07-31-2025, 11:16 PM
With the Captain having tasked Robin with working on the cloned mysteries, Mara figured it was best if she left the CMO to it.
“I’m gonna love you and leave you,” she said. “I got many skills. Genetic analysis ain’t one of them. And we can’t all quick-study complex topics in a couple hours,” Calleja joked. “Cap’n is gonna want answers and I’m just gonna get in your way. I’ll see ya soon enough.”
Giving her friend a half-serious salute, the Security Chief headed back out into Sickbay. She was fairly sure she wanted to go back to the Bridge to see what was going on up there.
Never know. Maybe I can be useful. Give ‘em a different perspective? She chuckled to herself. I’m clutchin’ at straws here. I just wanna go see what they’re gonna have me try and shoot next, and I better have an excuse before I go settin’ a boot on the Bridge.
As she headed out, Mara saw Beka Sydesh sat at the nurse’s station terminal. For a moment the two locked eyes, and the venom in the redhead’s glare met the Bandaran’s cool stare until the Amazonian Security officer walked past.
She took a few more steps, and then she stopped.
You know what? I’ve fuckin’ had enough of this. This ends, right here and right now.
It was a righteous anger that made Calleja turn around and follow Sydesh into the doctor’s lounge. The room was half-full, and the conversations suddenly died as the Security Chief entered.
“I’m not that senior. You can still…” Beka started to speak, then realised nobody was looking at her. When she turned and saw Mara she blanched.
“Give us the room please,” Mara said calmly. When nobody moved, she looked around at the assembled Medical officers. “That wasn’t a request,” she snapped, her voice suddenly with knuckles in it. “Out. All of you.” She looked back at Beka. “Except you. You sit the fuck down.”
“I don’t really feel like…” Sydesh started.
“I don’t care” Calleja snarled. “We’re gonna sit and we’re gonna talk this out. And if there’s anyone else still in this room in the next 5 seconds, I’m gonna start collectin’ kneecaps.”
That did it. The room emptied rapidly, and an obviously unnerved Beka pulled out a chair and sat down at one of the tables.
Mara sat down opposite her.
“Right. Start at the beginnin’. What’s your problem with me?” the Bandaran asked coolly. As quickly as the flash of anger had appeared, she’d brought herself back under control and her gaze was calm and measured as she watched the doctor. “I’ve done nothin’ to you except save your arse. And all I get from you is grief. I thought we’d drawn a line under it at Ju’s party but no. You have to pull that stupid fuckin’ stunt with the popcorn. Then just now you start lookin’ at me like I’ve gutted your brother right in front of you. And I’m done with it. So start talkin’. What’s goin’ on?”
== Lt Beka Sydesh ==
Beka hadn’t stopped since treating K’Deela. That had been a close shave but the Security officer was going to be just fine. There had been plenty of others coming across though. The away teams had taken a beating.
The redhead was updating the notes at the nurse’s station when she saw Calleja come out of Mayfair’s office.
“Uh oh. Danger at 6 o’clock,” she muttered under her breath.
“Hmm?” Nurse Radford looked up, saw the Amazonian figure approaching and shook her head. “You want to pick a fight with her, you’re braver than I am.”
“She doesn’t scare me,” Beka replied. Radford said nothing, shaking her head slowly as she looked back at her terminal.
Just for a second, the two adversaries locked eyes. The doctor’s venomous glare met the Amazonian woman’s cool indifference until the COS passed the station on her way out.
“I’m going to go and get a coffee,” Beka said to Radford. “Definitely need more caffeine to finish these reports.”
She got up and headed towards the doctor’s lounge. The redhead had entered the lounge and gotten halfway to the coffee machine when she realised the gentle hubbub of conversation had died completely.
“I’m not that senior. You can still…” Beka started. It dawned on her that everybody was looking behind her, and she turned around. Mara Calleja stood not ten feet away, and her stare pinned the redhead in place as the colour drained from her face.
“Give us the room please,” Mara said calmly. None of the assembled Medical staff moved, apparently sensing drama and being keen to witness it. Unfortunately for them they had pushed the COS’ patience that little bit too far.
“That wasn’t a request,” Calleja barked. “Out. All of you.” She looked back at Beka. “Except you. You sit the fuck down.”
