AT/D99 - Other Locations

[Tyra Crawford]

== There are a number of areas that are not specified by the major threads, where a character may find themselves. A list (not comprehensive) can be found on the FS Wiki under the Vesta Class Explorer Deck Plans ==

[Tyra Crawford]

== La Telenovela ==

== C's Secret Stash ==

It felt like a confession, her admission that she had always intended to bear the consequences of the mission but she doubted it came as much of a surprise to anyone, much less Nathan. In fact, wasn't that what Ben had been trying to pre-empt with his confession? Her falling on a sword that he didn't feel was truly hers to claim.

Nathan seemed to understand this too, as well as the source of her deep frustration. He voiced it almost immediately without a second of hesitation, confirming her own realization that there was no fixing this mess and no saving Ben.

Her lips almost quirked into a tiny grin when Nathan let a "y'all" slip but it was lost just as quickly as his actual statement registered. Instead of dwelling on the lingering suggestion that they'd never been meant to survive Parhelia, she poured herself some more whiskey and offered some more to Nathan before setting the bottle down.

“...and I wish I could lie to you now, but you’d see right through it even if I did. But there isn’t much you can do for Ben, except for maybe softening the blow. Get someone to stay the proverbial axe. But I can’t see them letting this go. Not without someone taking the fall, and even then, they might just be trying to collect careers at this point.”

Tyra had leaned back, the glass resting on her knee as she watched Nathan, weighing his words carefully. She had to wonder when Nathan had gotten so wise and perceptive, shaking that blinding idealism for something more pragmatic. Oh, he'd made leaps and bounds under her watchful eye but he had grown into a responsible and capable officer once given the chance to leave the nest. And while this hurt on so many levels, she couldn't ignore that little bit of warm pride blossoming under her chest bone as she regarded what might as well have been prodigal son.

His commentary on both collecting careers and shaking spiders webs echoed her own suspicions, not that she had any illusions that she wasn't already in the spider's web. She didn't know what exactly she had done to end up in someone's crosshairs but all of the pieces of the puzzle seemed to add up to that conclusion. Or maybe their method of survival had merely hit a sore spot but there was something about the initial orders that seemed off in hindsight.

“I know Ben falling on the sword wasn’t in your plans. In fact, it was the opposite of what you wanted, because you were planning on that being your last act if y’all made it back. What is done is done now though. You’ve got to fight for yourself now. Because there is something else in all of this mess. Something that doesn’t add up. I wasn’t even a part of all this, and I can smell the rot that is covering everything about whatever it was you were all sent to do.”

She closed her eyes at those words, taking a sip of whiskey as if the burn would wash away the bitter taste brought on by the idea. Oh, the thought had crossed her mind during and after Parhelia but her career, filled episodes of conspiracy, paranoia and distrust, had bred her to see shadows where there weren't any. She had enough self-awareness to realize this but Nathan… Nathan didn't have two decades of terrible HQ decisions and questionable orders to build off of. If Nathan saw this as something other than a colossal cluster of ineptitude at the highest level…

“I think you should fight. Dig yourself out of this hole first with everything you've got. And then, I think you need to figure out who stuck you under the bus to begin with; to make what Ben did worth more than just being the shield.”

The whiskey swirled in her glass as she considered his statement. Wasn't that why she had stormed down to the brig? To fight for Ben, to find out her odds of saving him? Was she so Hell bent on falling on that sword that she hadn't really considered fighting for herself? If she was going to keep the collateral damage to a minimum, she'd need to put up a fight but it needed to be strategic and careful. She wasn't a political player by any stretch of the imagination but she was no stranger to them. There were connections that she possessed on numerous fronts that would likely become very useful in the coming days.

“Tell me what I can do, and I’ll do it.”

His words were earnest and honest and she felt her heart squeeze just a little at the offer. And yet, she didn't answer immediately, trying to concoct some sort of plan that didn't involve dragging Nathan headfirst into this mess anymore than he had been by Pomn.

