Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned: Chapter 7

[Diana Talon]

"It is... but what's even more frakked up, my family talking about this without me." Diana said as she walked over and pecked Kirby on the cheek and smiled. "Have I told you lately how lovely your hair looks?"

"You still have a HUGE bar tab girl." Kirby rolled her eyes. "I know you got credits to spare. C'mon, how else do you think we feed the orphans?"

"Fine fine... " Diana put her cred card on the bar's reader and raised her hand. "Paid up. Who knows, that may be the last time I do that."

"Don't even kid about that." Lana said and gave her a hug. "You're coming back."

"I am entirely coming back." Diana said as she sat next to Livvy. "So if I become like... Queen of Earth or something, think Simon would actually acknowledge that we're a couple. Both royals or something... it's like we're the galaxy's worst kept secret."

[Livvy Sandoval]

"The goofy looking elf?" Livvy said with a shocked expression. "You know you could do better than Simon Stormtalon. Besides, I heard he's expected to marry a Narlin baroness from Nar'ta."

[Diana Talon]

"Hey I've been working on him since we were kids." Diana said. "And he's NOT goofy looking... he's handsome... and a gentleman."

[Livvy Sandoval]

Livvy shrugged, "Well, not my life. What do you think about all of this? I mean you are central to all this somehow, not that any of this makes a lick of sense."

[Diana Talon]

"I'm just as thrown by it as you are. I'm an engineer... I'm not someone that's looking to be in that kind of role." Diana said as she sipped her drink and closed her eyes. "Sure I liked to dress up as a princess as a little girl, but who didn't?"

[Livvy Sandoval]

"Me," Livvy said loftily.

"Yeah, that's a lie," Xander teased. "Though," he conceded, "I wasn't with a frilly dress, and a pointy hat. It was with a bat'leth."

"Mek'leth," Livvy corrected, "And it was part of the story."

Xander shook his head and chuckled, "Well, I guess with our heritage one of us was bound to be a Kahless nut. Must be why you took to Tolkien like a fish takes to water."

Livvy shot out with her hand and twisted Xander's nipple.

"Ow!" he yelped in pain. He tried to return in kind but Livvy had already strategically covered her chest with her arms. Xander glared at her, but there was no heat behind it.

"Keeping you on your toes Xan!" she teased.

[Diana Talon]

"Dude... you do not titty twister a girl." Diana said with a playful slap on his arm. "I'm still just... confused by all this too. I don't like this at all... but if there's one thing I learned is that weird visions and other things like that... well, they tend to come true." she sighed heavily. "Still... it's weird how I'm the one her vision relates to, not Grandma Becca or even Becky, or dad or even Art."

[Livvy Sandoval]

"You are the elder sibling," Livvy pointed out, "if only by a few minutes, and the latest of your line for whatever that's worth."

[Diana Talon]

"Olympic Silver Medalist Nanotechnologist Diana Talon is Queen of Earth...' Oh yeah I can see that headline..." Diana chuckled and ran her hands through her hair. "Suppose that could explain why I never quite wanted to join the military..."

[Kalia Lei]

"Because you have a brain maybe?" Kalia said as she walked over, still in full dress uniform. "Trust me, it takes more than military knowledge to lead. Prophecy or no. You're a bright young woman, analytical yet creative. Strong, yet flexible. You're a Ryder as much as you are a Sandoval. You where what? 12? When you built that device that picks berries more carefully than human hands? You think of a solution that still gives dignity to people yet also works. You're not a ground pounder, nor are you a console rider."

"I know... and I suppose... but it's weird. Honestly, the most military thing I do is help ASI out with tech. Maybe do a little surveillance, analyse things. But it's more out of loyalty to Great-Grandpa Nick than anything else. And Grandmas Angel and Becca." Diana said and took long a drink from her glass.

"You'll figure it out, I'm sure of that. Just as I am sure that I need to have something strong in my glass." Kalia said to Kirby.

"Knock you on your ass? Or "feel no pain'" Kirby said as she picked up a glass from behind the bar.

"Feel no pain. I've been dealing with the 'Brass asses' in the Capital today. I may have stars on my collar but some still loooove to treat me like I'm a fucking secretary." Kalia rolled her eyes. "I've been in the Corps as long as these kids have been alive, longer even. And yet they ignore me. I haven't been an Imperium anything in almost three decades."

"Well, you still look 30." Kirby shrugged her shoulders as she poured her drink. "Seriously. Keep SOME grey."

"It gets too frizzy when it's grey." Kalia replied. "Like Olivia keeps her's natural."

"Touche." Kirby nodded her head and chuckled. "That's what being married to an artist is like. Speaking of art..." she reached behind the bar. "Those new independent operators you hired on, they check out, even if they are overly creative in how they kill people. Sure you want them?"

"If we even attempt to go to Earth, we'll need to have some... creative minds handling things. I have a feeling Ethan is considering ending this hands off approach." Kalia whispered. "We've already lost too many of your agents there. And if the Klingons are even more aggressive its only a matter of time before they come here."

"Just be careful Kalia... don't push Ethan too much on this, last time we liberated an OG Federation world, things went to hell in a handbasket and he ended up with less limbs." Kirby whispered.

"Hey, one leg and one hand are already fake... what's another?" Kalia held up her left hand. "At least this one I lost in battle. The leg was just stupid."