Oh you did not just do that in my own department! Sydesh felt her indignation starting to rise and she went to bite back.
“I don’t really feel like…”
“I don’t care.” The sudden outburst made the doctor flinch. “We’re gonna sit and we’re gonna talk this out. And if there’s anyone else still in this room in the next 5 seconds, I’m gonna start collectin’ kneecaps.”
There was a rush for the door as Beka nervously pulled out a chair, her earlier bravado evaporating in the face of Mara’s anger. She knew she was in no physical danger. However furious the Security Chief was, she wasn’t going to lean across the table and break the redhead’s nose. But that didn’t make it any less intimidating to be alone in the room with her.
As Sydesh sat down, Calleja sat down opposite her.
“Right. Start at the beginnin’. What’s your problem with me?” Mara asked. The mercurial COS had buried the anger again and her voice was cool and even. “I’ve done nothin’ to you except save your arse. And all I get from you is grief. I thought we’d drawn a line under it at Ju’s party but no. You have to pull that stupid fuckin’ stunt with the popcorn. Then just now you start lookin’ at me like I’ve gutted your brother right in front of you. And I’m done with it. So start talkin’. What’s goin’ on?”
Beka was silent a moment as she tried to figure out how to handle this. There was no back-up. There was no Aeryn to cool Mara down - Beka had seen to that. Robin was busy. Golat was off-shift. Nat was probably elbow deep in bits of reconditioned rifle several decks away.
No, Sydesh was on her own, being stared down by a woman who according to ship rumour had just carved her way through half a Klingon crew.
Where do I even start with this… Oh for fuck’s sake. I’m just gonna lay it out there. If she kills me, she kills me.
“Do I really need to spell it out?” Beka said. “The first time we met, your big escape plan left me in a critical condition. It’s taken me months to be able to walk again. That wasn’t exactly saving me, was it?”
“Bullshit.” Mara spat the word with enough force that it sounded like a gunshot. “You and I both know that was entirely your own fault. We were free and fuckin’ clear, until you decided to go rogue and pick a fight with the nearest guard. You were so fuckin’ proud of yourself at the time.”
Beka opened her mouth to argue but Mara wasn’t done.
“Shut it,” she said. “Don’t forget, your girlfr… Sorry, ex girlfriend is one of my closest friends, and your roommate is my chief armourer. I know that’s not true. So don’t insult my intelligence. What’s really goin’ on in that head of yours?”
Sydesh fell silent. She knew Calleja was right. She didn’t blame the Bandaran for her injury. But the long seconds ticked by as she tried to find the words to express the thoughts that tore through her head.
“It should have been me,” Beka said eventually, her voice low as she focused on a scuff on the metal table in front of her.
“You what?” Mara sounded like the answer hadn’t been one she was expecting.
“The one who saved my brother. It should have been me.” The redhead rubbed the back of her neck anxiously as the words spilled from her lips. There was no stopping now.
“I spent so many years dreaming of the day that I found my family again. And then I got a lead, and I found Daan. I thought this was it. This was my moment to show them all how far I’d come. Only it wasn’t. My plan went so horribly wrong that you had to come riding to the rescue, this person I’d never met bringing a team of my friends to drag me out and being ten times the hero I could ever be.”
Beka looked up and finally managed to meet Mara’s incredulous stare.
“The first time Daan saw me after 15 years, I was in Sickbay in a critical condition. It wasn’t me who got them settled in on Earth, it was you. My little niece calls you auntie. That should have been me. I’d spent so many years planning it all out in my head. What I was going to do. What I was going to say. And when it came down to it, it wasn’t me who did any of it. It was you. You took that moment away from me.”
The doctor could see the anger starting to build rapidly in the Security Chief’s eyes and she held her hands out in a gesture of apology.
“I know how ridiculous and how selfish that sounds,” Sydesh added quickly. “But… I’d have traded everything in to have my family together again. Friends, the Academy, my job here, being a doctor, everything. Just for that moment, and it never came to pass. None of the versions I thought up had me being rescued as well by this… this selfless Valkyrie in a bomber jacket who just swept in and made everything OK. Instead of thanking you, I resented you. I got so bent out of shape and tied up in this mental image of you taking my dream away that I’ve never confronted what you actually did. What it says about you as a person and what it says about me. Because I really, really don’t like the version of me that’s looking back at me in the mirror here.”