"I can't…" she started to say, blue eyes watching him over the rim of her glass before she swallowed hard. Why was it so hard to swallow her pride and accept help from an unlikely source? "Logan. I need a message sent to Logan."

"It doesn't matter what it says. It just needs to have the word 'Icarus' in it. He'll know what that means," she stated with more certainty than she feels. And then, she grins. "Really, just getting a message from you will probably put him at Red Alert without any other help."

There were more connected individuals that she could have Nathan reach out to, ones who could probably throw their weight around far faster and with more success than Logan, but that had the potential to place Nathan in the middle of what seemed like a shadow conflict. Logan was safe and Logan would move Heaven or Hell for her. Of that, she had absolutely no doubt.

"And depending on how this goes, I might need a sounding board, an outside perspective. I know that's an odd role reversal but I… I trust you, Nathan. You've grown up admirably but you still hold just enough of that idealism that you've avoided my pitfall of overt cynicism. And that's what I need: someone to remind me that not every shadow has a threat in it but some do."

"Someone that knows the players involved or enough of them. Someone who cares what happens."

== Tag! ==

[Mara Calleja]

== Crew lounge. Set a couple of hours after the briefing ==

Mara entered the crew lounge and took a quick look around. She’d arranged to meet Ju for something to eat and the Security chief was a little early, so she wasn’t surprised to have got there first. Her clothing was simple as ever, with boots, baggy shorts and a black jumper with a Korean style tiger emblazoned across it that she’d thought was appropriate.

Settling into a chair on one of the tables with a view out into space, the Security chief sighed and rested her head in her hands. It had certainly been a frenetic couple of hours. Calleja had been intercepted by a counsellor the moment she got back to her quarters, and the resulting session had been more bruising than the time that giant Cardassian had hit her in the face with Damian Coleman.

It was hard goin’ but I’m glad it happened. Helped me work through a lot, even if I didn’t wanna open some of those wounds again. Dealin’ with change, it’s not somethin’ I find easy. Then everythin’ changed for me, and when I’ve just about got my head around that, bam. It all changed again.

Even after the admonishment from Crawford, the volley from Givens (admittedly she hadn’t been listening to that, but by all accounts it had been spectacular) and now the session with Counsellor Kuik, Mara still didn’t regret that she’d spoken out. If anything, the fact that she’d been the only one to speak only reinforced her belief that things had needed to be said. What bothered her was that she’d been so off-balance that all her crewmates were going to remember was that she’d lost her temper. The point that she’d been making had been lost in the rush to judgment.

And that fuels my fire. Which makes it harder to stay cool when I have to find a way. I need to stay in control and make my points without turnin’ into a fuckin’ axe murderer.

Once the counsellor had left, Calleja had gone to the holodeck and vented her considerable fury in a combat training program. She’d ripped through enough Caitians and Mirak to carpet half the ship before bruises and fatigue finally took enough of a toll that she ended the program and went to clean herself up.

Mara’s stomach was already grumbling, but she was going to wait for Ju before getting food.

I just hope watchin’ me eat don’t gross her out, she thought with a wry smile. Her jacked physique demanded a constant influx of calories and it was well overdue.

== Tag Ju! ==

[Eun Ju Han]

This was all new to her.

Oh who was she kidding? Everything was new to her. The ship, the crew, the mission, the crazy dual captainship, the drama, the arrest, having a boyfriend, having a potentially criminal boyfriend… all of it. You sure know how to pick your life Eun Ju-a. Her Quarters was awash in soft pastel colors. A pastel purple gingham cover on her bed currently ruffled up as she had lay on it earlier and thought perhaps a nap would help the numbness she had achieved in the Briefing room return. Two hours and some vented frustration later, no nap had been achieved, and the ache in her chest was just as present as it had been earlier.

