05-25-2026, 10:21 PM
Since disembarking for shore leave, Mara hadn’t set foot back aboard the ship right up until the recall went out. A whole lot had happened. The embarrassment she still felt after the party. And then… Then there was so much to unpack after what had happened when she went back to her homeworld. Bandar IV would be feeling the effects of that for a good while yet.
At least they finally took that fuckin’ billboard down from the spaceport she thought with a wry smile to herself as she walked back into the Security Complex.
The Amazonian Calleja paused on the edge of the bullpen, taking a moment to listen to the buzz of voices, the whirs of the coffee machines, and just the sounds of a department bringing itself back to readiness. She felt like the Chief of Security now in a way that she hadn’t before. Her stamp was starting to show all over the department, from the mural and the coffee machines, to her picks for positions as the teams gathered and started to lay out the schedules that she’d set.
She fingered the third pip on her collar that she was wearing for the first time, almost to reassure herself that she had the right to wear it. Mara had drawn a lot of reassurance and confidence from that talk with Tyra Crawford before leave. The Bandaran was not what anyone expected from a senior Star Fleet officer, but now she was at peace with that. She no longer felt like she had to excuse or justify herself. And that was a big step forward for her.
Calleja made her way towards the coffee machine right outside her office, returning greetings and acknowledgments with a nod. With a mug of Colombia’s finest, she turned towards her door and stopped.
“Hey Yordan,” she called. “They gonna repaint this door any time soon?”
The burly Trill wandered over.
“What’s wrong with it, Chief?” he asked. “Lieutenant Mara Calleja. That’s you, right? You didn’t get fired over leave?”
The promotions board chose that moment to cycle over and display Mara’s own promotion. Yordan looked at the board, looked at her collar, and laughed at her raised eyebrow and wolfish grin.
“Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander,” he said. “I’ll get that fixed right up.”
“Good man,” Mara replied as she went in. The door slid closed behind her as she sat down behind the desk. She detested admin work but it needed doing, so she figured it was better to blitz it now whilst she was still fresh.
After a while, the door chime sounded.
[Midshipman Lira Ghemor reporting for duty, Lieutenant.]
Ghemor? Where did I see that name… Oh yeah, our new Academy graduate. Fresh outta school and onto Artemis. Oh boy is this gonna be a learnin’ curve.
“Come on in,” Mara replied, rising from her chair and stepping round the desk to greet the newcomer. At nearly 190cm tall and 102kg of well-honed muscle, the Chief of Security considerably outmassed the newcomer. She’d freshly shaved the right side of her head and braids hung down over the bare skin, the rest of her hair hanging loose over her left shoulder. Dark brown eyes met the purple stare of Mid Ghemor.
“Good to meet ya,” Calleja said, her accent harsh by Federation standards. “Welcome to Artemis,” she added, holding out a hand to Lira. “Can I get ya a drink?”
== Back atcha! ==
At least they finally took that fuckin’ billboard down from the spaceport she thought with a wry smile to herself as she walked back into the Security Complex.
The Amazonian Calleja paused on the edge of the bullpen, taking a moment to listen to the buzz of voices, the whirs of the coffee machines, and just the sounds of a department bringing itself back to readiness. She felt like the Chief of Security now in a way that she hadn’t before. Her stamp was starting to show all over the department, from the mural and the coffee machines, to her picks for positions as the teams gathered and started to lay out the schedules that she’d set.
She fingered the third pip on her collar that she was wearing for the first time, almost to reassure herself that she had the right to wear it. Mara had drawn a lot of reassurance and confidence from that talk with Tyra Crawford before leave. The Bandaran was not what anyone expected from a senior Star Fleet officer, but now she was at peace with that. She no longer felt like she had to excuse or justify herself. And that was a big step forward for her.
Calleja made her way towards the coffee machine right outside her office, returning greetings and acknowledgments with a nod. With a mug of Colombia’s finest, she turned towards her door and stopped.
“Hey Yordan,” she called. “They gonna repaint this door any time soon?”
The burly Trill wandered over.
“What’s wrong with it, Chief?” he asked. “Lieutenant Mara Calleja. That’s you, right? You didn’t get fired over leave?”
The promotions board chose that moment to cycle over and display Mara’s own promotion. Yordan looked at the board, looked at her collar, and laughed at her raised eyebrow and wolfish grin.
“Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander,” he said. “I’ll get that fixed right up.”
“Good man,” Mara replied as she went in. The door slid closed behind her as she sat down behind the desk. She detested admin work but it needed doing, so she figured it was better to blitz it now whilst she was still fresh.
After a while, the door chime sounded.
[Midshipman Lira Ghemor reporting for duty, Lieutenant.]
Ghemor? Where did I see that name… Oh yeah, our new Academy graduate. Fresh outta school and onto Artemis. Oh boy is this gonna be a learnin’ curve.
“Come on in,” Mara replied, rising from her chair and stepping round the desk to greet the newcomer. At nearly 190cm tall and 102kg of well-honed muscle, the Chief of Security considerably outmassed the newcomer. She’d freshly shaved the right side of her head and braids hung down over the bare skin, the rest of her hair hanging loose over her left shoulder. Dark brown eyes met the purple stare of Mid Ghemor.
“Good to meet ya,” Calleja said, her accent harsh by Federation standards. “Welcome to Artemis,” she added, holding out a hand to Lira. “Can I get ya a drink?”
== Back atcha! ==