“Can’t say I’m much of a fan either,” Mara replied coldly.
Beka looked away, unable to meet the dark-eyed stare.
“You asked,” she said. “I’ve told you. I’ve told you things I haven’t even admitted to myself before. And I honestly wouldn’t blame you if you pulled that knife and buried it in my head. I… Just… I…”
The doctor found she didn’t know what to say. Her confession was still hanging in the air and now she was at the mercy of someone that she’d wronged. All she could do was hope that Mara wasn’t quite done with being the better person.
== Lt Mara Calleja ==
“Do I really need to spell it out?” Beka said. “The first time we met, your big escape plan left me in a critical condition. It’s taken me months to be able to walk again. That wasn’t exactly saving me, was it?”
“Bullshit.” Mara cut straight across the old story. She knew it was a lie and she wasn’t going to tolerate that again. “You and I both know that was entirely your own fault. We were free and fuckin’ clear, until you decided to go rogue and pick a fight with the nearest guard. You were so fuckin’ proud of yourself at the time.”
Beka opened her mouth to argue but Mara cut across her again.
“Shut it,” she said. “Don’t forget, your girlfr… Sorry, ex girlfriend is one of my closest friends, and your roommate is my chief armourer. I know that’s not true. So don’t insult my intelligence. What’s really goin’ on in that head of yours?”
If they were going to resolve this, it would require the unvarnished truth from Sydesh. And that was the only thing Calleja was going to accept from the redhead.
“It should have been me,” Beka said eventually, her voice low as she avoided Mara’s look.
“You what?” The answer caught the Security Chief by surprise.
“The one who saved my brother. It should have been me.” The redhead rubbed the back of her neck anxiously as the words spilled from her lips.
As Beka plunged on, Mara watched and listened. She did her best to keep her expression neutral but under the table, the skin whitened around the knuckles of her clenched fist. Willpower that could bend steel stopped her from uprooting the table and rearranging the doctor’s face with the nearest chair, but she was closer than she would ever admit.
“Instead of thanking you, I resented you. I got so bent out of shape and tied up in this mental image of you taking my dream away that I’ve never confronted what you actually did. What it says about you as a person and what it says about me. Because I really, really don’t like the version of me that’s looking back at me in the mirror here,” Sydesh trailed off.
“Can’t say I’m much of a fan either,” Calleja replied icily.
Beka looked away, unable to meet the dark-eyed stare.
“You asked,” she replied. “I’ve told you. I’ve told you things I haven’t even admitted to myself before. And I honestly wouldn’t blame you if you pulled that knife and buried it in my head. I… Just… I…”
The redhead trailed off again, and the room was deathly silent as the Bandaran considered her response.
I don’t think she’s lyin’. Not even Sydesh would be stupid enough to try and feed me that as a lie to get me off her case. But how do I deal with this? I’d love nothin’ more than to vent every bit of stress she’s caused me. Right in her fuckin’ face.
The silence was now uncomfortably long as Mara weighed up her options.
I can’t do it though. That’s how I used to handle things runnin’ the streets back home, but I’ve got the spotlight on me now and I have to behave like a Star Fleet department head. But honestly, I don’t think screamin’ at her is gonna make anythin’ better.
“I’d love to burn you down right here, right now. But I’m not gonna.” Mara broke the silence. “Whatever I think of that, we have to work together. You’re the ship’s highest ranked doctor, and I lead the department most likely to contribute a solid stream of patients. We’re gonna encounter each other. And I don’t want either of us to be carryin’ a grudge when that happens. But I got a condition.”
The Bandaran leaned forward.
“Get help,” she said. “You need to reconcile what happened to you and hatin’ on me is pickin’ on the wrong person. Your brother and his family are still on Earth. You’ve still got all the moments you wanna have with them. Yeah, that one you had in your head didn’t go as planned. But you can have more.”
Beka looked visibly relieved, but Mara wasn’t quite done.
“You also gotta get your life in order,” she added. “I’ve been watchin’ you and you ain’t got anywhere near enough friends to be burnin’ as many bridges as you have been. It ain’t too late to salvage a friendship with Aeryn. And if Robin agrees, I’ll restore your cross-trainin’ privileges with Security so you can make the most of that opportunity, as long as you actually follow orders and don’t go blazin’ your own trail. You run with us, you do what you’re fuckin’ told.”