Mara had texted mid-frustration venting, the ruffled white pillows receiving a small reprieve from angry fists while she grabbed her PADD hoping for a message from Damian. Even though she knew in her mind they were not likely to give him any sort of communication device at the moment, it didn’t stop her traitorous heart from leaping into her throat with anticipation and falling into her guts with desperation when it was Mara’s name blinking at her.

Mara was as close to a best friend as Ju could label. They hadn’t spent a lot of time together outside of planning the big party, but Mara had been a massive Artemis Ambassador to Ju during the Christmas party and the odd duo somehow hit it off. Opposites attracted, perhaps, but whatever it was at least Ju didn’t feel as alone as she might have post-arrest. Mara asked to meet her in the lounge in about thirty minutes, which meant Ju should probably get out of bed and socialize. She could say no and wallow in self pity. She could drink herself black and deal with the rest in the morning. But, she also knew Mara was Chief of Security and if she wanted to she could just barge into Ju’s Quarters and drag her out by her hair.

That was definitely something that Ju wanted to avoid.

Pulling herself up out of bed Ju quickly pulled her hair up into a quick messy pony tail that hung down her back. She changed from her uniform, the same one she had worn during the briefing, and into a simple pair of jeans and yet another Kpop band shirt. Her TXT logo emblazoned on her black shirt in a shiny silver font. Ju put on her shoes and washed her face and grabbed one last thing before heading out to the lounge to see her friend.

Ju couldn’t stand the looks of the people passing her by. Some were giving her a little look that she couldn’t quite interpret, it was almost as though they saw her as lesser. Most of the people were giving her pitiful looks. Her boyfriend, the FO, who had already caused waves by dating an Ensign, now arrested in front of her. Ju wanted to look at the floor, she wanted to cast her eyes down, but she had done nothing wrong. She had done nothing illegal and there was no current proof that Damian had either.

Ju tossed her shoulders back and lifted her chin with a look of sheer determination on her face as she made her way to the Turbolift and then to the Lounge. Thankfully, the lights weren’t overly bright in the lounge, but Ju was able to spot Mara and her tiger sweater across the room sitting by one of the star windows. Winding her way through the tables and people hearing all the whispers that carried her and Damian’s name. She could feel the tides of their emotion in such tight Quarters as they either judged her, Damian, or the situation. None of which they knew anything really about.

Sitting down across from her friend Ju offered her a weak smile. “So. When you lured me to the Artemis you didn’t mention asshole secondary Captains, bastard Caitian officers, and a whole lot of drama,” she said to her friend putting a very large bag of gummy bears down on the table. The little colorful bears spreading out slightly in the confines of the bag until they settled. “Are we having adult drinks? Because, I need to dull my senses if you know what I mean.”

Ju tilted her head in the direction to the people populating the lounge. She had no idea if Mara knew she was half-Betazoid, her eyes racially were dark anyway being Korean so dark brown-black was very similar.

==Tag Mara==

[Mara Calleja]

There was a faint squeak from the chair as Ju dropped into the chair opposite Mara.

“So. When you lured me to the Artemis you didn’t mention asshole secondary Captains, bastard Caitian officers, and a whole lot of drama,” she said to her friend putting a very large bag of gummy bears down on the table. The little colorful bears spreading out slightly in the confines of the bag until they settled. “Are we having adult drinks? Because, I need to dull my senses if you know what I mean.”

There was a moment’s pause and then Mara laughed, the harsh bark an unfamiliar sound to most.

“OK, first off, I ain’t takin’ the blame for lurin’ you anywhere. We both know who did that and it ain’t me. He got charms I don’t,” she replied with a wicked smile. “As for the drama, I thought we had that warnin’ stuck on the dedication plaque. It’s kinda what we do best.”

A feeling made Mara turn her head. A couple of off-duty crewmen were watching her and Ju, and the Security chief’s megawatt stare bored straight through them.

“You got somethin’ you wanna say to me?” she demanded. “‘Cause you know how this goes. You come for her, you come for me. And you ain’t got the stones for that fight.”

