matriarchs would tear her to pieces. "jI am borrred," she pouted.

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

Keerrourri sat as he was wordlessly commanded to do.

"Perrhapss an jinsspectjion of jyourr arrmjy would make forr an jinterresstjing excurrssjion?"

It would also double to make her visible to the numerous soldiers that were to be personally loyal to her command. That sort of thing was best to keep any potential threat of a coup at bay.

Somehow, he didn't think that was the pursuit she was interested at this time.

"Orr wass therre ssomethjing elsse on jyourr hjighnesssess mjind?"

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

She fingered the torc around his neck, the gold collar that labeled him clearly as her property. "Sssomethjing elssse..." she purred throatily. "jYou mjight sssajy that."

Kia turned on the sofa so she was facing him, her robe falling open again as she pressed her lips against his neck, nibbling gently on his smooth skin. And then another servant entered the room, a meek but handsome male carrying a tray of datacards. Furious at the interruption, she broke off her kiss, shouting curses at the maleservant until he left.

This was all so hard. Kiattaarra curled up on the couch, her tail wrapped around her, her eyes welling up with tears. And now she was showing weakness in front of her manservant. Her mother would have known what to do. She had always known what to do...

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

Keer quickly dismissed the lackey with a rebuke, and had the doors to the chamber sealed behind him. There was nothing beneficial to either of them by her showing such emotions to others.

"Sstop crrjyjing."

He rose to his feet and squared to face her.

"Neverr forr a moment let them ssee that frrom jyou."

He reached forward to rest a hand across her bare shoulder.

"jYou arre the Prrjide Motherr. jYourr worrd jiss law acrrosss all of ourr worrldss. But jit wjill onljy carrrjy jif jyou have the convjictjion to sspeak fjirrmljy."

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

She surged to her feet, and slapped him square across the face. He barely flinched. "jI am the Prrrjide Motherrr! And jiss jit not mjy rrrjight to grrrjieve mjy own motherrr?!"

Kia glared up at him, pounding a fist against his chest. "Excusse me jif jI don't have jit all togetherrr afterrr a week of cerrremonjiesss and memorrrrjialsss. jI don't anssswerrr to jyou, Keerrr, jyou anssswerrr to me!" In her anger her tears were forgotten, and she abruptly broke away from him, belting her robe tightly around her nakedness.

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

"jYou werre not the onljy one to grrjieve."

Keer coolly responded to her outburst.

"jYou arre entjitled to do sso. jI djid ass well. But jyou musst exercjisse djisscrretjion when jyou do sso."

She'd backed away from him in a furious state, and he fell silent.

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

Fuming, Kia rounded on her manservant. "Don't lecturrre me!" She grabbed a vase and threw it at him, missing by inches. It smashed spectacularly against the wall.

"jI wjill be a betterrr leaderrr than mjy motherrr wass. jI wjill!" Her eyes narrowed, and she walked towards him, taking hold of his lapels and forcing him down to his knees in front of her. "jI wjill be betterrr than herrr." Kiattaarra grabbed his ear and twisted his head to the side, exposing his neck to her. "And jyou wjill teach me how."

She bent over him, her breath tickling his face, "jI am sstrrrong. And jyou wjill not overrrsstep jyourrr authorrrjitjy."

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

"jI wjill not."

With his head at an angle, he looked up to her with a serious demeanor.

"jI do what jI do, all forr jyourr benefjit."

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

"Good." Kia released his ear, and then knelt on the ground with him. "No morrre worrrdss." She tore at his shirt, claws making short work of it before retracting.

Her robe slipped off, and she pressed herself against him, hungry for satisfaction. She had only a few hours before a tataur'aasa'saanja was to arrive, seeking audience with the new Pride Mother. It would have to be enough time. Kia kissed him roughly.

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

Keerrourri did his duty, letting his shredded shirt fall by the wayside as he hefted his mistress up with ease, pressing her back to an adjacent wall as he kissed at her. His primary duty to her was to be her counsel in matters of high state, but like any male who wore her collar, he was above all, hers.

[Kiattaarra Feessaarro]

An hour or so later Kiattaarra was sleeping lightly, her right arm and leg draped over her manservant where they were laying on the floor, surrounded by calanic silk pillows. Keer shifted slightly, and she woke up, propping herself up on one elbow sleepily, her dark hair mussed prettily.

Her hair color was quite unusual, a dark brunet with reddish undertones. She liked being different than the rest of the inhabitants of the Carshoulis Cluster. Kia purred as he ran a hand down her back, nestling her head into his chest. Oh yes, Keerrourri was probably the best thing her mother had given her. "A prrrjiestessss is comjing ssoon," she murmured. "jI would ljike jyou to attend me durrrjing the meetjing."

[Keerrourri Feessaarro]

Keerrourri nodded. That wasn't an unusual request, as the religious rites of the Mother were often very procedural.

"jI wjill do sso."

He rose from where he lay, tapping a comm unit on an ornate table and asking for orderlies to bring wardrobe for both himself and his mistress.

"Wjill jyou be makjing the rrjitualss publjic?"

It was a decision that he didn't feel strongly about, either for or against.