Mara leant back again.
“I’m not sayin’ I wanna be best mates with you, but you and I got a lot more in common than we do differences. We both made the best of shitty starts in life. Neither of us had great starts to our careers in Star Fleet. We definitely ain’t as polished and refined as the officers around us. But we’re here in ridiculously senior jobs anyway. What I’m sayin’ is, I understand where you’re comin’ from. I can help. And I will. But if you burn me again, I will end you.”
She rose to her feet.
“We done?” Calleja asked, and held out a hand.
Whatever her misgivings, she was ready to draw a line under all of this and start again. But her words hadn’t been an idle threat. If Sydesh came for her again, that would be a mistake she’d spend a very long time regretting.
== Lt Beka Sydesh ==
The long silence was incredibly uncomfortable. Beka shifted in her chair, unable to hold Mara’s stare for more than a split second at a time. She couldn’t read the Security Chief at all, and had no idea which way this was going to go.
Did she even believe me? I hope so. I really need her to, because that really was the truth. Even telling her made me feel worse.
“I’d love to burn you down right here, right now. But I’m not gonna.” Mara broke the silence. “Whatever I think of that, we have to work together. You’re the ship’s highest ranked doctor, and I lead the department most likely to contribute a solid stream of patients. We’re gonna encounter each other. And I don’t want either of us to be carryin’ a grudge when that happens. But I got a condition.”
Beka gulped in a breath as the Amazonian officer leaned forward.
“Get help,” she said. “You need to reconcile what happened to you and hatin’ on me is pickin’ on the wrong person. Your brother and his family are still on Earth. You’ve still got all the moments you wanna have with them. Yeah, that one you had in your head didn’t go as planned. But you can have more.”
The redhead’s shoulders sagged and her head slumped as she felt the tension dissipate.
Must have caught her on a good day… I’m not sure I could have forgiven the same way she just did.
“You also gotta get your life in order,” Mara added. “I’ve been watchin’ you and you ain’t got anywhere near enough friends to be burnin’ as many bridges as you have been. It ain’t too late to salvage a friendship with Aeryn. And if Robin agrees, I’ll restore your cross-trainin’ privileges with Security so you can make the most of that opportunity, as long as you actually follow orders and don’t go blazin’ your own trail. You run with us, you do what you’re fuckin’ told.”
“I will, don’t worry,” Beka replied as Mara leant back again.
“I’m not sayin’ I wanna be best mates with you, but you and I got a lot more in common than we do differences. We both made the best of shitty starts in life. Neither of us had great starts to our careers in Star Fleet. We definitely ain’t as polished and refined as the officers around us. But we’re here in ridiculously senior jobs anyway. What I’m sayin’ is, I understand where you’re comin’ from. I can help. And I will. But if you burn me again, I will end you.”
The Security Chief rose to her feet.
“We done?” Calleja asked, and held out a hand.
Swept up in the moment, Sydesh jumped up and embraced the Bandaran, who stiffened. But after a second she relented, wrapping an arm around the doctor and patting her gently on the back with the other.
“We’re done,” Beka replied, breaking off the hug but squeezing Mara’s hand. “I appreciate what you’ve done for me, and I won’t waste it.”
== Lt Mara Calleja ==
Mara froze when Beka went in for the hug. She wasn’t big on touching, but she recognised that the redhead needed the contact. She squeezed gently with one hand and patted her back with the other.
“We’re done,” Beka replied, breaking off the hug but squeezing Mara’s hand. “I appreciate what you’ve done for me, and I won’t waste it.”
“Good.” Mara squeezed back and then let go. “Now get back to work. There’ll be more of us injured in battle soon enough,” she added with a wry smile.
The Security Chief left the doctor in the room. The nearby medical officers had clearly been watching the room, and there was a split second when they got caught looking by Calleja as she left before they suddenly busied themselves with PADDs and terminals.
This is gonna be all round the ship in an hour tops Mara thought to herself as she headed for the exit. Maybe I shoulda gutted her, made an example…
She boarded the turbolift and headed for the Bridge.