“Oh no no no…” One of them started an apology but never got to finish it.

“I didn’t think so. Now fuck off before you put me off my food,” Calleja snapped. When they didn’t move, she doubled down. “I wasn’t kiddin’. Out. You can think about not bein’ the arsehole over replicator rations.”

The two thought about arguing but wisely decided against antagonising the Bandaran any further, and made a sharp exit. As she looked around the room, suddenly everyone was intently staring at their meals or the person opposite them, and absolutely not in any way at all at Mara and Ju. Even after Gangnam Style, the Amazonian officer was still able to intimidate like few others on board Artemis

“OK, I admit. The drama is a bit much sometimes,” the Bandaran admitted as the hubbub of voices started up again. She didn’t know Ju was half-Betazoid but it wouldn’t have changed anything. Barely-suppressed anger was rolling off her in waves as she tried to bottle it up again. “And hey. You wanna drink, you go for it. I don’t touch the stuff. What with my temper, addin’ booze to that mix would be a fuckin’ disaster.”

Mara managed a wry smile.

“Although I gotta say. Even after a few bevvies I wasn’t likely to take up glitter related terrorism. If I go get you some of the good stuff, you gotta promise me I ain’t goin’ home covered in spangles and sparklin’ like a disco ball,” she teased gently.

== A much delayed back atcha! ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Han Eun Ju paused a moment in her sullenness when she heard Mara laugh for the first time. She was pretty sure she had never heard the woman laugh and was fairly certain it wasn’t a common occurrence. Ju was pretty sure at this point she should get a special medal for making the fire-hearted woman laugh. Even Ju, in her misery, had to quirk her lips to the side slightly at the sound of her friend’s laugh in such an honest and unexpected way. Mara’s signature twang always made Ju happy, there was something about the way she said average every day words with some sort of twist that made Ju want to ask all kinds of questions about her friends’ background. Maybe she would get drunk enough tonight to find out some about Mara.

The Security Chief told her that it was not her who had lured her to the Artemis and the both knew it, causing Ju to give a smile. They did both know it, Damian had certainly helped but there were situations that had pushed that decision to be much quicker than she had expected it to be. “You definitely helped with a your sales pitch on alcohol and what Artemis deems a fun time,” she corrected her friend. Though it was a minor thing, Mara had helped Ju feel welcome when Damian brought her, an outsider, to the Christmas party.

Mara looked off to the side, and then she began to give some guys the business. Ju turned to look over her shoulder at the off duty officers who seemed to be hovering. She couldn’t figure out why though because she was pretty sure she hadn’t met either of them and had no idea what they would want with her. However, they realized that she had some protection from Mara and quickly high tailed it when she used a bit more force.

“The drama is second to none, though this is only the second ship I’ve been on,” Ju had to admit. “But, it’s also the most welcoming and most fun. So I guess with that comes drama.”

Ju opened the top of her gummy bears and reached in pinching a few with her fingers and bringing them to her mouth. Chewing slowly as Mara mentioned that she wasn’t going to drink because mixing alcohol and anger issues wasn’t the way to go. Which, to be fair, was perfectly true. Then she made mention of glitter related terrorism which caused Ju to spit gummy pieces on the table in a quick bout of laughter. The glistening gummy body parts were a special kind of rainbow related carnage as they oozed slightly on the table trembling with vibrations while Ju finished her laugh.

“Well that’s disgusting,” Ju admitted as she reached over and grabbed napkins out of the little holder to the side and quickly cleaned up her own mess hoping she hadn’t managed to pelt Mara with any gummy limbs. “Okay so… first of all, I feel like that story is going to follow me for the rest of my life.”

Ju brushed a hand over her face before taking on another gummy victim and squishing him head first between her teeth before continuing. “I was not the Serial Sparkler okay? I was just associated with her. I was just buying crafting supplies, she’s the one that destroyed an entire shelf of glitter and both inhaled and consumed some. Then, she was the one who after a single sip of booze splattered glitter bombs on the Captain’s shoes.”