Nah. I’m actually OK with them thinkin’ I can be merciful sometimes.
>> Bridge >>
“I’m gonna love you and leave you,” she said. “I got many skills. Genetic analysis ain’t one of them. And we can’t all quick-study complex topics in a couple hours,” Calleja joked. “Cap’n is gonna want answers and I’m just gonna get in your way. I’ll see ya soon enough.”
Giving her friend a half-serious salute, the Security Chief headed back out into Sickbay. She was fairly sure she wanted to go back to the Bridge to see what was going on up there.
Never know. Maybe I can be useful. Give ‘em a different perspective? She chuckled to herself. I’m clutchin’ at straws here. I just wanna go see what they’re gonna have me try and shoot next, and I better have an excuse before I go settin’ a boot on the Bridge.
As she headed out, Mara saw Beka Sydesh sat at the nurse’s station terminal. For a moment the two locked eyes, and the venom in the redhead’s glare met the Bandaran’s cool stare until the Amazonian Security officer walked past.
She took a few more steps, and then she stopped.
You know what? I’ve fuckin’ had enough of this. This ends, right here and right now.
It was a righteous anger that made Calleja turn around and follow Sydesh into the doctor’s lounge. The room was half-full, and the conversations suddenly died as the Security Chief entered.
“I’m not that senior. You can still…” Beka started to speak, then realised nobody was looking at her. When she turned and saw Mara she blanched.
“Give us the room please,” Mara said calmly. When nobody moved, she looked around at the assembled Medical officers. “That wasn’t a request,” she snapped, her voice suddenly with knuckles in it. “Out. All of you.” She looked back at Beka. “Except you. You sit the fuck down.”
“I don’t really feel like…” Sydesh started.
“I don’t care” Calleja snarled. “We’re gonna sit and we’re gonna talk this out. And if there’s anyone else still in this room in the next 5 seconds, I’m gonna start collectin’ kneecaps.”
That did it. The room emptied rapidly, and an obviously unnerved Beka pulled out a chair and sat down at one of the tables.
Mara sat down opposite her.
“Right. Start at the beginnin’. What’s your problem with me?” the Bandaran asked coolly. As quickly as the flash of anger had appeared, she’d brought herself back under control and her gaze was calm and measured as she watched the doctor. “I’ve done nothin’ to you except save your arse. And all I get from you is grief. I thought we’d drawn a line under it at Ju’s party but no. You have to pull that stupid fuckin’ stunt with the popcorn. Then just now you start lookin’ at me like I’ve gutted your brother right in front of you. And I’m done with it. So start talkin’. What’s goin’ on?”
== Lt Beka Sydesh ==
Beka hadn’t stopped since treating K’Deela. That had been a close shave but the Security officer was going to be just fine. There had been plenty of others coming across though. The away teams had taken a beating.
The redhead was updating the notes at the nurse’s station when she saw Calleja come out of Mayfair’s office.
“Uh oh. Danger at 6 o’clock,” she muttered under her breath.
“Hmm?” Nurse Radford looked up, saw the Amazonian figure approaching and shook her head. “You want to pick a fight with her, you’re braver than I am.”
“She doesn’t scare me,” Beka replied. Radford said nothing, shaking her head slowly as she looked back at her terminal.
Just for a second, the two adversaries locked eyes. The doctor’s venomous glare met the Amazonian woman’s cool indifference until the COS passed the station on her way out.
“I’m going to go and get a coffee,” Beka said to Radford. “Definitely need more caffeine to finish these reports.”
She got up and headed towards the doctor’s lounge. The redhead had entered the lounge and gotten halfway to the coffee machine when she realised the gentle hubbub of conversation had died completely.
“I’m not that senior. You can still…” Beka started. It dawned on her that everybody was looking behind her, and she turned around. Mara Calleja stood not ten feet away, and her stare pinned the redhead in place as the colour drained from her face.
“Give us the room please,” Mara said calmly. None of the assembled Medical staff moved, apparently sensing drama and being keen to witness it. Unfortunately for them they had pushed the COS’ patience that little bit too far.
“That wasn’t a request,” Calleja barked. “Out. All of you.” She looked back at Beka. “Except you. You sit the fuck down.”
Oh you did not just do that in my own department! Sydesh felt her indignation starting to rise and she went to bite back.