Ju grinned and sat back. “It really was epic. Not many can say you pissed off your Captain before even meeting them….” She gave a shrug of her muscular shoulders. “As to your question about booze, I can handle it, and I won’t puke. In my culture we start drinking young, illegally young,” she chuckled. “My brothers were teaching me how to drink in high school so no one could easily get me drunk and take advantage of me.”

“So, bring it on, Calleja, I’ll drink your poison.”

==Tag Mara==

[Mara Calleja]

There was a smirk on Mara’s lips as Ju couldn’t contain the treacherous laugh at the mention of the glitter. She was happy to see the younger woman able to laugh. For a while earlier, it had looked worryingly like she was going to have to abuse her access-all-areas privileges to drag the Engineer out of her quarters.

And I’d have done it as well. Kickin’ and screamin’ if needs be.

The smirk was still there as Ju defended her part in Glittergate. The Bandaran hadn’t been there for that but she’d heard the stories. It sounded for the most part like harmless fun, and it had also given wind-up merchants like the Security Chief enough ammunition to keep going for months.

“So, bring it on, Calleja, I’ll drink your poison.”

“My poison? Oh, the stuff you get around here ain’t my poison,” Mara replied with a grin. “Although that’s probably a good thing. Even the moonshine Engineerin’ produces when they think I’m not lookin’ is more refined than what we turn out on Bandar. You can run engines on Bandaran vodka. Definitely wouldn’t advise drinkin’ it. Although the brain damage might help you forget Serial Sparkler,” she quipped.

There was a faint growl from the Amazonian COS’ stomach.

“That’s me givin’ me a message,” Mara added. “I got a need to feed. Give me a sec, I’ll go scare us up some dinner and you somethin’ strong.” She paused. “Not literally scare. Well. Probably not, anyway,” she added with a feral smile as she stood up and headed over to the bar.

She was greeted by a barman almost immediately.

I guess rank does have its privileges…

“Chief Calleja,” he said with a nod.

“Hey up,” she replied. “Can you sort out some food for me an’ Ju please? I’ll take a ribeye steak, medium rare, and some hot wings. I like ‘em hot enough to enjoy the heat, but I ain’t dumb enough to ask for somethin’ that’ll take the paint off the hull. And… I should have asked, but I’m gonna take a guess. Beef bulgogi for my friend.”

The barman nodded as he tapped away on a PADD.

“And to drink?”

“Pint of lemonade for me. And she did ask… Some of your finest ‘shine.”

“I couldn’t possibly serve anyone real alcohol. We do offer synthahol…”

Mara’s barking laugh interrupted the sales pitch.

“You can cut that out,” she said with a good-natured grin. “I know you serve real alcohol. I know about most of the shipments Morgan makes that aren’t on the official manifest, and I know where most of the stills are on this ship. Hell, I’ve been makin’ sure they keep runnin’ with Elias out of the picture. I’m not a tyrant, I got no issue with people havin’ a drink. The moment we start gettin’ drunk morons gobbin’ off, I’ll chuck every bottle and barrel out an airlock myself. But until then, long as you keep it discrete, you haven’t gotta worry about me. We clear?”

The barman held out a hand and Mara shook it firmly.

“Deal,” he said. “We just needed to know what kind of Chief you were going to be. We were pretty sure, but still. It pays to be careful. I’ll bring your drinks and food over in a few minutes.”

“Thank you. Good man yourself.”

As she walked back to the table, Calleja couldn’t help but smile. She’d worked hard to cultivate a good relationship with Support. She greased the wheels for them occasionally, and in turn they made her life significantly easier. Morgan was an actual wizard when it came to procurement and distribution and she had her department well drilled.

Thumping back into the chair, Mara grinned.

“Right. Food and drink comin’. You wanted somethin’ strong, they’re gonna oblige,” she said. “Whilst we’re waitin’. You got a big family waitin’ for you back home?” the Security Chief asked. “You mentioned brothers multiple.”

== Tag! ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Apparently, the liquor that Mara could get her hands on from her culture was worse than the stuff they were secretly brewing in Engineering. This was a little note she would file away for later because she might need the kind of moonshine that Ju needed in order to sleep well until Damian came back. It wasn’t about sleeping alone it was about sleeping with worry. She and Damian hadn’t shared a bed yet but they spent a lot of their free time together which was what was sorely lacking at this moment. That and her worry and concern for him. Their relationship was still so new so she didn’t know exactly what was going on and she didn’t have the status to ask. Ju also didn’t feel comfortable enough asking the Captain because she had assured Crawford she would not let her duty fail because of her relationship and Crawford had just told her about how hard it was going to be to date the first officer.

“Mmmm, but the serial sparkler is likely in a history book at this point. You can’t puke sparkles and not become infamous somehow,” Ju grinned at her friend. Thankful so much for Mara pulling her out of her Quarters and forcing her to come and socialize. She would have stayed in her room just fine eating gummy bears and wallowing in self pity.

Mara’s stomach let out a grumble causing the woman to head off to find food and drinks. Ju opened the bag of gummy bears and picked out four red ones tossing them in her mouth and murdering them with a crunch of her teeth. She chewed slowly watching the people in the room around her. There was a guy across the lounge sitting with another male getting their drink on who shot her a little wink. Ju didn’t respond but instead she just turned back to her bag of bears and picked out another few to eat while she waited for Mara to return.

Ju was not flaky or flighty, she wouldn’t just go and replace Damian. It wasn’t like she was with Damian for his rank but instead for his personality and the way he made her feel like she was the only person in the room when they were together. Ju was also new and she knew a lot of people probably wanted to get to know her but right now she didn’t want to get to know anyone else except have fun with Mara.

Mara’s laugh had Ju and others looking over at her leaning against the bar ordering them food and drink. Ju rose her brow but then turned back and took another couple of bears out before eating them and digging around in the bag to find the blue bears which were her favorite.

Her friend returned stating food and drink were on the way and then sat back down across from Ju. She asked about her family and Ju smiled lovingly. “Yeah, two brothers. Jun Ho is the oldest and he’s a doctor. He works for one of the larger hospitals in Seoul and is getting married soon. Su Jin is the middle child, he was always much quieter he is a Vet he always preferred animals to people anyway. Then there’s me and you kind of know where I’m at. We grew up in Korea on Earth and both of them are still there.” She chuckled.

“What about you? Do you have family? I want to know more about you too.”

==Tag Mara==

[Mara Calleja]

Mara smiled to herself as Ju went through a family life that sounded pretty damn idyllic to the Bandaran.

“What about you? Do you have family? I want to know more about you too.”

“Ah, I knew this point was comin’,” Calleja said with a good natured smile. “I get close to people, they actually want to know more than the veneer of information I let out. Damn invasion of privacy.”

She sighed.

“So yeah. My family comes with a trigger warnin’. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, or pity, or any of the rest of that shit. Where I came from made me who I am, and I think on balance that’s probably worked out OK?”

Massive shoulders rose and fell as she shrugged.

“I did have a sister, she was a couple of years older. We had a tiny little flat about the size of your Artemis quarters, and all 4 of us had to exist in that. Bandar City, it’s a hellhole. Life is gettin’ better there, but back when I was a kid it was pretty bad. Power was erratic. Sanitation was horrific. And the gangs… They were everywhere. The fights for territory were just constant. You wear the wrong colours in the wrong place, you make yourself a target. First time I made that mistake was the first time I got stabbed, and they did not care that I was 9. I managed to keep out of the gangs for the most part but my sister Vik, she didn’t. She went in elbow deep. And Bandar got her when she was 17. Gang hit. They made an example of her and hung what was left in the square outside. I still see the body now, usually at 0300.”