“I don’t really feel like…”
“I don’t care.” The sudden outburst made the doctor flinch. “We’re gonna sit and we’re gonna talk this out. And if there’s anyone else still in this room in the next 5 seconds, I’m gonna start collectin’ kneecaps.”
There was a rush for the door as Beka nervously pulled out a chair, her earlier bravado evaporating in the face of Mara’s anger. She knew she was in no physical danger. However furious the Security Chief was, she wasn’t going to lean across the table and break the redhead’s nose. But that didn’t make it any less intimidating to be alone in the room with her.
As Sydesh sat down, Calleja sat down opposite her.
“Right. Start at the beginnin’. What’s your problem with me?” Mara asked. The mercurial COS had buried the anger again and her voice was cool and even. “I’ve done nothin’ to you except save your arse. And all I get from you is grief. I thought we’d drawn a line under it at Ju’s party but no. You have to pull that stupid fuckin’ stunt with the popcorn. Then just now you start lookin’ at me like I’ve gutted your brother right in front of you. And I’m done with it. So start talkin’. What’s goin’ on?”
Beka was silent a moment as she tried to figure out how to handle this. There was no back-up. There was no Aeryn to cool Mara down - Beka had seen to that. Robin was busy. Golat was off-shift. Nat was probably elbow deep in bits of reconditioned rifle several decks away.
No, Sydesh was on her own, being stared down by a woman who according to ship rumour had just carved her way through half a Klingon crew.
Where do I even start with this… Oh for fuck’s sake. I’m just gonna lay it out there. If she kills me, she kills me.
“Do I really need to spell it out?” Beka said. “The first time we met, your big escape plan left me in a critical condition. It’s taken me months to be able to walk again. That wasn’t exactly saving me, was it?”
“Bullshit.” Mara spat the word with enough force that it sounded like a gunshot. “You and I both know that was entirely your own fault. We were free and fuckin’ clear, until you decided to go rogue and pick a fight with the nearest guard. You were so fuckin’ proud of yourself at the time.”
Beka opened her mouth to argue but Mara wasn’t done.
“Shut it,” she said. “Don’t forget, your girlfr… Sorry, ex girlfriend is one of my closest friends, and your roommate is my chief armourer. I know that’s not true. So don’t insult my intelligence. What’s really goin’ on in that head of yours?”
Sydesh fell silent. She knew Calleja was right. She didn’t blame the Bandaran for her injury. But the long seconds ticked by as she tried to find the words to express the thoughts that tore through her head.
“It should have been me,” Beka said eventually, her voice low as she focused on a scuff on the metal table in front of her.
“You what?” Mara sounded like the answer hadn’t been one she was expecting.
“The one who saved my brother. It should have been me.” The redhead rubbed the back of her neck anxiously as the words spilled from her lips. There was no stopping now.
“I spent so many years dreaming of the day that I found my family again. And then I got a lead, and I found Daan. I thought this was it. This was my moment to show them all how far I’d come. Only it wasn’t. My plan went so horribly wrong that you had to come riding to the rescue, this person I’d never met bringing a team of my friends to drag me out and being ten times the hero I could ever be.”
Beka looked up and finally managed to meet Mara’s incredulous stare.
“The first time Daan saw me after 15 years, I was in Sickbay in a critical condition. It wasn’t me who got them settled in on Earth, it was you. My little niece calls you auntie. That should have been me. I’d spent so many years planning it all out in my head. What I was going to do. What I was going to say. And when it came down to it, it wasn’t me who did any of it. It was you. You took that moment away from me.”
The doctor could see the anger starting to build rapidly in the Security Chief’s eyes and she held her hands out in a gesture of apology.
“I know how ridiculous and how selfish that sounds,” Sydesh added quickly. “But… I’d have traded everything in to have my family together again. Friends, the Academy, my job here, being a doctor, everything. Just for that moment, and it never came to pass. None of the versions I thought up had me being rescued as well by this… this selfless Valkyrie in a bomber jacket who just swept in and made everything OK. Instead of thanking you, I resented you. I got so bent out of shape and tied up in this mental image of you taking my dream away that I’ve never confronted what you actually did. What it says about you as a person and what it says about me. Because I really, really don’t like the version of me that’s looking back at me in the mirror here.”