A darkness had seeped into Mara’s eyes and she shook her head to clear it.

“That’s what gave me the drive to make things better. Kickstarted me. Made me see the bigger picture,” she continued. “There was a reformer on our world, an ex-Starfleeter, and I fell in with her. Did my part to see her come to power and the modern day catch up with my shitty planet when we started goin’ through the process to join the Federation. There’s a few Bandarans in Star Fleet now and the government looks after our families. My parents are in a much swankier and above all else safer place, all paid for by me bein’ out here. And when I finish my career, I go home, and I put what I’ve learned to use. That’s the deal.”

As Calleja finished speaking, the food and drinks arrived. A suitably huge steak was carefully laid in front of the COS with a pint glass of lemonade, and a big bowl of beef bulgogi was presented to Ju along with some of the ‘special’ Artemis moonshine that could crinkle paint.

Mara nodded her thanks to the staff and picked up her knife and fork. She held the knife oddly, her grip almost like she was handling a weapon not a piece of cutlery.

“So yeah. Sorry if I’ve gone an’ overshared,” the Bandaran said with a faint grin. “But you did ask. And now you know. Probably explains a few things too. If you got any follow-ups, go for it whilst I’m feelin’ truthsome.”

Without standing on ceremony, she ripped into the steak.

== Back atcha! ==

[Eun Ju Han]

Mara was not overly excited about sharing her life story but unfortunately it was how friendship went. Ju wanted to know about her new friend and she also felt like it would help them be on a closer level. “It’s not an invasion if we’re friends. When you start asking questions others ask them back, it’s kind of how it works,” Ju admitted to her friend with a smile on her face tossing a couple gummy bears in her mouth and chewing on them quietly.

Apparently, and Ju could have guessed, Mara had a rough childhood and wanted no sympathy or any of that kind of thing when she spilled her story. Ju wasn’t sure she could actually give that promise since she was Betazoid she was pretty sure that came with her race as a default. What she could do was try to keep her own thoughts to herself if possible. That was the best she could do with this situation, she appreciated Mara being the rough and tumble person she was, but Ju had been born with emotions on her face.

“I’ll do my best, I am a Betazoid after all,” she laughed but was being honest with her friend.

Mara didn’t start with anything good about her life and that might be because nothing good really happened in her life, which did make Ju sad. Ju had a pretty good life despite some rough patches she never felt like the world was stacked against her though she supposed she had some abandonment issues deep down from her parents inattention but Halmoni had made up for everything by being the person that she was.

Apparently, the gangs were so heavy on Bandar that if you wore the wrong color somewhere you got attacked and often killed. Even Mara, at only nine years old had been stabbed because she was too young to understand all the rules and had worn the wrong color. Ju’s eyes widened in surprise, but she was carefully monitoring her face so she didn’t look like she was having anything close to sympathy. Such a dirty word, for Mara.

It was much harder to keep her face schooled when Mara mentioned that her sister was killed by the gangs when she was only seventeen. Ju instead decided to busy herself by looking for three red gummy bears in her bag because that was better than making eye contact with Mara while she had the pity eyes going. Pity eyes would likely clam Mara up or make her stab Ju, it was a fifty-fifty shot which she would pick.

The death of Mara’s sister spurred her to change her life and try to make a difference. She found someone who was doing outreach for the Federation who helped her. Allowing her to become an officer. The Federation looked after her family and the families of others from Bandar like her who wanted to change their lives. The only caveat was when everything was over she would return to her home and use what she learned to help her planet.

Before Ju could ask any questions or remark on Mara’s story at all their food and drinks had arrived. The smell of the beef alone was heaven. Ju picked up the chopsticks which had been brought to her and tapped them on the table to settle them in her fingers the way that she felt most comfortable before grabbing a piece of meat and putting it in her mouth chewing happily enjoy a taste that reminded her of home.

With a bit of sadness, it also reminded her of Damian. He made sure they ate Korean food fairly often and they shared a lot of meals together before his arrest. The sadness made it hard to swallow the meet which got stuck in her throat for a moment before she shoved those emotions to the side and finally was able to swallow it washing it down with a swallow of moonshine so strong she understood why it had a reputation.

“Uh, do I have follow up questions..” Ju stirred her meat around in the bulgogi sauce thinking if she did. “Well, I mean, you said the Federation takes care of your family, does that mean you get to see them often?”

Ju figured she could share a little about herself as well. “My parents are Federation. They had my brothers and I but didn’t want to raise us. Weird right? So we were all shipped off to my Halmoni, that’s grandmother in Korean, shortly after birth. She raised all three of us. She really was our mom. I haven’t seen my parents in.. well.. I can’t even remember. They’re alive, I think, out there somewhere. But, I never felt any connection to them. Mother and father are just their biological relationship to me and the boys. I never thought of anyone being my mom besides my Halmoni. She died not long before I entered the academy so.. it’s just my brothers and me now.”

==Tag Mara==

[Mara Calleja]

Mara had noticed that Ju wasn’t comfortable with the answer to her question, but she wasn’t going to let on. It wasn’t an unusual reaction and it was the main reason she was often evasive about her past and just what it was like for her growing up. It did make the Bandaran wish for a minute that she’d sugar-coated things a little.

I’m just not capable of that though. It ain’t me. You ask me a question, and if I’m gonna answer it, it’s gonna be a straight answer. Don’t mean you’re gonna like it. That ain’t part of the whole social contract.

The steak was good, and it meant Ju had a chance to follow up.

“Well, I mean, you said the Federation takes care of your family, does that mean you get to see them often?”

The day they introduce transwarp shuttle routes out to the arse end of nowhere…

“My parents are Federation. They had my brothers and I but didn’t want to raise us. Weird right? So we were all shipped off to my Halmoni, that’s grandmother in Korean, shortly after birth. She raised all three of us. She really was our mom. I haven’t seen my parents in.. well.. I can’t even remember. They’re alive, I think, out there somewhere. But, I never felt any connection to them. Mother and father are just their biological relationship to me and the boys. I never thought of anyone being my mom besides my Halmoni. She died not long before I entered the academy so... it’s just my brothers and me now.”

Mara ended up cleaning her plate whilst Ju was talking. The Bandaran’s appetite was just as oversized as the rest of her, and she took a moment to have a sip of her drink before she answered.

“I’m glad to hear you got family around you,” she said. “This crew though, if you’re not a c**t the whole time, it can feel like a family. I get it, you’re gonna have to give us a while whilst you bed in and whilst we get used to you. But once you’re in, you’re gold. Makes up for the fact I’m not that close to my actual family any more.”

She shrugged.

“We just live in different galaxies it feels like. The trip back to Bandar takes literal weeks, even from the main transport hubs. And I’ll be honest, I just don’t wanna go. That place carries so memories for me and most of ‘em I don’t like and don’t wanna relive. We send messages back and forth. The distance is too great for live comms. So I know what’s goin’ on with them. I got many more cousins now than I did when I was last there 3 years ago. They know what’s goin’ on with me, the bits I can tell ‘em. Damn, the response I got when they found out I made Chief.”

An actual smile creased Calleja’s face. It was the first one since the conversation moved onto her.

“That was kind of a big deal back home. The last Bandaran to make Chief ended up President, and she was the big reformer. So them finding out there’s another one out here on the same path, even though it’s me and I am absolutely not cut from that same cloth… Yeah. They keep reelin’ off my rank and job title at the start of every message now. It’s not got old yet.”

She looked up at Ju again.

“You got that to come. Even in a Fed family, I reckon you’re gonna be up there on that pedestal in no time,” Mara said with the same smile on her lips. "Crawford don't let you in here unless she thinks you got somethin' about you."

== Back to you! ==