“Can’t say I’m much of a fan either,” Mara replied coldly.
Beka looked away, unable to meet the dark-eyed stare.
“You asked,” she said. “I’ve told you. I’ve told you things I haven’t even admitted to myself before. And I honestly wouldn’t blame you if you pulled that knife and buried it in my head. I… Just… I…”
The doctor found she didn’t know what to say. Her confession was still hanging in the air and now she was at the mercy of someone that she’d wronged. All she could do was hope that Mara wasn’t quite done with being the better person.
== Lt Mara Calleja ==
“Do I really need to spell it out?” Beka said. “The first time we met, your big escape plan left me in a critical condition. It’s taken me months to be able to walk again. That wasn’t exactly saving me, was it?”
“Bullshit.” Mara cut straight across the old story. She knew it was a lie and she wasn’t going to tolerate that again. “You and I both know that was entirely your own fault. We were free and fuckin’ clear, until you decided to go rogue and pick a fight with the nearest guard. You were so fuckin’ proud of yourself at the time.”
Beka opened her mouth to argue but Mara cut across her again.
“Shut it,” she said. “Don’t forget, your girlfr… Sorry, ex girlfriend is one of my closest friends, and your roommate is my chief armourer. I know that’s not true. So don’t insult my intelligence. What’s really goin’ on in that head of yours?”
If they were going to resolve this, it would require the unvarnished truth from Sydesh. And that was the only thing Calleja was going to accept from the redhead.
“It should have been me,” Beka said eventually, her voice low as she avoided Mara’s look.
“You what?” The answer caught the Security Chief by surprise.
“The one who saved my brother. It should have been me.” The redhead rubbed the back of her neck anxiously as the words spilled from her lips.
As Beka plunged on, Mara watched and listened. She did her best to keep her expression neutral but under the table, the skin whitened around the knuckles of her clenched fist. Willpower that could bend steel stopped her from uprooting the table and rearranging the doctor’s face with the nearest chair, but she was closer than she would ever admit.
“Instead of thanking you, I resented you. I got so bent out of shape and tied up in this mental image of you taking my dream away that I’ve never confronted what you actually did. What it says about you as a person and what it says about me. Because I really, really don’t like the version of me that’s looking back at me in the mirror here,” Sydesh trailed off.
“Can’t say I’m much of a fan either,” Calleja replied icily.
Beka looked away, unable to meet the dark-eyed stare.
“You asked,” she replied. “I’ve told you. I’ve told you things I haven’t even admitted to myself before. And I honestly wouldn’t blame you if you pulled that knife and buried it in my head. I… Just… I…”
The redhead trailed off again, and the room was deathly silent as the Bandaran considered her response.
I don’t think she’s lyin’. Not even Sydesh would be stupid enough to try and feed me that as a lie to get me off her case. But how do I deal with this? I’d love nothin’ more than to vent every bit of stress she’s caused me. Right in her fuckin’ face.
The silence was now uncomfortably long as Mara weighed up her options.
I can’t do it though. That’s how I used to handle things runnin’ the streets back home, but I’ve got the spotlight on me now and I have to behave like a Star Fleet department head. But honestly, I don’t think screamin’ at her is gonna make anythin’ better.
“I’d love to burn you down right here, right now. But I’m not gonna.” Mara broke the silence. “Whatever I think of that, we have to work together. You’re the ship’s highest ranked doctor, and I lead the department most likely to contribute a solid stream of patients. We’re gonna encounter each other. And I don’t want either of us to be carryin’ a grudge when that happens. But I got a condition.”
The Bandaran leaned forward.
“Get help,” she said. “You need to reconcile what happened to you and hatin’ on me is pickin’ on the wrong person. Your brother and his family are still on Earth. You’ve still got all the moments you wanna have with them. Yeah, that one you had in your head didn’t go as planned. But you can have more.”
Beka looked visibly relieved, but Mara wasn’t quite done.
“You also gotta get your life in order,” she added. “I’ve been watchin’ you and you ain’t got anywhere near enough friends to be burnin’ as many bridges as you have been. It ain’t too late to salvage a friendship with Aeryn. And if Robin agrees, I’ll restore your cross-trainin’ privileges with Security so you can make the most of that opportunity, as long as you actually follow orders and don’t go blazin’ your own trail. You run with us, you do what you’re fuckin’ told.”
Mara leant back again.
“I’m not sayin’ I wanna be best mates with you, but you and I got a lot more in common than we do differences. We both made the best of shitty starts in life. Neither of us had great starts to our careers in Star Fleet. We definitely ain’t as polished and refined as the officers around us. But we’re here in ridiculously senior jobs anyway. What I’m sayin’ is, I understand where you’re comin’ from. I can help. And I will. But if you burn me again, I will end you.”
She rose to her feet.
“We done?” Calleja asked, and held out a hand.
Whatever her misgivings, she was ready to draw a line under all of this and start again. But her words hadn’t been an idle threat. If Sydesh came for her again, that would be a mistake she’d spend a very long time regretting.
== Lt Beka Sydesh ==
The long silence was incredibly uncomfortable. Beka shifted in her chair, unable to hold Mara’s stare for more than a split second at a time. She couldn’t read the Security Chief at all, and had no idea which way this was going to go.
Did she even believe me? I hope so. I really need her to, because that really was the truth. Even telling her made me feel worse.
“I’d love to burn you down right here, right now. But I’m not gonna.” Mara broke the silence. “Whatever I think of that, we have to work together. You’re the ship’s highest ranked doctor, and I lead the department most likely to contribute a solid stream of patients. We’re gonna encounter each other. And I don’t want either of us to be carryin’ a grudge when that happens. But I got a condition.”
Beka gulped in a breath as the Amazonian officer leaned forward.
“Get help,” she said. “You need to reconcile what happened to you and hatin’ on me is pickin’ on the wrong person. Your brother and his family are still on Earth. You’ve still got all the moments you wanna have with them. Yeah, that one you had in your head didn’t go as planned. But you can have more.”
The redhead’s shoulders sagged and her head slumped as she felt the tension dissipate.
Must have caught her on a good day… I’m not sure I could have forgiven the same way she just did.
“You also gotta get your life in order,” Mara added. “I’ve been watchin’ you and you ain’t got anywhere near enough friends to be burnin’ as many bridges as you have been. It ain’t too late to salvage a friendship with Aeryn. And if Robin agrees, I’ll restore your cross-trainin’ privileges with Security so you can make the most of that opportunity, as long as you actually follow orders and don’t go blazin’ your own trail. You run with us, you do what you’re fuckin’ told.”
“I will, don’t worry,” Beka replied as Mara leant back again.
“I’m not sayin’ I wanna be best mates with you, but you and I got a lot more in common than we do differences. We both made the best of shitty starts in life. Neither of us had great starts to our careers in Star Fleet. We definitely ain’t as polished and refined as the officers around us. But we’re here in ridiculously senior jobs anyway. What I’m sayin’ is, I understand where you’re comin’ from. I can help. And I will. But if you burn me again, I will end you.”
The Security Chief rose to her feet.
“We done?” Calleja asked, and held out a hand.
Swept up in the moment, Sydesh jumped up and embraced the Bandaran, who stiffened. But after a second she relented, wrapping an arm around the doctor and patting her gently on the back with the other.
“We’re done,” Beka replied, breaking off the hug but squeezing Mara’s hand. “I appreciate what you’ve done for me, and I won’t waste it.”
== Lt Mara Calleja ==
Mara froze when Beka went in for the hug. She wasn’t big on touching, but she recognised that the redhead needed the contact. She squeezed gently with one hand and patted her back with the other.
“We’re done,” Beka replied, breaking off the hug but squeezing Mara’s hand. “I appreciate what you’ve done for me, and I won’t waste it.”
“Good.” Mara squeezed back and then let go. “Now get back to work. There’ll be more of us injured in battle soon enough,” she added with a wry smile.
The Security Chief left the doctor in the room. The nearby medical officers had clearly been watching the room, and there was a split second when they got caught looking by Calleja as she left before they suddenly busied themselves with PADDs and terminals.
This is gonna be all round the ship in an hour tops Mara thought to herself as she headed for the exit. Maybe I shoulda gutted her, made an example…
She boarded the turbolift and headed for the Bridge.
Nah. I’m actually OK with them thinkin’ I can be merciful sometimes.
>> Bridge >>